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If you have been charged with criminal charges in Los Angeles, you have not yet been convicted. Being charged simply means that officers believe you could be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but until you enter a plea of guilty, or are found guilty by a jury, you are innocent.

Fortunately, with proper negotiations and preparation, there are many opportunities to avoid the charges altogether. But how do you know what to argue, and when to do it? This is why an experienced and knowledgeable Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, like those at Hoffman and Associates are extremely beneficial when it comes to fighting the charges against you.

One way an experienced legal professional can fight for you is through negotiations. The key is that negotiations are most beneficial when they take place prior to a case having been filed. When you are arrested, an officer prepares a report of the incident. The officer then sends his or her report to the prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor then reviews the facts and makes a determination whether there is enough evidence to file formal charges. Once formal charges are filed, you are given a date to appear in Court. That date is your arraignment.

For any criminal offense, there are available defenses and arguments to be made. Our Los Angeles Criminal Defense lawyer has over 30 years of experience and is knowledgeable not only in the criminal procedure and laws, but with the courtrooms all over Los Angeles County.

The defense available for your case will depend on what you have been charged with. For example, in a Los Angeles Hit and Run case, an available defense is that a person did attempt to leave contact information, but for some reason, that information was not relayed properly. It is the job of the Los Angeles Criminal lawyer to prepare evidence and argument that demonstrates to the court and prosecutors that their client did not commit a hit and run. This would reduce the case, or even dismiss it altogether.

The type of evidence gathered to prepare a defense will also depend on the type of case you have. In a Los Angeles DUI Case, the police report will be a crucial piece of the evidence to help prove that officers did not follow proper procedure, loopholes in the case, or shortcomings in the prosecutor’s case.

When you may have been involved in a Los Angeles Hit and Run, the time upon which you could be arrested will vary, as will the manner in which you are arrested, if at all. The person whose property or person was allegedly damaged or injured would have to file a report. Officers would then investigate the situation and based upon their investigation would attempt to contact the person they believe may be responsible for the situation. They will contact you either by letter, by phone or in person. They will ask you to come into the police department and speak to them, answering questions they may have.

The information officers gather through their investigation and from speaking with you will be what evidence will be used to build the case against you. This is why it is extremely crucial to contact a Los Angeles Hit and Run Lawyer that can give you the best possible representation.

A Hit and Run professional’s work begins as soon as you have retained their office. It is highly recommended that you speak to and retain a Los Angeles Hit and Run lawyer as soon as the incident occurs, even before you have been contacted by the police department.

There is a process to the criminal court. A person is not automatically found guilty of a crime and sentenced. There are many hurdles and protections given to each and every person through the United States Constitution so that their rights are protected.

When a person has been arrested, they are arrested based upon the officer’s observations and Judgment. This does not mean that a person has been charged. The officer will prepare a report that essentially states the reasons they believe a person should have been arrested. They must also state the reasonable cause they had to make the arrest in the first place. Once this has been completed, the officer will give their evidence and report to the Prosecutor’s office.

The Prosecutor’s office is aware of the elements that they must provide beyond a reasonable doubt in order to find someone guilty of the offense they have been charged with. For example, for a person to be found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles, they must show that 1) the person was driving and 2) the person was intoxicated at the time they were driving. Both elements must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence is weak, or does not support such a conclusion, Prosecutors will not waste resources and will not formally charge the person.

If you have been arrested for a Los Angeles Hit and Run, you have not yet been convicted. When you are charged, it is basically like the government stating that they believe there is enough evidence that you have committed a Hit and Run, but until you either enter a plea of guilty, or a jury finds you guilty, they cannot convict you and issue a sentence.

The code section under which you will be charged, and the type of Hit and Run you will be charged with will depend on the facts of your case. There are a few different types of Hit and Runs, as you will see below.

1. Car versus Pedestrian

If you have been arrested for suspicion of having committed a criminal offense, you have not yet been charged. The officer who arrested you will prepare a report and provide it to the Prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors will then review the information and determine if a case should be opened, and then you will be formally charged.

