It is generally a good idea to have a criminal defense lawyer when law enforcement charges you with a crime. Even small criminal charges can have severe and long-lasting consequences.
A criminal conviction can result in fines, probation, and jail time. Criminal charges can also make it challenging to get a job, a loan, or a professional license.
Even if you are confident that you are innocent of only minor charges, it is still a good idea to have a lawyer on your side.
An experienced criminal defense lawyer can help protect your rights, give you advice, help you weigh your options, navigate the legal system, lower your bail, minimize fines, and keep you out of jail.
At the Criminal Defense Attorney & Workers Compensation Law Offices of Arechigo & Stokka, we are dedicated to your defense.
There are three particular areas in which a criminal defense lawyer can help you with even small charges.
Lowering Your Bail
Most people need to post bail if they don’t want to sit in jail until their case is resolved. There are a few ways a criminal defense lawyer can help lower your bail, including the following:
- Negotiating with the prosecutor,
- Challenging the bail amount as excessive, or
- Seeking alternatives to bail (e.g., arguing that you be released with no bail but under supervision).
An experienced criminal defense attorney can help you assess your chance of obtaining lower bail.
Minimizing Fines
Your lawyer can also assist in minimizing any fines. The most common ways in which your attorney can do this is by:
- Negotiating with the prosecutor,
- Presenting evidence of financial hardship,
- Challenging fines as excessive, or
- Seeking alternatives such as community service or restitution.
Contact Arechigo & Stokka to discuss your potential fines and how we can help.
Keeping You Out of Jail
You might wonder why you need a criminal defense lawyer, even for small charges.
Perhaps most importantly, a criminal defense lawyer can help keep you out of jail by negotiating a plea bargain with no jail time, seeking a dismissal, taking your case to trial and getting an acquittal, or ultimately appealing any conviction.
FAQs
What Is the Strongest Type of Defense Against a Criminal Charge?
There is no one “strongest” type of defense to a criminal charge that is effective in all cases.
The strength of a particular defense will depend on the specific facts and circumstances of your case, the evidence available, and the applicable law.
Some common types of defenses that your attorney might raise in a criminal case include the following:
- Alibi,
- Self-defense,
- Defense of others,
- Mistaken identity,
- Insanity, or
- Duress.
In some cases, your attorney might even raise multiple defenses. It is ultimately up to the jury or judge to decide which, if any, defenses are persuasive.
What Is the Purpose of the Defense in a Criminal Trial?
In a criminal trial, the defense challenges the prosecution’s evidence and arguments as a means of weakening their case.
If the defense can poke enough holes in the State’s case, the hope is that the jury will find you not guilty of the crime.
Also, your lawyer could use a good defense as leverage to negotiate a good plea or a dismissal of your charges with the prosecutor.
Contact Us Today
Even minor offenses can have lasting consequences.
For over 15 years, the attorneys at Arechigo & Stokka have helped individuals accused of various crimes protect themselves against the weight of the government.
Attorney John Arechigo is excellent at negotiating, but if the prosecutor is not reasonable, he is not afraid to take your case to trial.
Furthermore, we believe in personalized representation, so we’ll never pass your case off to a paralegal or assistant.
So contact us today so we can put our experience to work protecting your rights.
Loading...