What value is there in hiring a criminal defence lawyer?
Most people who are charged with a criminal offence say that they are deeply remorseful for having committed the offence and ask the judge to give them a second chance. The Prosecution then presents its case for what the appropriate sentence should be. If there is no criminal defence lawyer, the judge tends to accept the sentence proposed by the Prosecution.
A criminal defence lawyer is able to study the facts of your offence and do the required research to find the sentences given by judges in similar cases. He or she can argue, on your behalf, why the sentence proposed by the Prosecution is too harsh and why the facts of your case justify a lighter sentence being given.
A criminal defence lawyer can also advise you on how best to mitigate your case. This could involve paying money to make good any damage you might have caused to property or to make good any property that you might have taken illegally. This could also involve issuing a sincere written apology to the person who has been negatively affected by your actions.
Most importantly, a criminal defence lawyer can advise you on how you can resolve the criminal charges without you ending up with a criminal record. This can be done through various means, such as by sending written representations to the Prosecution to convince them why the charges against you should be dropped, or by convincing the judge why a Community Order is the appropriate sentence to be given to you.
Simply saying that you are very sorry and asking for a second chance tends to have minimal effect in getting a lighter sentence for yourself. You would be well served to engage a criminal defence lawyer to guide you through the stressful period of your life where you have been charged with a criminal offence.
