How a Criminal Lawyer Can Help

Being charged with a crime can change your life. It can be hard to find a job, it can make you unwelcome in an apartment, and it will certainly hamper your chances of getting into college.

A top Maryland Criminal Lawyer will help you avoid a conviction and the collateral consequences that follow. He or she will defend your rights and fight for your freedom. Read more.

Due Process Rights

The consequences of a conviction for any crime can be devastating, including jail time, hefty fines, loss of professional licenses or public employment, disconnection from family and friends, job losses and the inability to rent an apartment. A criminal record also makes it harder to get jobs and can make getting into college more difficult.

A skilled Maryland Criminal Lawyer will fight to protect your rights long before you even make it to trial. Pre-trial motions like those based on illegal searches and seizures, false confessions, infancy, duress or other arguments can help to secure a dismissal or reduction of charges. Police often make mistakes that can be used to your advantage in court. Your criminal attorney will capitalize on those mistakes in order to gain the best possible outcome for your case.

Defense Strategies

The number of criminal statutes in the state of Maryland is incredibly vast, and a conviction on even the smallest of charges can have serious consequences. Jail time, fines, a criminal record, and the loss of many professional licenses are all possible outcomes of a felony conviction.

A competent Maryland Criminal Lawyer can help you avoid these consequences by defending your rights, long before your case is heard in court. Maryland Criminal Lawyers can help you fight for your freedom by challenging the legitimacy of a search, or arguing that evidence collected by the police violated your rights.

Similarly, a federal criminal attorney can defend you against charges brought in federal court. These cases have more severe potential penalties than state crimes, and not every attorney has the experience to go up against U.S. Attorneys and their teams.

Misconduct by Police

A wide range of police misconduct can lead to criminal charges. This includes everything from unnecessary physical force to entrapment. A lawyer experienced in these types of cases can use various defense strategies to get charges reduced or dismissed.

Nonconsensual sexual touching is another form of police misconduct that can be very disturbing. Whether it is supervisor-employee or officer-civilian harassment, this type of behavior is unacceptable and must be brought to light.

In many cities, police departments are required to provide public access to their standard operating procedures manual. It is a powerful tool that can highlight outmoded policies and bring about reforms. Some departments still refuse to make this information available, so ask for it if necessary and consider filing a lawsuit under your state’s open records laws.

Misdemeanors vs. Felonies

Individual states classify and define crimes as either felonies or misdemeanors, with felony convictions typically carrying greater penalties than those associated with misdemeanors. However, the distinction is not always clear.

Felony charges often involve physical violence or actions that create extreme psychological harm, such as manslaughter or murder, robbery, kidnapping and more. They can also involve nonviolent activities that are considered egregious, such as grand theft, tax evasion, copyright infringement, perjury and parole or probation violations. A criminal conviction can lead to job loss, financial ruin and a host of other repercussions that can impact a person’s family life. Finding the right lawyer can help mitigate these consequences. A skilled Maryland Criminal Lawyer will ensure your due process rights are protected throughout the process.

Experience

Whether you’ve been arrested on State-level criminal charges, have been accused of violating federal law or have been indicted by a grand jury, the government wields tremendous power to deprive individuals of their liberty and livelihood. Maryland Criminal Lawyers understand this and know how to protect their clients’ due process rights.

A top criminal defense attorney can examine the evidence in your case to find weaknesses that could work in your favor. Techniques like self-defense, police entrapment, infancy and duress can all be powerful tools to help you avoid conviction or get charges reduced.

When choosing a Maryland Criminal Lawyer, consider their experience and credentials. Ask how many cases they’ve handled in the county where your case is pending and what types of cases they’ve worked on.