Can a Lawyer Make an Appearance in Court On My Behalf?

If you or your loved ones were charged with any criminal offense, chances are, you are already frustrated, depressed and anxious, not knowing what to do and how to proceed. Well, it is always a very unpleasant process, but it is very important to follow all the legal guidelines in order to go through it properly.

With that said, a lot of people are concerned with how the sentence may affect them and what kind of consequences those criminal records may have in the future. There is a good change that it will affect your everyday life if you lose the case, but a whole lot of people make mistakes even before the judge and the prosecutor have the chance to hear them out.

Some people neglect to appear in court by the due date and on time. Somehow, people think that a court hearing is not that important and the judge can wait. However, it is vital that you appear in court right on time. Otherwise, the judge will have every reason to issue a bench warrant. What this means for you is that the law enforcement authorities will be able to come to your house, present the warrant, take you into custody immediately and then transfer you to the court later on. Getting a bench warrant may have a very negative effect on the final sentence as well. Besides, you will lose respect in the eyes of the judge and the prosecutor, which will make you more vulnerable in court. 

Most people simply cannot afford to spend their entire day in court. And it may take a lot of your time. First of all, you will have to wait until you will be summoned which may take a while, and then the court hearing on its own could take up to 4 hours. This is why it is important to get in touch with an experienced legal representative, who will be able to appear in court on your behalf. Especially, if you were charged with a misdemeanor, your lawyer can go to the court for you, unless the judge specifically stated that you need to be present. However, if it is a felony that you were charged with, your appearance in court will be obligatory. If there is a possibility to send your attorney instead of yourself, be sure to use it. It is a great way for you to save time knowing that a legal expert is going to handle everything on your behalf.

Sure enough, you should find a good attorney – a legal professional with plenty of experience, who knows how to handle any court hearing and who will make some great points in court. He will need to use all of his knowledge, his skills and expertise to confront the prosecution and to help you deal with your situation with minimal legal damages.

Therefore, if you need to go to the court hearing, but you cannot afford the time to do so, get in touch with a good lawyer and consult him on the matter. Find an option that will satisfy your requirements and will not get you in trouble at the same time. A good attorney will know exactly how to handle any type of situation quickly and effectively.

The Law Offices of Criminal Defense Specialists

Prosecutor And His Role in a Criminal Case

Most people, who have never been in an actual court of law, are used to thinking that most court hearing are very much similar to what they see on television. Well, the TV is very well known for being overly dramatic and emotional, often exaggerating some things and concealing others for a greater effect.

For instance, in most movies and TV series we are mostly led to believe that the judge is the god and the king in the courtroom and that he and only he decides what kind of fate is waiting for the defendant.

In reality, there is a large variety of factors that could have an impact on the final verdict and it is also important to remember that the judge does not have the authority that is necessary to decide most things on his own. On the other hand, the person, whom you should be concerned about most, is without any doubts the prosecutor. The prosecutor can and will do his best to sentence the defendant in the vast majority of cases. This is simply due to the fact that he or she deals with dozens of similar cases on a day to day basis, so your case is nothing more than a part of a statistical data – numbers that lack the human factor.

However, it is very important to be on the same side with the prosecutor, since he is the one, who can help you get a better plea bargain. There are two ways to go – either you decide to go for the plea bargain there and then or you prefer to move forward and wish to defend yourself in court. One way or the other, you will have to prove to the prosecutor that you are not a bad person after all.

Of course, the judge plays the major role in your case, but it is also crucial to negotiate with prosecutors properly. And this is exactly where a qualified as well as genuinely experienced legal representative would come in real handy. Only will a genuinely professional attorney be able to use all of his knowledge, his legal connection and his experience to negotiate with the prosecutor. He will go through all of the available evidence against you and will gather up all the evidence that will demonstrate how good of a person you really are. We all make mistakes and at times do things that are completely out of character. Yet, it does not necessarily mean that one’s life should be ruined because of a single mistake. Everyone deserves a second chance and a good lawyer will be able to prove that you also deserve one.

Negotiating with a prosecutor is never easy and you will want to contact criminal specialist in order to increase your chances of succeeding to the maximum.

The Los Angeles Criminal Defense Experts

Hiring a bail bondsman: How to choose one properly?

It is absolutely impossible to find a person, who has never made a mistake. It is perfectly natural – making errors is in our nature and there is pretty much nothing we can do about it. However, it is crucial to make sure that your mistakes and your actions in general do not hurt the people around you. Otherwise, you can get yourself in a whole lot of trouble. Breaking the law is very serious and there are harsh legal consequences that will have long lasting impact on your life.

If you or your loved ones are being charged with some kind of a crime, chances are, you are going to be arrested and taken into custody up until the court hearing. However, in many cases, if all the circumstances around the crime permit it, a person could be released from the custody. There is only one condition – in order for the individual to be released, the court is going to set a certain bail sum. This sum will function as a warranty. In most cases, the bail sum is way too expensive for anyone to pay. Regardless of how bad you may want your loved one to get out of custody, finding a sum of money that big may turn into a genuine issue.

