You’ve been arrested.
What if your friends and family find out?
You’re worried about being seen as a criminal. You already feel judged.
And you’re right because the “Presumption of Innocence” is more of an idea than a reality, according to a Dubin Research and Consulting survey that found 77% of 1,261 jury-eligible citizens believe the indicted defendant committed the crime they are being charged with!Whether or not you are being falsely accused, this does not define your life.
Criminality is a SYMPTOM. Making a mistake does not make you a bad person, undeserving of defense and a second chance at life. A good attorney knows this.
YOU NEED AN ATTORNEY WHO WILL:
DEFEND YOUR INNOCENCE AND YOUR CHARACTER
Trust is essential to building a proper defense.
As a criminal defense attorney, I trust my clients first and foremost. I will ask tough questions in the spirit of gathering comprehensive evidence. To prove the truth that we already know.
Even if the truth is hard, isolating the mistake as one error in judgment or a special circumstance unrelated to their overall moral character can go a long way with the DA.
Sometimes this means gathering letters of character and other documentation. The only information the DA has about someone at this point is the police report in front of them.
Additional information goes a long way toward helping them see the entirety of the person behind the charge for a more positive outcome. And if the case goes to trial, the same is true for the jury, who will then get a chance to see the whole picture, not just the case at hand.
HELP YOU POSITIVELY CHANGE YOUR LIFE
You probably feel like your life has just ended.
And thought it the whole time you Google searched something like ‘criminal lawyers’, whether for a Fresno DUI attorney, juvenile defense attorney, domestic violence defense attorney or other criminal defense lawyers.
While you may be right that life as you know it up to this point has changed, this is not a sentence in and of itself. You have a chance to improve yourself, to start over in a very important way.
Change your perspective and change your life. I help my clients to look at the situation as an opportunity to look at themselves and make positive changes.
Instead of focusing on negative feelings such as being a “bad” person, my clients get the chance to improve this area in their lives.
Whether they need to move out of a harmful environment, get a steady job, or take a break from the stressors that led to this event, the focus is on self-development. Therapy (individual, family, couples) and support groups are only a few of the many options.
Separate the negativity of the case with the positivity of active life change for the better. Isolating yourself during this time, for instance, isn’t helpful. There is a supportive community out there for you, no matter what you’re currently going through.
MINIMIZE NEGATIVE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES
The high stakes nature of a criminal charge likely has you willing to do just about anything to make it GO AWAY. Resist this urge.
If you make a short-term choice to “get out of trouble” with a plea deal, for instance, that decision has what I call collateral consequences. These could be professional, personal, or both, and in very unexpected ways.
Here are a couple of examples: You plea to misdemeanor petty theft and 20 years later apply to a licensing board and are required to disclose the conviction. Or you plea to a lesser domestic violence charge with no jail time and find you have a professional license revoked, your right to own or carry a gun stripped, or even a career in law enforcement or the military eliminated.
There are often so many other viable options, including rehabilitation, even if your innocence can’t be proven. A few uncomfortable months can save you years of life-altering consequences.
Whether you’re looking for Fresno DUI lawyers, juvenile law attorneys in Fresno, domestic violence lawyers, theft lawyers, or other representation, you should feel confident in the best outcome possible.
Get the protection you need with someone you know is on your side because fearing judgment shouldn’t stop you from getting the help you need.
If you’re in the middle of a legal situation and need a judgment-free zone, contact Proper Defense Law Corporation today for a free consultation at (559) 825-3800 or schedule an appointment online on my ‘Contact Us’ page. It gets better with Proper Defense, I promise.
