As someone in the United States accused of a criminal act, you have certain rights. One of the most important rights for a criminal defendant is the right to a trial by jury. A jury of your unbiased peers makes a decision based on the evidence presented in court and delivers the verdict. Having a […]
One of your most basic rights as someone accused of a criminal offense is the right to defend yourself against those pending charges. Your criminal defense attorney is in a position of both trust and power. You have to trust in their decision-making and intelligence to help get you out of this difficult situation. You […]
You were tried for a crime, and you ended up being convicted. Your initial response was that you wanted to appeal the case, because you didn’t feel like the outcome was fair or appropriate based on what really happened. When you spoke with your trial attorney, they told you that they wouldn’t take the appeal to […]
If you have been wrongly convicted of a criminal offense, you may be resigned to the sentence handed down. Recent events have served as a timely reminder that this need not be the case. The president’s recent decision to commute a former advisor’s sentence has thrown the topic into the limelight. Unfortunately, only the president […]
You refused a plea deal and took your criminal case to court, confident that a jury would acquit you — but that’s not what happened. The best way to manage your expectations moving forward is to understand what happens during an appeal. Perhaps the biggest thing you need to know is that an appeal is […]
The evidence that law enforcement officers collect is one of the most important parts of a criminal case. Without evidence, ranging from physical evidence like DNA or fingerprints to testimony from witnesses, or even a confession from the person accused, it is typically not possible for a prosecutor to build a case. After all, the […]
