OUR GOAL AT THE PEOPLE’S COUNSEL IS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS!
The St Ann Missouri criminal defense lawyers at The People’s Counsel have a great deal of experience working with the local prosecutor, judge, and clerks of the St Ann Municipal Court system. As a result of the relationships that we have built over the last ten (10) years, our legal team has successfully handled hundreds of criminal cases in this area of Greater St Louis.
When we are hired to represent individuals charged with a crime in St Ann MO, the primary objective at The People’s Counsel is to determine the best way to defend your Constitutional rights. This defense strategy begins the moment you get in touch with us.
For instance, let’s say you have been charged with misdemeanor assault. If you are convicted or found guilty of this crime, there is potential jail time, a large fine, possible community service, and (very likely) required anger management courses. In addition, the assault charge would end up on your permanent record as a criminal conviction. This will have a dramatic impact on your future.
ST ANN MISSOURI CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
Most people think of the short-term consequences of a criminal charge (like the aforementioned jail time and fine). But to be perfectly honest, it is the long-term difficulties of a criminal record that will really put you in a bind. For example, if you plead guilty to the assault charge in the above scenario, this will show up every time you apply for a job, when you try to rent an apartment, or when you attempt to get an education or business loan. Why? Because nearly every employer, landlord, or financial institution runs a criminal background check on potential applicants. As a result, there will be a very good chance that you will be eliminated as a candidate.
At The People’s Counsel, we would much rather see you avoid all of that negativity! Our St Ann Missouri criminal defense attorneys will get to work immediately on your case. The first thing our legal team will do is determine if the charges leveled against you have any merit. Believe it or not, some of the charges that the prosecutor issues have no basis in the law at all. When this happens, it is very often the result of a misinterpretation of the statute under which you have been charged. If we believe that this set of circumstances is present in your particular case, then we will waste very little time in asking that the charge(s) be dismissed.
And in some cases, it is possible to receive a dismissal if the police officer who issued the criminal citation performed his/her duties improperly. One of the biggest examples of improper behavior on the part of the police is when they conduct searches (of your person or property). There are a great many rules and regulations (not to mention the numerous Supreme Court cases) that delineate what an officer of the law can and cannot do when conducting a search. Why? Because if a government official pries into the personal space of a United States citizen (whether it is the pockets of your jacket, or the trunk of your car), then that official has an obligation to perform that search within the confines of the law.
YOUR RIGHTS NEED PROTECTION! JUST BECAUSE ST ANN HAS CHARGED YOU, THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE GUILTY.
Every single day in America, police officers perform their duties in direct violation of the Constitution. Whether those violations are a result of poor training, or a blatant disregard for the law, the St Ann MO criminal defense lawyers at The People’s Counsel look closely into the evidence of your case. If the police officer did in fact commit violations of the sort mentioned above, our team will point these discrepancies out to the prosecutor, and see about getting the charge(s) dropped.
In the alternative, our defense team may also have an opportunity to get your criminal charges reduced to a lesser infraction (so that nothing negative appears on your permanent record). So let’s say you have been charged with misdemeanor trespassing. Because of the good working relationship we have with the local prosecutor, it may be possible to get that charge amended to a minor offense, like “littering,” which would not appear on your record. In this kind of situation, you would still have a fine and court costs, but your at least your future will not be damaged!!
So if you have been charged with a crime in St Ann MO, please make us your first call! Unfortunately, most Americans do not ever reach out to a defense attorney for help. This is big mistake! Why? Because the vast majority of those self-represented individuals do nothing more than plead guilty to the charge (which, as detailed above, creates a serious blemish on your record for all to see). We look forward to hearing from you!!