At its simplest a criminal lawyer is a legal professional who is concerned with the defense of individuals or organizations that have been charged with a criminal offence. Across the United States and including Pottstown, PA, these lawyers can be privately hired, employed directly by the various agencies which compose the judicial system as a whole. How the system works in a given situation is a function of the interplay between state and federal law.
What do Criminal lawyers do?
They are involved in the whole series of disputes, events and issue which arise from an arrest, criminal investigation and any ensuing charges all the way through to any appeals process that may arise after a custodial (or other) sentence is passed. In short they represent their clients and navigate them through the judiciary and are obviously concerned with upholding the law as they see it and representing the best interests of their clients.
What is an arrest?
An arrest is not the same as a charge. The former occurs if a police officer (or occasionally a judge), believes that the persons being arrested have committed a criminal offence. The charge can only come if there is direct evidence (if not proof) linking them to the offence itself. There are usually very strict time limits between being arrested and actually charged with the offence. However, depending on the nature of offence extensions on this time limit can be granted. The criminal lawyer in Pottstown, PA will handle all of these issues and will have a legal and professional obligation to explain the legal position to their client. Criminal lawyers will often convey this advice before any formal charges have been made and will very likely take a dim view of any behavior which may be seen as harassment or coercion, before they have spoken with their client.
Preparing for trial
A fundamental requirement for any criminal lawyer in the Unites States is to have a detailed understanding of the constitution. From this understanding the lawyer can then review the whole circumstances of the arrest and subsequent charges. If there are no constitutional issues, then the next stage is to prepare for trial. It is here that any plea bargains are measured against the most likely outcome of the trial. Obviously, any agreement has to be with the consent of the prosecution and normally involves a sentencing agreement.
You can contact David T. Schnarrs criminal lawyer, for any all legal advice concerning your rights under Pottstown, PA law.
