Orlando Criminal Defense Lawyers

When a person is arrested in Florida they will be taken to jail or the station of the arresting agency. You will be processed which involves being fingerprinted and having a mugshot taken. You will be notified of the charges against you. Law enforcement may attempt to interrogate or question you and it is highly recommended that you politely decline. After processing you will be allowed to make a phone call. It is a good idea to have an attorney’s number memorized just in case. (407)377-0150 for example. After being arrested, you can post a bond (pay the jail a set amount to assure the court that you will appear for future court dates) or you will be brought before a judge within approximately 24 hours of the arrest. In many situations you can post a bond immediately upon being processed at the jail. Certain offenses, like DUI and Domestic Violence charges, require you to appear before a judge within 24 hours for a bond determination. At this initial appearance, if bond is granted, you may also face conditions of release such as no contact with the victim. Unless you are charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment and the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption is great, you are entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions. As a condition of pretrial release, whether such release is by surety bail bond or recognizance bond or in some other form, you shall refrain from any contact of any type with the victim, except through pretrial discovery pursuant to the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure and you need to comply with all conditions of pretrial release as ordered by the court. If no conditions of release can reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm to persons, assure your presence at trial, or assure the integrity of the judicial process, you may be detained.

It is never a good idea to plead guilty to a crime without first consulting an attorney. An experienced criminal attorney is trained to identify legal issues on your behalf. Some of the possible issues that may exist in a criminal case may be: statute of limitations, speedy trial, unlawful search, entrapment, illegal search warrant, insufficient evidence, unlawful traffic stop, invalid breath test result, illegal warrant or even an identity issue. All legal issues need to be thoroughly reviewed before any consideration is taken when entering a guilty plea. If you have already pleaded guilty you may want to consult with an appellate attorney.

If you have been convicted of a criminal offense in Florida, you cannot have your case sealed or expunged. You may be eligible to have a case sealed or expunged if adjudication of guilt is withheld and the offense is otherwise eligible. Certain offenses like DUI and Violent Crimes are not able to be sealed or expunged. An offense can be expunged if the case was dismissed and you have no prior convictions.

If you are falsely accused of a crime, under no circumstance should you talk to the police without an experienced criminal defense attorney present. After your case is completed, you may consider filing a civil claim. When you have been falsely accused of a crime it can result in devastation to your life in many ways. Legal fees, damage to your standing in the community or reputation, ruin of your career, etc. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee you will not be convicted of criminal charges, even when you were falsely accused. However, the hiring of an experienced criminal defense attorney will put you in the best position to prepare a defense and fight for a dismissal of the false charges. When I meet with a client who is being falsely accused, we always try to retrace our steps. We start with the preservation of any emails, texts, social media, credit card payments, toll records, pictures, videos and make a list of potential witnesses to support our defense. The most important step you can take is to protect your legal rights immediately by consulting with a criminal defense attorney.

If you post a cash bond you will get the bond back upon the case being completed. However, the clerk will use this bond money to pay all outstanding court fees before any money is returned. If the accused or a co-signer obtains help with an agent for bail bonds in Florida, that 10% paid to the agent is nonrefundable.

You are never required to speak with Law enforcement except to identify yourself if you are stopped for suspicion of committing a crime or a driving violation. After identifying yourself, if you are being investigated for a possible crime it is never a good idea to talk to the police. Be pleasant but let the officer know you will not answer any questions on the advice of your attorney.

For some minor offenses, the first appearance Judge may allow you to get out of jail based upon your promise to present yourself for all your court dates. This is called being released on your own recognizance or ROR. Additionally, if the State has held you for 33 days without filing criminal charges, you can have your attorney file a motion to get you released.

Depends on the nature of the charges, the experience and ability of the attorney you hire. Attorneys that have been practicing longer often charge more and are usually worth their fees. Look at things like trial experience and types of cases the attorney has handled in the past. A felony charge will cost more than a misdemeanor case as there are significant penalties faced and more work expected from your hired counsel. Abraham Lincoln once said: “He who serves as his own counsel has a fool for a lawyer and a jackass for a client”. In other words, you may represent yourself, but you should hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer.

The hiring of a criminal lawyer is not required but highly recommended. When you are being accused of a crime, the rules of evidence need to be well understood and applied in order to obtain a favorable resolution. Additionally, an experienced attorney can help explain the legal process, attend most of the required court dates on your behalf, review the evidence with you, conduct depositions and explain the potential legal defenses to the case.

No. Abraham Lincoln once said: “He who serves as his own counsel has a fool for a lawyer and a jackass for a client” In other words, you may represent yourself, but you should hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer.