Any criminal
arrest is serious and should be treated as such .
Any criminal arrest is serious and could have serious long term
ramifications that impact your life. Some of these include;
obtaining employment, job termination, license restriction, and police
search conditions. Your first order of business is to obtain legal
counsel that clearly understands your legal predicament.
I understand these ramifications. I understand them because I
practiced trial law all day, every day for over thirteen years in the
courtrooms of Colorado as a Senior Deputy District Attorney and the
last four years as a criminal defense attorney.
I have not only practiced different approaches, but I am
thoroughly networked in the local legal community. This provides
me with access to additional informational resources to better prepare
your case and to enhance the chances of a favorable resolution of your Felony,
Misdemeanor, Juvenile, Traffic (DUI) arrest.
To successfully employ criminal defense tactics for your
case action must often be taken promptly and specific rules must be
followed. Certain defense strategies are time sensitive and may no
longer exist after a period of time. Favorable evidence critical to
your defense, must be identified and located immediately.
A Lawyer Can Help Protect Your Rights.
1.
Call a lawyer immediately - he or she can intervene before charges are brought.
2.
Do not discuss your case or sign
a statement without an attorney present
- it's
evidence that can be used
against you.
3.
Do not enter a plea without first
obtaining legal advice
- even for a minor offense.
A
Lawyer Can Also Help ...
1. you
tell your side of the story. If presented with
skill and sensitivity at the
right time, this can result in reduced or dropped charges.
2. you get out of jail with a bail reduction or a personal
recognizance "PR" release bond.
3. reduce penalties, fines, jail time, terms of probation
and can request alternatives to probation.
4. a lawyer can
petition to clear your record.
Recap
There are certain things you should and should not do if you are
arrested.
- DO NOT make statements to the law enforcement officer in the
belief that if you cooperate the officer will let you go (it is
already to late once an arrest has occurred).
- DO speak only with your attorney about the matter - do not
discuss it with anyone else
- DO NOT answer questions asked by law enforcement officers or
other officers of the court, unless advised to do so by your
attorney
- DO have your attorney present during any lineup or
administration of a test (such as drawing a blood sample for
further testing)
DO be polite to law enforcement personnel; they can make a bad
situation worse if you make them mad at you.
The information in the above pages
(see also - Your Rights) is designed to provide
you with some basic information so that you can understand some of what is happening, or is going to happen, following
your arrest.
This information should only serve as a reference point to examine the
level of knowledge of other attorneys during your investigation and selection
of counsel stage.
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