David Serna is a popular name in the state of New Mexico as being one of the most widely respected criminal defense attorneys in the state. This is high praise indeed for David especially given that the state of New Mexico is hotbed of young talent and outstanding legal professionals. To me however I have always known him as Dave, the kid I grew up with and a very dear friend. The reason why I am talking about David is because many of you have been asking about the importance of a great criminal defense lawyer, which of course is right up his street.
Emotional Support
Before we get into the professional help that a great lawyer can give you after you have been charged with a crime, it is important that we first look at the emotional support which they are going to provide you with. No matter what you have been charged with this is going to be a very difficult time for the accused, especially if they remain in detention. A lawyer is someone who they are going to see a great deal and they can provide guidance, reassurance and answers to the question which are flying around your head. The emotional support which a great defense attorney can give you is going to be extremely valuable.
Ensuring Due Diligence
The police and the courts have a very strict set of protocols which they must follow when they process someone who has been charged with a crime. From the moment of arrest up to the moment that they are taken to court, everything must be done in accordance with the law. We have seen cases thrown out in the past simply because the arresting officer wasn’t in uniform, constituting an unlawful arrest. A criminal defense lawyer understands each detail around how you should have been handled and processed and they will be able to ensure that due diligence has been handled to the letter of the law.
Striking Plea Deals
In cases where the defendant looks guilty, regardless of what they plan to plea, the defense lawyer will try where possible to strike a plea deal with the prosecution lawyer and the judge. Normally this will involve the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser crime in order to reduce their prison time or avoid it entirely. This is beneficial to all parties and the courts now won’t have to take the case to trial and they can move on to more pressing cases, the defendant is of course happy with a lesser sentence and the prosecution legal team can count on a win on their record. To get such a deal a lawyer needs to know what they can use to make the deal and how to go about it, usually using good faith which they have with the opposition and with the judge.
These are the 3 main strengths which a criminal defense lawyer can bring to a case.
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