DON’T GO INTO COURT ALONE! THE PEOPLE’S COUNSEL IS HERE TO DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS
There are fewer things scarier in life than (you or your loved one) being charged with a crime. It is nerve-racking, it will keep you up at night, and it will make you reexamine your life. But this is why the St John Missouri criminal defense lawyers at The People’s Counsel are here! It will be our job to defend your rights, devise a strategy to attack the allegations, and make sure you receive the best outcome possible.
How do we go about ensuring that your Constitutional rights will be defended? The first step will involve our attorneys letting the St John Municipal Court know that we are representing you. The People’s Counsel has earned a hardnosed reputation in the Greater St Louis area, so when a municipal court is put on notice of our entry into the case, the judge and prosecutor understand that a professional, experienced team is handling the matter.
After we review all the pertinent evidence (and speak to any possible witnesses), our St John MO criminal defense attorney will determine if there are any grounds to request a dismissal of the charge(s). Such a scenario could play out if the police officer you came into contact with mishandled evidence or performed an unlawful search and/or seizure. But a dismissal could also result from the failure of the prosecutor to provide sufficient evidence to convict you.
ST JOHN MISSOURI CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
If the possibility of a dismissal is not in the cards, our defense team will then attempt to hammer out a deal with the local prosecutor. This deal, commonly referred to as a “plea bargain,” would involve you admitting guilt to a lesser offense (as opposed to the original misdemeanor crime). This lesser offense (like the minor infraction of ‘littering’) would not end up on your permanent record. Instead, the prosecutor would agree to amend/reduce the original misdemeanor down, and save you a tremendous headache!
And if the prosecutor is unwilling to offer a deal, we might still be in a position to convince the judge that you should not have the misdemeanor charge on your record. If we are successful in convincing the judge of this option (a process we have successfully negotiated many times in the past), you would not serve any time in jail, nor would you pay any fine. Instead, the judge would place you on probation for a period of time (usually from one (1) to two (2) years in length). If you make it through the probationary period without getting into anymore trouble, then the original misdemeanor charge will stay off your record!
Of course, if all else fails, we always have an opportunity to defend your interests at trial. The St John Missouri criminal defense attorneys at The People’s Counsel have won some of the most high-level trials recently in the state of Missouri, so we are more than ready should it reach this point. Although there can never be any promises made in a trial setting, it is important to know that it is the prosecutor’s responsibility to prove every allegation he/she makes. This is a very high threshold to meet, and our defense team will be more than willing to point out any missteps to the judge along the way.
All of this is available to you by simply giving us a call! Unfortunately, most Americans do not reach out to an attorney for help. Instead, they decide to represent themselves, roll the dice, and gamble away their future. Why? Because most people (who do not have a St John Missouri criminal defense attorney standing by their side) end up pleading guilty to the charge. No fight, no response, no exercise of their Constitutional rights. Just an admission of guilt, and that’s it.
So what’s the big deal about pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge in St John Missouri? It will become a part of your permanent record as a criminal conviction. This in turn will make things incredibly difficult later on when you apply for a job, rent an apartment, or try to take out a loan for your education (or to start a new business). Because the employer, landlord, or bank will run a simple criminal background check (and you will very likely be eliminated as a candidate).
So please do give us a call (or shoot us an email, or fill out an online form)! We will work hard to defend your position, and force the court to prove every allegation. And it all begins the moment you reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you!!