Building a Prince George’s County Criminal Defense
Building a Prince George’s County criminal defense is not something out of the power of an experienced attorney. With the help of defense counsel that is supported by a firm but works independently, you could have the personalized defense you might need for court.
First Steps after Being Charged with a Crime in Prince George’s County
If someone is in Prince George’s County and they are charged with anything, the first thing they need to do is call a lawyer who could take the initial steps needed.
How PG County Handles Cases
Prince George’s County has an incredibly high volume of cases in every category: drugs, guns, sex crimes, DUIs, suspended licenses, assaults, domestic violence, and theft cases. The county investigates them all, and in the state’s attorney’s office, they have groups assigned to certain fields.
DUI, drugs, and domestic cases are heard in the district court. At the circuit court level, they hear the major felonies. They have these different units and different groups working in these cases to strengthen their ability to prosecute, and the volume of such cases is high across the board.
Benefits to Hiring a Local Lawyer
Prince George’s County is unique. There are certain ways that this particular county works differently than other jurisdictions. If a lawyer does off their services in PG County regularly, they may not be able to properly advise their client. A local attorney may have the name and number of the state’s attorney and could research a clients options much more easily.
An experienced attorney familiar with the prosecution’s office could call and contact that responsive office more readily. Additionally, an attorney familiar with the courts in Prince George’s County could develop more options based on courtroom experience.
Benefits to Hiring a Law Firm as Opposed to a Solo Practitioner
Solo practitioners work alone, but there is little difference between solo practitioners and a law firm as long as they have the same level of knowledge and experience. For some people, it is better to work with a solo practitioner because a client using a law firm could end up speaking with a different attorney every time they meet and because of this, the personal touch a is lost.
There are advantages to communicating with the same person over the course of a case. People involved in DUIs, sex crimes, assaults, or other accusations are often embarrassed by the situation and it is tough to build the kind of report potential clients need when they are not meeting with the same lawyer every time. Potential clients want to see that their lawyer cares about them, that the attorney is paying attention, and that they are not simply running the defendant’s case through the usual mill. This is much easier to show when the lawyer is a solo practitioner.
Most firms are too big to operate on that personal level. The best option is for the person to find an attorney who operates and works as if they are a solo practitioner but still has a firm behind them to back them up and help build a criminal defense in PG County.
Attorneys that have the support of a firm but operate as a solo practitioner are invaluable resources. They can operate on that personal level while using the resources of a firm. They build that trust with their client. Win or lose, a person wants to know that their attorney could address everything possible in order to prove their innocence or reduce the potential penalty.
How Do Criminal Lawyers Conduct Their Own Investigations?
Every time a lawyer gets involved in a case, there are always three stories: the client’s story, the officer’s story, and the hybrid between the two. It is the responsibility of the attorney to discern as much accurate information from these three reports as possible to formulate a defense. Defense attorneys most often follow up with their client’s account of events to then move forward. If someone disputes that story, then attorneys investigate to determine what was missed or whether there is evidence to disprove the other person’s account.
No one is perfect, and accounts of events become skewed with time. It is possible a report on an event was missing a detail because of this. A defense attorney could investigate everything within their power to unveil accurate accounts of events. They work to ask leading questions and raise doubt about the officer’s conduct or the constitutionality of the case. An experienced defense attorney could investigate the arresting officer and ask specific questions about the officer’s conduct, past reporting authenticity, the witnesses the officer has used in the past, and if the defense knows any of the witnesses. Specifically, if there is a witness with a vendetta against a defendant, then that would constitute an important detail while drafting a defense.
The Investigative Process in PG County when an Attorney is Retained Prior to Arrest
If a potential client elects to retain a defense counsel prior to arrest, this gives the attorney more time to plan a possible defense for the client. Witnesses may be interviewed, communication between the state’s prosecutor could be made, and a client could better prepare for what to expect if the state decides to move forward with charges. Conversely, the longer a client waits to retain a representative, the harder it is to build a Prince George’s County criminal defense for trial.
Defense attorneys have endless access to resources. However, the resources they could use depends on the type of case they are defending. The entire state investigation report needs to be turned over to the attorney. A defense is centered around this report. If the state is planning to use an expert to testify, the defense attorney could learn about that. They learn about the state’s witnesses and could do background checks on all of them. Everyone that is involved in the case could be looked into quickly by the attorney, including potential witness’ relations to the case. Attorneys may hire private investigators, lab technicians who could do chemical analyses on evidence that may offer a different perspective of hard evidence, and generally work to fact-check the fact-checkers.
What Could Change the Nature of a Defense’s Investigation?
The defense investigation will vary on a case-by-case basis, but the most important thing is for the attorney to know the county, the judges, and the potential pool of jurors. There are some cases in PG County that receive excellent jurors. There are some cases in which that might not be true. Regardless, the defense attorney should know what the ideal juror is in their case. The attorney could tailor their investigation, their questions, and their entire presentation to fit the potential jurors and judges.
How A Defense Attorney Tailors Their Investigation Against the State’s
The extent and nature of the official report submitted are important. If the defense attorney looks at a report and it seems generic, they certainly want to investigate that issue. It may mean that the state does not have much evidence. If there are pages upon pages of investigation, the attorney needs to scrutinize the report for any contradictions or inconsistencies that may help the defendant. The overall defensive strategy depends on the charge, the client, and the present matter. Just because an alleged offender may have a record, just because they have had brush-ups with the law in the past, that does not mean they committed the incident in question. That has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Circumstances in which the State Gives the Defense Access to all Their Information
Under all circumstances, the government must give the defense access to their information and evidence. A defense attorney may very well file asking for discovery and could file motions for suppression for discovery that is not turned over. The defense is supposed to get everything. There are no surprises in these cases. They get the name of the witness and the experts involved well ahead of time so the defense may vet them and look them up.
No matter what the case, an attorney could call a witness. A defense attorney has the absolute right to talk to every witness. They have the confrontation clause on their side. They get to cross-examine everyone on the stand, call witnesses of their own, and subpoena people to court, and they do it with the compulsory powers of the court so that they may get the best trial for their client and get them the best possible outcome.
Contact a Prince George’s County Defense Attorney
When you have been charged with a crime and are unsure as to what type of attorney your case may need, the support of an independent defense counsel with the support of a firm. An experienced attorney could help with building a Prince George’s County criminal defense and could help you seek the outcome you desire in court.