If you or a loved one is charged with a crime, our advice is simple: Get a lawyer. And call the lawyer immediately upon arrest. There is no such thing as an inconsequential criminal charge. Every felony and misdemeanor carries the possibility of imprisonment and fines. Even most traffic offenses have the possibility of thirty days in jail, although this almost never happens. Courts at every level handle criminal case, including municipal courts, state district courts and federal courts. And the outcome of a case in one court can have a great impact on future cases in any of the courts when it comes to sentencing.
Most cases do not go to trial. That is a fact. In fact, not more than one case in ten is tried. Cases are disposed of by the courts through plea negotiations between the prosecutor and the defense attorney. These negotiations are mutual and voluntary. A court cannot force the parties to work out a case. Many prosecutors are very hesitant to talk to a defendant who is representing himself. Rather, a defendant needs a criminal defense attorney to interact with the court and the prosecution. It is important to remember that the list of defendants who represented themselves right into prison is much longer than the list of defendants who got acquitted.
That is why, again, if you or a loved one is charged with a crime, our advice is to get a lawyer and to get one NOW. Do not wait for formal charges to be filed. Waiting until the charges have been filed deprives your lawyer of some of the tools of criminal defense. After all, the lawyer cannot even hope to persuade a prosecutor not to file criminal charges if they have already been filed. Let the lawyer start representing your rights as soon as possible for the best possible result to the criminal case.
