Understanding How a Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help You Out

What Does a Criminal Defense Lawyer Do? Criminal defense lawyers are highly educated lawyers who can fight criminal charges brought against individuals. They understand all aspects of the law and know how to use court rules and laws to their advantage. Because no criminal offense is the same, criminal defense attorneys are able to pick up the minute details of each individual case and determine which strategies might work best to get the client's charges reduced or dismissed.

Reduce Sentence: A criminal defense lawyer may advise his or her client to take a plea bargain in order to get a lighter sentence. The recommended sentence could be one or two years reduced from the maximum sentence. For some crimes, like major offenses, this may not completely free the person of the crime, but it could significantly reduce the sentence. If a person does not have enough money to hire a private attorney, he or she might ask their criminal lawyer to offer a plea bargain. Since most criminal lawyers make their money by charging high fees, it is common for them to be willing to take this type of arrangement.

Reduce Jail Time: In addition to offering a lighter sentence, plea bargains may also allow the defendant to serve more time in jail. While serving time in jail is bad for an individual's personal and professional success, it can also help with the cost of legal counsel. Since most criminal defense lawyers work on a contingency basis, they are paid only if their clients win their case, meaning that they do not get any legal fees until they see their client in jail.

Hire Other Proving Witnesses: Sometimes criminal attorneys will hire other people to testify against their client at trial. These people include private detectives and other professionals such as private eye experts. Hiring other individuals to testify against a defendant can increase the strength of their case. However, hiring another individual can mean that the criminal lawyer has to cut costs by not having to hire his own expert witnesses. This means that these types of deals could also mean lower quality testimony.

Be More Punctuate With A Mandatory Sentence: Sometimes a criminal defendant will receive a harsher sentence than one recommended by the judge. This can happen because the judge did not consider all of the circumstances surrounding the crime. Some people have been sentenced too harshly for minor crimes. This can affect their future. If a criminal defense lawyer can prove that the sentence is unfair, they can petition the court to resentence the defendant or to reduce their punishment.

Consider Mitigating Factors Before sentencing: Some crimes are harder to prove than others. For example, it is often more difficult to prove that someone robbed a store rather than that she was acting out of self-defense. Therefore, a defense attorney may present evidence that would help prove that the defendant was not responsible for the crime. The courts also take into consideration any mitigating factors that were present at the time of the crime. For example, if the defendant was suffering from some kind of temporary medical condition at the time of the crime, this might be used to lessen the severity of the sentence.

Ask To Compromise With The Prosecution: Some criminal cases end up with plea bargains between the prosecutor and the defendant. If these plea bargains are acceptable to the prosecution, the defense might offer to drop most or all of the charges in exchange for pleading guilty. However, even though a defense may agree to this, the defendant still must provide the prosecuting agent with enough evidence to prove their innocence.

Avoiding Jail Sentences: Some crimes can result in jail time, such as repeat offenses. Others, like driving while intoxicated, can result in significant fines or penalties. These types of cases usually end up with probation, community service, or DUI classes. A defense attorney can help you determine which penalties you will have to face, depending on the type of crime, and how your mitigating factors were considered by the jury.


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The Martin Law Firm
725 Skippack Pike #337
Blue Bell, PA 19422
(215) 646-3980