Ways A Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help You
If you are facing criminal charges in Indiana, hiring a qualified criminal defense attorney is the most important step you can take to reach the best result in your situation. Whether you are facing misdemeanor or felony charges, a skilled criminal defense attorney will increase your chances of achieving a favorable outcome. Even if your case seems straightforward, you should hire an experienced criminal defense attorney. As trained, experienced, legal practitioners, they can identify legal and factual issues you didn’t think of.
A criminal defense attorney is your advocate, and your guide, in the criminal prosecution process. Even in the simplest case, your criminal defense attorney should:
Assessing the Charges
An experienced criminal defense attorney can help understand the technical charge against you and explain the limits of “legal relevance” when building your defense.
Reviewing the Facts of Your Case
Your criminal defense attorney should collect the State’s evidence, review that evidence, and discuss it with you. Through this discussion your attorney will identify potential witnesses and identify potential pieces of evidence for your defense. Your attorney will do this with the aim of finding legal, or factual, flaws in the State’s evidence that could give rise to reasonable doubt.
Excluding Evidence
One of the fastest ways for your criminal defense attorney to get your charges dismissed is to have key evidence the prosecution plans to use against you thrown out of court. For example, your defense lawyer can do this by filing a motion to suppress. This is a motion that a defense attorney makes before a trial asking the court to exclude certain evidence from the trial. If your defense attorney suppresses the right evidence, the prosecution may no longer have a case.
Of course, your defense lawyer needs a legal basis to ask the court to suppress evidence. For example, your attorney can file a motion to suppress if the police illegally searched you. Your attorney can file a motion asking the court to suppress the evidence acquired through the illegal search.
Protecting You From Self-incrimination
Self-incrimination is when you provide law enforcement with information that suggests you are guilty of a crime, either intentionally or unintentionally. Your criminal defense attorney can ensure that you don’t self-incriminate yourself by making sure you use your Fifth Amendment rights to your advantage. The Fifth Amendment guarantees you the right to refuse to answer police questions. It also guarantees you the right to refuse to testify in your trial.
Negotiating With the Prosecutor
If you decide to resolve your case without a trial, your criminal defense lawyer can negotiate terms to close the case with the prosecuting attorney. Plea Agreements can include convictions to lesser charges, or to dismiss some of the charges against you, or guarantee you do not serve any additional jail time.
Contact an Indianapolis Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you are facing criminal charges, our skilled and dedicated Indianapolis criminal defense lawyers at Rigney Law LLC can help fight your charges. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
Source:
law.cornell.edu/wex/motion_to_suppress
