If you have been charged with a crime, it is important to understand that, even though these charges likely already have a serious impact on your life, that you have the right to a fair trial and the representation of an experienced attorney.
No matter how overwhelmed you may feel about the charges or evidence that the prosecutors have against you, a good attorney will make sure that your rights are upheld in every aspect of the case, and that any miscarriages of justice or impropriety on behalf of the investigatory and arresting agents or the prosecution team are brought to light and considered.
Experienced attorneys, like those at the Law Office of Vikas Bajaj, APC, understand the importance of each step in a criminal trial, and work with their clients to make sure that every possible opportunity to strengthen their defense is taken advantage of.
The following are a few crucial aspects of a criminal trial that an experienced attorney may be able to use to your advantage.
The Discovery Process
During the discovery process before your trial, your attorney will have an opportunity to request information and documentation from the prosecution in order to get a better understanding of the evidence against you and how it fits into your overall charges.
In this phase of the trial, your attorney may even be able to present their own evidence to the prosecution that may bring the validity of your case into question.
In many cases, the defense and prosecution may reach an agreement before the trial, and ultimately resolve the case with a plea deal brokered by your attorney.
Pre-trial Intervention
A pre-trial intervention is another crucial moment in the overall process of your case that may result in reduced charges or alternative dispositions in order to minimize the penalties that you must face.
If you are a first offender, charged with low-level drug crimes or non-violent crimes, or a variety of other situations, you may be able to work with a judge in order to complete an education program or some other option that prioritizes rehabilitation over punishment.
Jury Selection
You have a right to a fair trial, and that includes having an unbiased jury hearing the facts of your case. During jury selection, both the defense and prosecution will be able to ask a variety of questions in order to determine whether or not each possible juror will be able to stay objective throughout the case, and request that they are dismissed from the jury pool if not.
In some high-level or complicated cases, jury selection may take an extremely long time in order to find jurors who were able to remain unbiased about the case after media attention significantly increased public awareness about the situation, or if the defendant is a high-profile individual.
Cross-Examination
During a trial, your attorney will have an opportunity to cross-examine a variety of key witnesses involved in the case. This cross-examination is meant to go back over statements that these witnesses have already made, either during the trial or on record that relates to the case, in order to clarify or discredit those statements.
This process is very important, because the judge and jury may get a very one-sided idea of the situation if they are to rely solely on the statements made by possibly-biased witnesses or do not understand the overall context of their statements.
