Julianne Mayers

Plan your Defense with a Tampa Criminal Lawyer

Good communication is really an important thing in any situation. With communication you can building a good relationship with your criminal lawyer that will help for the success of your criminal case. Both should work together to present a good defense against the criminal charge.

The key to presenting a successful defense of criminal charges in court is the relationship between lawyer and client. When you hire a Tampa criminal lawyer they should work with you to present a defense which has been built around a legal interpretation of the events leading to you being charged with the criminal offense. Good communication is essential if the relationship is to work and should provide the basis for the entire defense.

Your first consultation with your Tampa criminal lawyer is your opportunity to explain your version of events and to help them begin preparing your defense. Your lawyer should in turn explain the following aspects of your case to you:

• The meaning of a confidentiality agreement or lawyer-client privilege, which will exist between the two of you and means that anything you say or statements you make are only between the two of you. Having this agreement in place means you can be open and honest with them when you relay your case to them.

• You and your lawyer will work together to build a defense case which will support your version of events and which will include all available evidence.

• The version of events you put together is used as a basis on which your lawyer can counter the evidence presented by the prosecution. This can be changed, added to or altered at anytime during the trial.

Your version of events as the defendant will typically fall into one of three categories: a total denial of the charges which means that evidence must be secured to exhonorate you; a guilty plea but a different version of events to those presented by the prosecution; a guilty confession on the basis of all the evidence and charges put forward by the prosecution. Your lawyer may advise pleading guilty to all charges if no evidence can be found to prove your innocence. Pleading guilty from the outset could see lesser penalties being imposed.

As your defense lawyer, they will work to put together a theory of the case document to include testimony from witnesses, other applicable evidence and a history of past misdemeanors. If you deny any involvement in the crime you are advised to remain silent when being interviewed by the police until legal counsel arrives to advise you. Anything you do say to the police at the time of arrest could be used against you as explained in the Miranda rights.

Defendants should bear in mind that every criminal case is unique and that by listening to the advice of their Tampa criminal lawyer they can be sure of receiving the best possible defense in their case. If evidence cannot be found to support your claims then conceding to the charges could bring about a more favorable outcome in court.

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