Have you been accused of a misdemeanor or have you already been charged with a crime classified as a misdemeanor? Waiting too long to get legal help could compromise your case and you should never proceed without retaining the services of an experienced misdemeanor defense attorney in New York because the consequences can be serious.
Although felonies tend to carry stricter penalties and be more severe in general, misdemeanors are still worthy of discussing with an experienced attorney. These charges are typically punished using monetary fines rather than incarceration, whereas felony crimes are typically categorized more seriously and are punished with jail time. Classifications for felonies and misdemeanors are based on the specific facts of the allegations. Typically, misdemeanor crimes in New York carry a maximum jail sentence of less than a year.
Are Misdemeanor Violations Really Serious?Misdemeanor convictions, however, can also lead to penalties and fines and the potential of losing a professional license or being unable to identify employment in the future. Your Suffolk County misdemeanor criminal defense attorney will evaluate the facts of your case at the outset and help you determine the most appropriate course of action. This can involve pursuing alternative options such as community, service or probation.
How Can a Criminal Defense Attorney Help in a Suffolk County Misdemeanor Case?Your attorney will also need to be prepared to work hard to fight to keep the conviction off of your criminal record. This is particularly crucial if you need a clean criminal background check due to your field of employment. Although there are typically no misdemeanors that are associated with extensive property damage or extreme violence, multiple or repeated charges for the same misdemeanor crime could ultimately lead to a felony charge and the corresponding fines and jail time. This is particularly true as it relates to DUIs.
Being accused and convicted of your third or fourth DUI, as an example, could lead to a felony charge. Furthermore, theft crimes could be classified as a felony, if the value of a stolen item is quite high. Although you may be eligible to receive representation by a public defender or be tempted to handle the charges pro se or representing yourself, this is unwise for many different reasons. This could lead to an unnecessary conviction and associated consequences. It is strongly recommended that instead you schedule a consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney. When you first schedule a meeting with your attorney, you'll have the opportunity to discuss the facts surrounding your charges and your arrest, especially the events leading up to the incident.
Preparation for your misdemeanor trial may include multiple different aspects including talking with arresting officers and looking at the details in the arrest report, reviewing lab results or the details of the field sobriety test, preparing witnesses to testify, arguing for the suppression of certain evidence or your criminal defense attorney negotiating with the prosecutor to obtain a reduction or dismissal of charges.
Although no New York criminal defense attorney can guarantee a particular outcome in a misdemeanor case, certain factors make it more likely that you will be able to walk away with a favorable outcome. If this is your first crime, for example, you may be eligible to gain favor with the judge. This is why it is so important to share all of the facts of your case with a concerned criminal defense attorney as soon as possible quickly following the arrest.
Talking it over with someone else often brings to light facts that could prove critical in your criminal defense and being able to discuss these directly with a knowledgeable attorney who cares about your future can make it that much easier to go through the process of protecting yourself in court. Make sure you have someone you can trust at your side as your case unfolds so that you have a place to turn to get an honest assessment of your case so you can make educated decisions about how best to proceed. Your lawyer should keep you informed of developments and help create a strategy designed to minimize or eliminate post-conviction consequences like jail time and fines, but you must take action quickly.