Facing the charge of a crime as an adult often results in stress and feeling overwhelmed, especially if you have not been involved in the legal system in the past. Whether you are innocent of the crime you have been charged with or if you are guilty, obtaining a criminal lawyer is imperative. With the aid and loyalty of a professional criminal lawyer, maximize your protection while building a strong case in your favor.

Learn About Your Charges

A criminal lawyer understands various crimes and legal charges in-depth, allowing them the ability to better express them to their clients. Learn more about your charges, the evidence brought against you, as well as other witnesses who are willing to testify against you when working alongside a criminal lawyer. Ask your criminal lawyer about your current charges to gain a better understanding of the potential consequences you are facing if you are found guilty or if you choose to plead guilty.

Expedite the Process

Criminal attorneys have a complete understanding of the local and regional legal systems. When you hire a criminal lawyer, expedite the process of filing documents to obtain an official court date scheduled for your individual case. Criminal attorneys are familiar with who to talk to and what type of paperwork is necessary to move the cases they represent in the right direction.

Minimize or Reduce the Charges Brought Against You

One of the most notable reason to hire a criminal lawyer to represent you in a court of law is the opportunity to minimize or reduce the charges that have been brought against you. A criminal lawyer specializes in convincing judges and juries to reduce or minimize sentences against their clients. Working alongside a criminal lawyer with a positive and professional reputation in your area is a great way to boost your chances of receiving a reduced sentence or reduced criminal charges for the crimes you have allegedly committed altogether.

Keep Your Current Job or Career

Oftentimes, working together with a professional criminal lawyer is one of the only ways individuals are capable of maintaining their job and remaining in their current place of employment. criminal lawyers help reduce time-wasting by filing paperwork and meeting with legal representatives on your behalf. Keep your job with the right criminal lawyer who does the talking and representation for you leading up until your final court date.

File Proper Paperwork

While representing yourself in a court of law is possible and legal, it can lead to the improper filing of paperwork, misplaced documents, and incomplete filing depending on the type of paperwork is necessary for your court case. Working together with a criminal lawyer ensures your case’s paperwork and documents are all filed properly and within a timely manner (that coincides with any court dates you have set in your name).

Learn About the Law

Spending time with a professional criminal lawyer is a great way to learn more about your case and the current laws in place that surround your alleged crime. Criminal lawyers are well-versed in the legal system and can help showcase the proper steps to take any time you are faced with an allegation or a criminal charge to your name.

Communication With Legal Contacts and Associates

One advantage of obtaining the representation of a criminal lawyer is the ability to communicate with judges, legal counsel, and other associates connected with your criminal charge. Criminal attorneys have a network of connections in the legal system, providing them intimate access with other professionals who are likely involved in your case. Working alongside a criminal lawyer is a way to learn more about all of the legal routes you have available to you and the best solution for you based on your charges and any criminal past you have to your name.

Whether you have a history with getting trouble with the law or if this is your first time being charged with a crime, hiring a professional criminal attorney is a must. Having a criminal lawyer by your side throughout the process of being charged with a crime and following up with multiple court dates is a way to drastically increase your chances of a minimized sentenced or a dismissal altogether.

DUI Questioning

This article is by Zooomr – a top platform in India for used cars, in big cities like New Delhi, and many others. One fact many people are often either confused about or don’t understand as well as they should is that a traffic stop is a police interrogation. Any evidence developed by the officer along the side of the road is as admissible in court as whatever is learned at the police station.

What many prosecutions count on is that drivers are unaware of this fact and may implicate themselves without realizing they have given up their right to remain silent. Those drivers often go on to compound their problems by consenting to searches and failing to ask for an attorney.

Those things said, there is a difference between casual conversation and an interrogation. Knowing when to assert your rights is as important as avoiding criminal acts in the first place. Here are some things to consider.

The Goal of Police Questioning

The police have one purpose in asking you questions during a traffic stop, and that is to develop clear incriminating evidence, probable cause and an arrest. They are not there to engage in witty banter, small talk or casual conversation. This is why it is vitally important you understand your rights and when they attach.

Under the Constitution, you have an unalienable right to remain silent if questioned by the government. When a police officer asks “do you know why I stopped you?” the correct answer is a quiet smile. Answering that question in any other way might provide the officer with something called “consciousness of guilt” which can lead to probable cause, a searched car, searched pockets, various kinds of medical tests including a breathalyzer, and a visit to the police station.

