When you are facing a tricky legal situation, you might be wondering how to properly protect yourself. There are many ways for you to do this, from basic to obscure, but whichever path you choose to take, you should ensure you are fully insulated and have the adequate support channels in place to prevent you from receiving a harsh punishment or having a mental break. Still, in situations like these, it is best to stay as calm as you can and address it maturely. If you have done nothing, the likelihood of conviction is very low, and although some people slip through the cracks and find themselves wrongfully convicted of crimes, the chances of that happening are slim to none.
When you find yourself on the wrong side of the law, whether it is your fault or not, then make sure you approach the situation maturely and that you do not panic or lose your head, just stay calm, and follow this guide!
Hire an Attorney
When you are facing a suit, whether criminal or civil, the best thing you can do is hire an attorney. Whether you decide to contact the professionals at Thompson Law, or you find another firm in your local area, it is very important that you hire an attorney. When you are facing legal difficulty a good solicitor is instrumental in receiving that sought after no further action or not guilty verdict.
Know The Stages of Arrest
There are many different forms of legal difficulty, for example: if you find yourself arrested but not charged, you will be on what is called bail. Bail is when you are arrested pending charges, but at that moment in time, not enough evidence has been gathered to charge you, so the police are investigating the crime and considering whether they have enough to charge you in the future or whether they will let you go. From this, you have two potential outcomes: a charge or no further action.
If you find yourself charged, you will then be pending a court case – at this point, you need to get an attorney. You will have to decide whether or not you will be going for trial or going for a guilty verdict, which your attorney will be able to advise you thoroughly on and you should never rush into this situation without advice from your attorney. Otherwise, you risk making yourself look silly and possibly getting a conviction from which you could have escaped the clutches of.
After your trial or plea, you will go to sentencing, assuming you were found guilty you will receive your sentence. Ordinarily, should anything ever go to trial, the chances are you will likely be sentenced to prison, as smaller offenses are not dealt with in this manner.
Make an Appeal Post-Conviction
If you have been convicted of a crime and you consider the verdict too heavy or disagree entirely with the nature of the sentencing, then the first thing you want to do is to launch an appeal. An appeal can only be launched by an attorney, and you cannot do it yourself. An attorney should be able to advise you properly on the necessary procedure for taking an appeal out and should be able to take you ahead with it so you are able to hopefully have your sentence dismissed and be released from prison or have the conviction overturned.
Be Patient
When you launch an appeal it can take a very long time to be answered and you will often be waiting for at least up to a year. However, if you have been sentenced to prison, once your conviction is overturned you will be released and you will receive a substantial payment to compensate for the days lost to the prison. Definitely take out an appeal if you have the opportunity to and if the situation warrants it, as a wrongful or overly harsh conviction can damage your life forever. Be sure to study your case carefully, as if you launch an appeal and they consider it to be unworthy, they can actually sentence you to a longer period of time in prison and can extend your sentence by many years, or even have you start your sentence all over again.
The best thing you can do is to prevent yourself from ever being in trouble. Prevention is better than cure in many cases, and it is not worth getting yourself a criminal record as it can affect your life for many years to come.
