What is The Timeline When Facing Criminal Charges?
It can be stressful to face criminal charges, especially if it is your first time. Facing criminal charges can alter a handful of plans and scheduled things in your life. Therefore, it is important to understand what the timeline is like when facing criminal charges in order to make necessary adjustments in your life.
Preparation for Hearing
As soon as you are facing criminal charges, you should begin preparation for your hearing. This preparation time should include getting your facts and story straight, familiarizing yourself with the law and the charges you are up against, and physically and mentally preparing to be presentable in court. This is also a great time to hire a competent criminal defense attorney. A defense attorney can speak up for you during a hearing. They have lots of experience in court and can probably present your case much more convincingly than you could on your own.
Court Hearing
You can expect to have a fair court hearing to reach a verdict on your charges. You will be informed of when that hearing will be and what time you need to be there. Make sure you have a way to get to the courthouse on time or even five to ten minutes early if possible. Being late would not give the judge a good first impression of your behavior. You will be able to personally defend yourself or have a defense attorney lay out your case during the hearing.
Post-Hearing
Usually, at the end of the actual hearing, a verdict will be reached. In this verdict, you will be told what you need to do next. In some cases, all charges will be dropped, and you won’t need to plan to do anything else. If you are pronounced guilty of some or all charges, you will need to serve time, be on probation, do community service, or whatever else the judge explains is necessary to clear your record.
Facing criminal charges is time-consuming. However, you don’t have to let it take over your life. By having an accurate timeline and preparing adequately for your hearing, you can be much less stressed when facing criminal charges.
If you want to be as prepared as possible for your hearing, reach out to Dave Clark here. Dave Clark is a seasoned criminal defense attorney who will help you face your charges confidently.