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3 Reasons Criminal Defense Attorneys Should Be Retained

Okabe & Haushalter Mar 24, 2018 Criminal Defense

Good people sometimes make silly mistakes. Whether it’s driving while intoxicated, bouncing checks or stealing from department stores, it’s not uncommon for folks to have that ‘oops’ moment. Then, of course, some people are accused of heinous crimes that carry stiff prison sentences. No matter where you or your loved one fall on this scale, you’re afforded the right to retain competent Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys.

If you’ve ever wondered why retaining counsel is vital to one’s defense, we’ve compiled three rather important thoughts that translate to compelling reasons accused persons shouldn’t fight alone.

Prosecutors aren’t on your side

Every court hearing has two parties: the state, which is charged with upholding laws and punishing those who violate them, and the defendant, the person accused of such violations. The judge is charged with discerning facts from fiction, weighing the socioeconomic impact of your crime, the likelihood you’ll reoffend, and what sentence best fits the crime.

The prosecution isn’t on your side. They may treat you nice, but their interests will never align with yours. Fighting the state without help likens to someone entering a lion’s den with five pork chops strapped to their waist – you’ll get slaughtered.

Laws have unique interpretations

Lawyers spend years learning originations and applications of the law. Should they survive law school and pass their BAR examination, it’s safe to assume they’re experts. With so many changes to California law, defendants will find themselves lost, hopeless and perhaps agitated.

There’s are Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys positioned to assist those with little knowledge of writs, petitions, motions and appeals. One misplaced sentence, or one forgotten fact, and one’s whole world could turn upside down. Would you rather lose your freedom to a technicality, or retain someone who knows their way around law books?

Frankly, accused persons need help. Period.

Remember, whether it’s your first crime or fourteenth, judges in California courts aren’t lenient. Violating various public policies doesn’t sit well with men and women who abide by local, state and federal laws. And detectives won’t offer one drop of sympathy for troublemakers they’re trying to eradicate from neighborhoods.

Guilty or innocent, you’ve got constitutional rights that must be followed. That means your arrest must be mirandized, questioning must cease when you ‘lawyer up’, and you’re afforded the right to face your accuser. Fighting whatever charges have been imposed upon you without counsel could make prosecutors and detectives smile – especially when you’ve forgotten to mention the several rights they violated of yours in court.

What We Learned

Doesn’t matter what stage accused persons are in – suspect, arrestee, arraigned or adjudicated – they’re afforded rights. One of those is having competent counsel who’ll cross-examine, argue or deal with various happenings in and out of court.

Prosecutors aren’t there to coddle the accused; they want their heads. And without someone standing beside you that knows how to counteract their statements and strike various statements and evidence irrelevant to your case, one should plan for an ugly sentence. That’s the plain truth.

Accused of a crime, and fear the worst? Contact a firm with competent Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys awaiting your case.