Police officers only ask questions that lead to incriminating answers. That alone is reason enough to keep quiet.

Police Interrogation

If you have been detained, arrested or otherwise transported to the police station, the next step will be an interrogation. If you plan on avoiding making things worse for yourself there are three things you have to remember in a fairly exacting order. The first is to exercise your right to remain silent. You cannot be compelled to answer questions nor can you be compelled to produce any evidence.

Second, you should exercise your Fourth Amendment rights and refuse to consent to any search of your person or property. An interrogation is when the police will often ask for such consent in writing.

Third, you should ask to speak to your attorney. If you are being questioned in a DUI case, you should request the services of a qualified Los Angeles DUI Attorney. This is vital, because it stops the interrogation and gives you a chance to consider your legal options without the pressure of fending off questions that might implicate you.

Privilege

One of the key reasons having an attorney present is important is because your attorney will understand the reasoning behind the police questioning. Your attorney can also shield you from implicating yourself because anything you tell your attorney is covered by “attorney client privilege.”

Statements made to an attorney cannot ever be divulged by your attorney and may never be used against you. Frank and honest communication with your legal advocate is part of the process of a just and fair trial, and the Sixth Amendment guarantees you the right to competent legal counsel to assist in your defense. Use this right prudently, and you will give yourself the best chance of obtaining a fair trial.

The rights guaranteed to you under the Constitution are not optional suggestions. They are there to protect you against the incalculable power of the state. The police already have immense resources to support their efforts to convince a jury you are guilty. There is no reason to make their case for them.

If you are being questioned, remember your rights and remember to find a qualified attorney as soon as possible. In the long run, it’s the right decision.

Carrying a Concealed Weapon

New York issues a license to those who apply for privileges to carry a concealed handgun. The agency exercises discretion towards who is permitted to carry a concealed handgun. The state is categorized as a “may issue” state where local agencies manage the application process for requesting parties.

What is the difference between concealed and carry?

The state treat the privilege of carrying a handgun differently from the act of carrying a weapon where crime is concerned. You cannot be convicted of simply concealing a weapon. To conceal a weapon means to hide a weapon, so that it is not visible from any angle by a person. The extent to which the weapon is concealed is a factor in charging a person with the offense. Carrying a weapon means that you have one in your possession. You don’t necessarily have to be in motion at all. Carrying a weapon can encompass having a weapon that is accessible to you in close proximity.

Who may carry a weapon in New York?

The minimum age for carrying a gun in New York is 21. The person must be of good moral character, not have any serious convictions, not have a protective order against them, or not have any reason such as mental illness or other condition that would disqualify them from ownership. People who have been honorably discharged from the military and those who have received specialized training may be granted a license if at least 18 years old or older.

Caveats to the rule

New York does not recognize privileges granted from other states. You may have a current, up-to-date license to carry a gun in Wyoming, but the State does not recognize or honor those privileges. You can still be arrested if carrying a gun in your car while visiting a family member or friend in New York.

Unable to carry a weapon

• People under 21
• Those who lack good moral character
• Previously rejected applicants
• Those with mental illnesses
• Felons

Carrying a concealed weapon in your car

It is legal to carry a concealed weapon in New York if you have a license. The firearm can be loaded with ammunition. The weapon can be stored in the car. The law does not permit concealed weapons like rifles and shotguns to be stored in the vehicle.

Possible penalties for violating the law

You can be considered guilty of a misdemeanor if you carry a concealed weapon without proper licensing. The penalties for this offense is $1,000 and could be as many as 12 months in jail. You can receive up to three years of probation for this offense. Both fines and jail time may be required if convicted of this class A misdemeanor.

What can I do?

If you have been convicted of a gun carry law in New York, you may be subject to jail time and fines. This could blemish your record and future earning opportunities. You should definitely pursue legal counsel to protect your record. A qualified criminal defense lawyer specializing in gun carry laws can build a case in your defense to help you avoid jail time and stiff penalties. The first call you make if arrested should be an attorney.

This was written by CriminalLawyer-Chicago.com, a premier team of Chicago Criminal Attorneys