However, there is always another option – you can seek help from a bail bondsman. These guys can provide you with the necessary sum of money quickly for an 8-10% fee for their services in exchange. Furthermore, they may also require some kind of property in the state, where the individual was arrested as a sort of collateral, depending on a variety of factors.

These days the market is pretty much filled with all kinds of bail bondsmen, who are ready to provide you with their services. Yet, finding the right one may be a challenging task, especially if you do not have any experience in this type of matters.

First of all, there are different bail bondsmen out there – some of them will take way too much time to provide you with the necessary sum of money. They will want every bit of personal information from you in order to agree to provide you with the money. Of course, you will want your loved one to be released as soon as possible and will probably agree to just about any condition, but do not be too hasty. In order to find the very best bail bondsman, who will not let you down and who will act genuinely quickly, you will need to work with a qualified as well as genuinely experienced specialist, who knows how to handle the bondsmen and who will get you the results you need.

We are now referring to a professional legal representative, who is already connected to some great bail bondsmen. And how exactly an attorney will be able to help in this case – you may ask. Well, in some cases, the bondsmen will want some kind of property in the state, where your loved one was arrested. It is a very risky and challenging demand and it will take plenty of time for you to handle it. However, with a qualified as well as genuinely experienced attorney you will be capable of negotiating the terms quickly and the property issue may be removed from the picture. Hence, your chances of getting your loved one from custody will elevate.

Therefore, if you want your loved one to get out quickly and need to get the necessary sum of money, do not hesitate to get in touch with an experienced lawyer, who will make sure that you are dealing with the most reliable bail bondsman out there. That way, you will reach your goal a lot faster.  

Charged with a crime? Call Criminal Experts Law Firm now!

The Law Offices of Criminal Defense Specialists

What is Considered a Self defense in an Assault Case?

Life is completely unpredictable and you cannot predict what might be waiting for you around the corner. Even if you will find yourself in a challenging situation, chances are, your natural instincts and reflexes will help you deal with the circumstances properly and effectively. This is exactly where the notion of self defense comes into the frame. Even if you are the victim, the other person may still press charges against you, claiming that he or she demands compensation for all the damages. So how will the self defense strategy hold up in court? Well, if you have ample evidence that would demonstrate how you were reacting in self defense, the case may even be dismissed. Yet, it is all much easier said than done.

First of all, in order to demonstrate what is self defense and what kind of self defense will hold up in court, let us review a couple of examples:

1. You and your buddy are drinking at his place and discussing the latest news. Your buddy is already quite drunk and you tell him to slow down. Sure enough, his reaction is inadequate – he is angered by your words, he takes an empty beer bottle and makes an attempt to crash your skull with it. You manage to avoid his blow and push him aside, causing him to fall down and break his arm.
2. You and your buddy are drinking and he is suddenly angered by something you said. He takes a beer bottle and swings it over your head. You manage to avoid the blow, take the knife from the table and stab him.

While the first case is considered self defense for certain, since you reacted naturally and tried to defend yourself from the danger and acted accordingly, the second case is a very tricky one. To begin with, stabbing a man is a rather harsh measure and one that you should resort to only if you have no other choice. In this case, you could always run away or push your buddy aside. The prosecution will not let the second one slide that easily.

If you happened to be involved in the similar situation and wish to prove your actions were nothing more than self defense, we recommend you to get in touch with a qualified criminal defense attorney, who is going to use all of his skills and expertise to help you. He will go through all the available evidence and will make sure you get out of this unpleasant situation with minimal legal damages. Only a professional attorney will be able to confront the prosecution on the subject of self defense to fight your charges properly. This way, you will get the best legal representation you deserve.

Were you involved in a self defense criminal case? Contact our law firm now!

The Law Offices of Criminal Defense Specialists

Basic Information About The Notion of Malicious Mischief Charges

We all make mistakes – it is in human nature and there is absolutely nothing most of us can do about it. Yet, it is very important, to be able to control our actions so as not to hurt the people around us. If you committed a crime with an ill intent, you should definitely be ready for the upcoming consequences. After all, that is what the justice system is for.

What is malicious mischief? The emphasis here should be on the word malicious, meaning that a person actually had the intent to destroy other individual’s property in some way. With no intent, there can be no case, but if the individual was actually damaging something on purpose – well, this is a somewhat serious crime that will surely not go unpunished.

In order to clear things up a little bit, let us review a couple of examples that will demonstrate how it works. Let us say, it is your wife’s birthday and you really want to surprise her. You were working very hard to get her something truly special – a brand new car that she has been dreaming about for so long. However, you do not stop there and wish to be more creative about it. So, in order to make it even more exciting for her, you decide to damage her old vehicle first. You go to her office and you find her vehicle. You get some paint and pour it all over the car. The paint is everywhere and you are satisfied. However, you did not know, but your wife did not go to work that day and you accidentally ruined her co-worker’s car that looks exactly like hers. Although the damage is done, you had no intention to harm this property, since you believed that the car belonged to your wife. Well, the prosecution will try to take the case forward, but it will be rather difficult with this kind of story.