Waiting to hire a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer until you have been formally charged is not a good plan. There are many things you can do to help prevent the charges from being filed in the first place, but you have to act quickly. An experienced Los Angeles Criminal Attorney has years of experience in preventing charges from being filed, and successfully defending cases in Court. As such, the attorney knows the right strategy to take to help give your case the best possible chance of being dismissed.

An attorney can contact the police department and speak to the officers about your case. It is harder for a person who does not have a working relationship with the officers or Prosecutors to contact them and to discuss the details of a specific case. It is also inadvisable because it may lead to statements that could later be used against you in Court. Having an attorney will not only allow the attorney to contact the police department more efficiently, it will also help prevent any incriminating statements from being made.

Los Angeles County has started a new diversion program that encourages the dismissal of Los Angeles Hit and Run Charges. It has proven to be a very useful tool to many experienced Los Angeles Hit and Run lawyers who are looking to have the cases against their clients dismissed. It has also been beneficial in taking the power out of the hands of the victim to have the charges dropped, and placing it in the hands of the person who has been charged.

To qualify, the charges against you must be that of a misdemeanor. If it is a felony, the case will not qualify for dismissal. Once you have been arrested or cited for a Hit and Run, prosecutors will review your case, just as they generally do. They will look at the evidence, the statements from witnesses and the victim if any, and make a determination as to whether charges will be brought. At this time, under the new legislation, prosecutors will also review whether you case will qualify for a diversion program. If the prosecutors find that you do not qualify, that is not the only option. You can also file a motion with the Court to request that your case be considered under the diversion program.

If you qualify, the court will ask you to complete certain conditions, and enter a plea of guilty, or no contest (nolo contendre). You will then need to complete the conditions. This could be restitution, rehabilitation, fines, or even community service. Once completed to the Court’s satisfaction, the Court will dismiss the charges against you.

Oftentimes people who have been charged with a criminal offense mistakenly believe that they can handle the matter on their own. This can have significant consequences on not only that person’s case, but their future. There are many benefits to having a knowledgeable and experienced Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney on your side.

Appearance in Court

Your first appearance in Court for a criminal offense can be nerve wrecking. You do not know what the process will be like, what will happen, or what to do. In addition, you may have to take time off of work, get there an hour before the Court opens so that you can wait in line, and anticipate that you will be there all day until your name is called.

Sometimes before you are charged with a Los Angeles Hit and Run, the police department will send you a letter. The letter will inform you that there is an investigation against you for a Hit and Run and will invite you to come to the police department for questioning. This may seem routine, especially if you believe you did not do anything, but it is still an interrogation. You should have a Los Angeles Hit and Run lawyer present with you when you go to the police department.

At this point in the process, you have not been charged with a Hit and Run and are certainly not guilty of the charge. This is just the investigation point and will require officers to put together evidence, and prepare a report to present to the prosecutors. The prosecutors will then review the report and evidence and make a decision as to whether there is enough to file formal charges against you.

This stage of the process is very crucial, because it can set a precedent for your case. It is also extremely important that you consult with an hire a Los Angeles Hit and Run attorney as soon as possible to guide you through this process. At this crucial juncture, any questioning, or actions taken by you can either lead to a dismissal of any potential charges, or it can lead to a full blown trial.

If you have been arrested for possession of marijuana, there may be available defenses or the presence of certain facts that may help reduce the charges.

If you are in possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, then your charge should be an infraction and not a misdemeanor or felony. This type of offense is charged under California Health and Safety Code 11357(b).  Oftentimes prosecutors will charge marijuana possession cases as misdemeanors, when they really should be charged as infractions. An experienced Los Angeles Criminal Defense attorney knows the law, and will gather evidence that demonstrates that the charge should have been an infraction and not a misdemeanor.

If the charge is successfully reduced to an infraction, there is a significant benefit to the person who has been charged. With an infraction you do not need to report it on any application that requests your criminal history, nor does it need to be disclosed in interviews. An infraction’s sentencing is also lower, and only involves a fine. There is no jail sentence or probation with an infraction.