Criminal Charges In Maryland
Hiring The Best Criminal Defense Attorney
Author: Jennifer Page
Jennifer B. Page is a seasoned criminal defense lawyer who has helped numerous clients in Montgomery County, Maryland walk away from criminal charges with the best possible outcomes, and she wholeheartedly agrees that hiring a former prosecutor for criminal defense comes with its share of advantages.
Maybe you got roped into doing something illegal without totally realizing it and are facing a series of harsh penalties. Or perhaps you made the mistake of operating a vehicle while under the influence and you caused significant damage as a result. No matter what your specific situation happens to be, if you're facing criminal charges and are looking at some pretty serious consequences in the event that you are found guilty, then you'll need the right attorney to defend you and help you come away from your situation with as little punishment as possible.
The Right Lawyer
When it comes to finding the best criminal lawyer to argue your case, it is easier said than done. After all, every criminal attorney in your area is going to boast of his or her expertise; and while you may be tempted to opt for the person who offers the cheapest rates, considering the fact that your entire future is on the line, money certainly isn't the only factor to take into account when making your decision.
I recommend that you ask questions about each lawyer's experience not just in the general criminal defense arena, but with regard to your specific situation when you meet with attorneys in an attempt to find the right one. And if you're looking at jail time or significant monetary fines, then you'll especially want to find someone with a proven track record of successfully defending those charged with similar crimes.
A Former Prosecutor
In addition, before you choose the right criminal defense lawyer, there's one more thing you should also consider – hiring an attorney who happens to be a former prosecutor. As a former prosecutor myself, I am in the perfect position to understand how the legal system works. After all, I have seen it from both sides – the prosecutor side, and the defense attorney side.
Because I am intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the system, I can use that specific knowledge to my clients' advantage. Additionally, navigating the legal system can be an overwhelming prospect for someone who is charged with a crime for the first time and is therefore unfamiliar with how things work. By hiring a former prosecutor to represent you, you'll be getting the benefit of having a professional at your side who can tell you what to expect every step of the way.
By hiring a criminal defense attorney who is a former prosecutor, you'll get to work with someone who is familiar with the strategy that prosecutors tend to employ when fighting to make criminal charges stick. As a former prosecutor, I fully understand how the other side operates, and I can use this knowledge to help my clients emerge from their legal battles in the most victorious fashion possible. When it comes to matters of criminal defense, knowing your enemy is truly half the battle; and there's no one more qualified than a former prosecutor to provide this kind of insight and use it to his or her clients' advantage.
Good Communication
Although it is clearly a wise strategy to hire a criminal defense attorney who is also a former prosecutor, it isn't enough to only see the words "former prosecutor" on a lawyer's resume. Rather, when seeking out someone to defend your reputation, you must make sure to find an attorney with whom you are comfortable and can speak freely with. The last thing you'll want is to hire a lawyer who is rude, abrasive, and treats you like a lowlife, whether or not you are actually guilty.
Remember, the better you are able to communicate with your attorney, the more likely he or she will be to achieve the best possible legal outcome on your behalf. So while hiring a former prosecutor is a step in the right direction, you should also do your best to find a criminal defense lawyer who is willing to listen to what you have to say. After all, the word "criminal" can have a lot of different meanings within the legal system as well as society, but a good attorney will treat you as a respected client, not as some criminal who happened to walk through the door.
This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.
January 13, 2011
4:12 am
The only one that knows the answer to that, dear, is Allstate. But the charge will surely show up.
May 27, 2011
8:10 pm
Can i work for Allstate in Maryland with a criminal conversion charge on my record?
Also, I’m moving from Indiana to Maryland will the Indiana charge even show up on the background check done in Maryland with a Maryland I.D.?
May 29, 2011
5:24 pm
What part of “public records” don’t you understand. They are available to the public. No damage was done to you by someone posting a link to the information on MySpace. You caused the damage to yourself when you did whatever it was you did to be charged with a crime.
June 20, 2011
4:46 pm
Is it legal to distribute public criminal records to other individuals?
I recently had some criminal charges pressed against me in Maryland. There is a public site where anyone can go and see these charges: you, your friends, my friends, my mother, etc. Well, someone emailed the link to about 40 friends of mine on myspace. I think it was the person that filed the charges on me. Can they get away with this even though the record is a public record? Now everyone in my hometown knows that I have been charged with prurient intent (not a minor).
June 29, 2011
8:35 am
my experience is that yes thy can if all this happened at one time and or you agree to bundle it all up together
July 2, 2011
8:35 pm
Can a criminal charge be merged with a traffic charge?
“I was arrested in the state of Maryland for 7 traffic citations
(driving with a revoked license, driving an uninsured and an unregistered
vehicle, displaying a license issued to another) and I was also charged
with theft less $500.
The disposition reads that I pled guilty to a count 5: which is the
driving with a revoked license, I was given unsupervised PBJ and the
Disposition also reads “Merge remaining counts into Count 5″
My questions are:
1. What does it mean that the charges are merged?
2. Does that mean I also pled guilty to the theft charge?
3. Can the theft charge be merged into the traffic charge?
4. Is is possible to reverse an expungement?
”
July 14, 2011
1:47 pm
If you advise the loan company of your new bank account it should be no problem. But it sounds as though you’re trying to screw them. You could be charged with fraud.
I don’t know how many times it’s been said how bad payday loans are on this thread. You obviously did not read any of those posts.
July 28, 2011
1:11 pm
i have two payday loans out and would like to know if i close my checking account?
will i be subject to criminal charges. i live in maryland.
July 28, 2011
8:09 pm
What happens when charges are delivered from another state or country?
I don’t know about other states, but in here in Maryland notice of criminal charges are sent out by mail and you have to call a number verifying that you received them. UNLESS the charge requires immediate arrest, such as murder, assault, etc.
But let’s say that tomorrow morning in the mail I got a letter from the court system in Hawaii, telling me that I need to appear in court in a month or so. Would I have to pay to fly out there? What if I didn’t have the money to get out there?
Or would they just do the court proceedings in my own state?
I am asking this, because about 5 years ago I got a letter from the court system in Illinois stating that I needed to appear in court. It ended up that it was a mix up, because my name is very common, but I always wondered what would have happened had it been me.
Or what about another country? Say I was ordered to appear in court in Canada on a charge of cheque fraud, what would happen then?
July 29, 2011
1:35 am
The trial is ALWAYS conducted in the jurisdiction where the alleged crime occurred. In the case of another country, they won’t even TRY to extradite for anything they would notify you of by mail. As long as you never step foot in their country again, it is not worth the effort. For another state, article 4, section 2 of the US Constitution REQUIRES extradition if requested by the state with jurisdiction. That said, they usually won’t bother for anything that does not warrant immediate arrest either.