False Criminal Accusations Can be Ruinous without the Right Legal Recourse

Being accused of a crime is often enough to cause serious harm to one’s reputation, career prospects, and personal life. However, without the right legal recourse, that accusation may soon turn into a conviction, and that can truly ruin everything permanently.

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If, however, proper legal action is taken right after the criminal accusations, it is quite possible for the defendant to successfully redeem his/her name and reputation. In order to do that though, a bit of foreknowledge can be priceless.

Calling aCriminal Defense Lawyer is the First Course of Action

It doesn’t matter if the accused is detained in a police station or if they are staying at home when they find out there is a criminal case filed against them, calling up their defense lawyer should be the first course of action to take, legal or otherwise.

The Accused Party Must Not Contact the Plaintiff

Meyer Van Severen, S.C., a criminal defense law firmin Milwaukee,whichis famous for successfully defending their clients against a long list of criminal accusations, advise that the accused party should contact their criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible, while refraining from establishing any contact with the plaintiff, under any circumstances.

Once the defendant has contacted and hired an attorney, from that point onward, it is their job to represent the client. The defendant must not contact or accept communication attempts from the accusing party, without the presence of their legal representative.

Preparation is Key

Innocence is a very subjective term and especially sowhen viewed through the legal system. Therefore, every case can turn into a long, legal battle, requiring preparation for each and every stage of the criminal justice system.

The lawyer representing the accused will prepare them for facing the various stages of the process, but the following should provide a preface regarding what those stages are.

Initial Appearance Date or the First Court Date–The date on which the two opposing parties will meet in a court of law for the first time, and declare the various details regarding the case, to the presiding judge.

Arraignment or Preliminary Hearing – If the accusation is that of a felony, the judge decides whether it is one or not, on this date.

Receipt of Discovery – All evidence against the accused is disclosed to the defense on this date.

Pre-trial motions – The defense requests the court to take a course of action; the action itself can vary widely from evaluating witnesses to testing their own defense theories.

Plea bargaining discussions – The two parties, represented by the prosecuting and defending lawyers may meet before trial to settle the case in mutual agreement, before the trial date.

Trial – Depending on the case and on the court’s discretion, the judge himself/herself could be the one to pass the final judgment, or it could be a trial left to the jury for deciding the verdict.

Sentencing–In case the accused has now been convicted successfully, this is the date on which the judge will pass his/her final sentence on them as punishment.

Appeal or post-trial motion – The motion for post-conviction relief can be filed with the original court itself, or it can be filed with the Court of Appeals.

It should be noted that some of the later stages mentioned above may not even come into play if the case is settled in advance.

Sometimes, one might be legally at fault, even though they don’t deserve the accusation. At other times, it may feel like there is no reason to worry, only to find out later in court that the assumption was legally invalid. Whether one is in doubt or not, it is highly advised to always get a consultation from a criminal defense lawyer first, before coming to any conclusions about the concerned criminal accusation on one’s own.