Criminal Defense Attorney
in Augusta, GA

Yes. A criminal defense attorney may be described in many different ways, including criminal attorney, criminal defense attorney, defense lawyer, defense attorney, and criminal defense lawyer. They are all just different ways of describing an attorney who represents people who have been charged with crimes.

You may also hear the term “defense attorney” used to describe someone who is on the defending side of other types of cases, such as a lawyer who represents insurance companies defending against claims from people injured in car accidents. But, in the context of the criminal justice system, all of these terms describe the same role.

A criminal defense lawyer protects the rights of a person who has been accused of a crime and defends that person against the charges. Fighting criminal charges on behalf of a client can take many forms, including investigating the case, negotiating with the prosecution, filing pretrial motions to suppress evidence, assembling evidence for trial, interviewing witnesses, and–if it’s in your best interest–presenting evidence in court and arguing the case to a jury.

An Augusta, GA criminal defense attorney will also protect you and your case in a variety of other ways, including managing deadlines and technical requirements, ensuring that you understand the charges against you and your options for moving forward, arguing for bond, and providing a buffer between you and a system that does not have your best interests at heart.

A criminal defense attorney’s preferred outcome will always be to get the charges against a criminal defendant dismissed or win an acquittal at trial. But, in practice, the goal of a defense attorney is shaped in part by the client’s goals and in part by circumstances. The best way to describe the goal would be “to secure the best outcome possible for you under the circumstances.”

Augusta criminal defense attorney J Todd Mitchell will talk to you about your goals and priorities and explain the strength or weakness of the evidence against you and how that impacts your options.

If you have been arrested, charged with a crime, asked to come in for questioning, or just have knowledge that you are being investigated for a crime, you should talk to an Augusta criminal lawyer right away. Having an experienced defense lawyer in your corner from the beginning can impact everything from how quickly you get bail and how much you have to pay to the outcome of your case.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that talking to the police will help them avoid charges. Sometimes, that’s because the person being questioned knows that they haven’t committed a crime and so they believe that they can set the record straight and put an end to the proceeding. Sometimes, it’s because someone who may be implicated in a crime thinks it will look suspicious if they don’t talk. But, it’s very easy to make innocent mistakes that can land you in deeper trouble. Police are even allowed to lie to trick you into making statements against your own interest.

Having someone who thoroughly understands the law and the possible pitfalls on your side from the start can make all the difference.

Absolutely, for several reasons. First, it’s important to understand the rights you’re giving up when you plead guilty and know the strength or weakness of the case against you. Prosecutors are supposed to tell you about any evidence they have that helps your case, but that doesn’t always happen. An experienced defense attorney may recognize a flaw in your case that can be used to negotiate a favorable plea agreement, reduce the charges, or even get the case dismissed. this is crucial in cases such as DUI, juvenile defense, sexual assault, and murder defense, where the stakes are high and the legal nuances are many.

Even if you are committed to pleading guilty, having a criminal lawyer on your side can significantly impact the outcome. If you simply enter a guilty plea, the judge can impose any sentence that is legally permitted. But, with an attorney negotiating for you in advance, you can usually nail down terms before you enter a plea.

When choosing a criminal defense attorney in Augusta, the first thing you should look for is experience. Many attorneys take on a wide range of cases and may not have deep experience with the local criminal justice system. You’ll want to make sure that your lawyer has experience and success with cases similar to yours, and that they have experience in the local criminal courts.

You’ll also want to choose an attorney who listens to your questions and takes the time to answer them in a clear, understandable way. Facing criminal charges is stressful. It’s important that you can rely on your attorney to tell you what to expect, and that you feel comfortable discussing the details of your case and factors that may impact sentencing openly.

The cost of hiring a criminal defense lawyer depends on the attorney and on the charges you are facing. The best way to find out how much it would cost to hire a particular attorney for your criminal case is to schedule a free consultation.

The right criminal defense lawyer will be knowledgeable about both law and procedure, willing and able to take your case to trial if that’s the best option for you, concerned about your future, and willing to explain the process, your rights, your options, and the strengths and weaknesses of your case in detail.

Criminal defense is part negotiation, part procedural management, and part adversarial battle. So, you’ll want to work with a lawyer who can wear different hats depending on what that moment in your case calls for.