On the other hand, let us imagine for a second that you had reasons to suspect that your wife was cheating with that co-worker of hers. So you go to the office, you find his car and you break every window. You scratch the car, you punch it with a bat – you are purposefully destroying it. Well, there is your malicious mischief – a case that will stand in court and the prosecution will have every right to handle it accordingly.

It is very important to have a qualified as well as genuinely experienced legal representative, who will be able to minimize the sentence or will get the case closed to begin with. It is in fact the only viable option.

Need more information about malicious mischief charges? Contact us now! 

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Specialists

Seeking Expungement: A Decent Option To Clear Your Criminal Records

One way or the other, we all make mistakes – it is in the human nature and it is absolutely normal. That is, until your mistakes start to hurt people, who surround you. At times, our mistakes resulted in someone’s injuries or other bad things that are punishable by law.

Of course, it does not necessarily mean that every single criminal is in jail or prison by mistake. It just means that some people deserve to get the benefit of the doubt. Even if they are guilty of something, they may still deserve a second chance – a chance for redemption, a chance to clear their name, a chance that will allow them to return to normal day to day living.

Criminal records in one’s personal history could create plenty of difficulties. After all, very few employers will be happy to hire a person with some kind of criminal records, even if it is only a DUI misdemeanor offense. These records are freely available for everyone, so make no mistake – the company will use its resources to find out everything it can about you – starting with your background and up to the criminal history.

Furthermore, you can forget about getting a loan at the bank – banks are also very thorough when it comes to placing their money in someone else’s hands. Chances are you will not be able to get even a minimal loan, not to mention something a bit more substantial.

Most landlords will not want a person with criminal history to remain in their neighborhood, so there is also that – finding a roof above your head is also becoming gradually more difficult.

However, there is a possibility to get your records expunged. In order to reap all the benefits of criminal expungement, you will need to complete all the conditions and the requirements of your probation. If you have successfully completed your probation, paid all the taxes and fines and are not charged with any additional crimes, there is a chance that your records are going to be expunged from the system and you will get a second chance to start clean.

Still, it is all much easier said than done – in order to get the desired expungement you will first need to prove that you actually deserve it. In order to do that, you will need to seek help from a qualified as well as genuinely experienced legal representative, who will know how to handle the court properly. He will be able to prove that you surely deserve the second chance and that the expungement is good for you. Of course, you will need to comply with everything the court says and first of all – you will need to appear for the court hearing. Expungement can mean the start of new life for you, so do not lose your chance to use it.

Do you need an expungement? Contact our Los Angeles criminal defense law office now!

The Los Angeles Criminal Defense Experts

Probation Violation: Consequences and Penalties

No person in the world is perfect and that is the reason why we make mistakes so often. Still, the important thing is to make sure that our mistakes do not affect the lives of people around us in a very negative way. Our actions must not harm anyone else and if you have managed to break the law, have no doubts – you will be held responsible for it.

With that said, some crimes are not as serious as others. The court is not always throwing everyone to jail. On the contrary, if the crimes were not that serious, the convicted person actually gets a second chance. This chance comes in form of probation. The judge may be willing to substitute a jail sentence for the probation. Of course, it does not mean that the individual will be set free. There are certain terms and conditions of probation that the convicted individual will be obliged to follow at all times.

The conditions of probation vary from case to case and generally depend on a variety of factors. However, there are several things that are common for any probation. First of all, you will be obliged to report to your probation officer on a day to day basis. He will monitor you and your actions in order to make sure that you are not intending to commit a crime yet again. Furthermore, you may be obliged to perform drug tests every week in order to make sure that you remain sober. In addition, you will be required to attend to special alcohol or drug awareness classes as well as perform community service. The type of community service also depends on the crimes that you have committed. A special tracking device may be attached to your foot or your arm in order to track your movements. You will be prohibited from getting in contact with any criminal elements and you will need to stay as far away from any criminal activity as possible.

Furthermore, it is very important for you to attend the probation hearing. Some people do not realize how important it really is and miss the hearing. However, it is crucial for you to be there or to send a qualified and experienced attorney instead (if allowed to). Otherwise, you risk getting a bench warrant, which means that you will be charged with probation violation (PENAL CODE SECTION 1191-1210.5) and arrested.

In certain cases, the judge will be willing to provide you with yet another chance and will allow you to remain on probation, but for an extended period of time and with new conditions. One way or the other, you will need to find yourself a good attorney, who will be able to minimize the sentence and who could negotiate better probation conditions for you. Only a top quality legal representative will be able to help in a situation like this, so do not neglect to contact a lawyer as soon as possible.

Were you arrested for a probation violation? Contact our attorney now!

The law offices of Criminal Defense Specialists