Being arrested and facing criminal charges sucks. There's just no getting around the fact that being arrested is tremendously scary and embarrassing. Answering the questions of a judge or prosecutor in a court of law is extremely intimidating. Court dockets are over crowded, which makes the entire process take longer than it feels like it should.
Criminal defense is rarely as glamorous as it is depicted on television or in the movies. Not every defendant is on trial for murder. It's simply amazing how many things are against the law and can land you in handcuffs or in jail. People are arrested every day for things such as DUI, theft, drug possession, or even failing to pay child support. The vast majority of defendants opt to make a plea bargain rather than go to trial. As a matter of fact, most statistics show that roughly 95-97% of all defendants dispose of their cases this way. Think about that for a moment. Only 3-5% of all criminal cases end up going to trial. Why is this so? To put it simply, going to trial is very expensive, time consuming, and emotionally draining. If you decide to strike a deal with the state, you should know that the state simply WILL NOT negotiate with unrepresented defendants. Rather, the state will recommend a sentence that you are free to accept or decline with no room for negotiation. The state WILL negotiate with you if you have an attorney. This being the case, it is very important that you find an attorney who is effective in showing the strengths of your case (as well as any mitigating circumstances) to the prosecutor in order to get the best deal possible.
Every now and then, a defendant simply has too strong of a case or has too much to lose to consider not going to trial. In that event, you'll want an attorney that will fight tooth and nail for you for a fair price.
If, God forbid, you should find yourself placed under arrest and in need of a Cleveland county criminal lawyer, please feel free to contact me any time. I'll give you a free consultation and evaluate your case to the best of my ability.
