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LOS ANGELES CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY

What Is It Going To Take To Win My Case In Los Angeles?
It Will Take An Experienced Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney

This is probably the biggest question on most people's mind if they have a case pending in one of the Los Angeles criminal courthouses. It is not an easy question to answer. To even begin to answer it, the attorney would have to know what your definition of winning is?

This may seem like a simple question, but when the person in trouble really realistically evaluates what is going on, they will come to the conclusion that the definition of winning a criminal case comes down to what evidence the police and prosecutors have against you and what your attorney can do for you to get this situation resolved in the most effective way.

An experienced and professional Los Angeles criminal defense attorney can help save your time and money by representing your case more effectively. Having practiced in Los Angeles for 25 years, worked for the District Attorney's office and also worked for a Superior Court judge, I think I have a pretty good idea about the inner workings of the local criminal defense community, and obviously the Los Angeles criminal court system. So, when you call my office you're going to get somebody who knows what they're talking about, who knows the system, who knows about the charges, and knows about the prosecutors and judges.

That's your first thing. You're on the internet. You're trying to find a criminal defense attorney and a lot of the information on the internet is not accurate. Many are not giving you any good solid practical information about your criminal charges. When you call my office, I need to know what are the police and prosecutors going to say because I need to know the other side of the equation before I can start solving the problem.

So, that's one of the biggest things I talk about it in my book, The Art of the Perfect Defense. Give me the information first from the prosecutor and police point of view. I want to hear what they're going to try to say against you, then we can turn around and start to dissect it and attack it and look at some defenses in the case, look for some mitigating information and look to do damage control on the case.

Fighting Your Criminal Charges With Aggressive Approach

So, if you want to know about criminal defense in Los Angeles, and how to get the best outcome on your case, you have to talk to a seasoned, battle-tested and the best criminal defense attorney. You want to talk to somebody that has been inside the courtroom that's tried cases. I've tried over 250 jury trials. You want somebody who knows how to deal with the prosecutors and judges and who knows what it takes to get a result.

If you want to get the accurate information about how to fight your misdemeanor or felony criminal charges in Los Angeles, you're going to need to come in and sit down with me. Give me the paperwork that you have on the case. Let's sit down and talk about it. Let's go through it step by step. You want to talk about winning your criminal case, but the question becomes what truly is a win.

In other words, can your criminal defense attorney take the case to trial? Can your attorney beat the prosecutors and show the jury that you're innocent? If your lawyer can't do that, then obviously trying to get that sort of a win is not realistic in your case and it doesn't make any sense. If they've got evidence against you that you committed the crime, then obviously you're going to need to figure out a way to do damage control.

You're going to need to hire a Los Angeles criminal lawyer that can bring forth the mitigating information about you, can show that your scenario is an aberration and won't happen again. Your criminal lawyer needs to be able to show all the mitigating facts because when the police set up a criminal case, they're usually setting up all geared to showing every bad thing about a criminal defendant. Whereas when the your defense sets the case up, they're gearing it up towards showing all the good stuff about a you by showing the other side of the story.

Pre-Filing Intervention and Plea Bargaining in Los Angeles Courts

Unfortunately, the criminal defense lawyer in Los Angeles doesn't get to talk to the police before they present all the information to the prosecutors. So, you have a scenario where the prosecutors are only getting all of the bad information about you and that's where we have to start to turn the tide. That's when we're going to talk about some important topics, like pre-filing intervention to avoid the formal filing of criminal charges. We're going to talk about plea bargaining. We're going to talk about how to relate and deal with the judge and prosecutor in a criminal case. We're going to talk about a jury trial.

What if you have to take your case to jury trial? What if you're innocent of the charges that have been filed against you? What are you going to do then? Does that mean just because you're innocent that you're going to win everything? No, it doesn't because the prosecutors obviously have some sort of information against you or you wouldn't be charged with a crime.

Maybe you're being investigated for a crime, or the police have some information from somewhere. So, why do they have that information? Who gave it to them and what are we going to do to try and defend your criminal case? That becomes the question in this important endeavor in your life. Probably one of the most important endeavors because of all the things that are on the line. Your freedom is on the line. Your reputation is on the line. Your liberty, your justice, your way of life, your control of your life is on the line.

Criminal Defense For All Crimes in Los Angeles, California

So, if you're looking for a seasoned Los Angeles criminal defense attorney that knows the local criminal justice system and how it works, you've come to the right place. You've taken the first step and you don't even know it.

Read one of my books that relates to your criminal issue to get that foundation that you need. If you're looking for somebody who knows how to cross-examine a witness because there's a crucial witness in your case that is going to have to be discredited, get my tape series on cross-examination.

Misdemeanor crimes are normally less serious crimes like petty theft, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct. Under California law, a misdemeanor carries a sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine up to $1,000.

Felony crimes are the most serious charges are often result in serving time in a California state prison. Some common felonies include first-degree burglary, robbery, drug sales, corporal injury to a spouse, manslaughter, attempted murder, murder and many others.

Wobbler crimes can be filed by the prosecutor as either a felony or a misdemeanor offense. They will normally base their decision on the circumstances of the case, defendant's criminal history, and any aggravating factors. Some common California “wobbler” crimes include domestic violence, criminal threats, child endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, child pornography, embezzlement, receiving stolen property, and others.

Our criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles have a record of success in all types of criminal charges, including theft crimes such as robbery, burglary, receiving stolen property, grand theft, embezzlement, extortion, and operating a chop shop. We also handle all types of drug crimes, such as drug possession, possession with intent to sell, drug trafficking, prescription drug fraud, and transportation of controlled substances.

We also handle any type of California domestic violence related charges, such as domestic battery, corporal injury to a spouse, criminal threats, child abuse, elder abuse, stalking, and restraining order violations. We defend clients against violent crime charges such as murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault and battery, armed robbery, involuntary manslaughter, and weapons charges.

We also handle driving under the influence charges while impaired by alcohol or drugs, or operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. We have successfully defended clients against all types of DUI cases, such as first-time DUI, hit and run, DUI causing injury, vehicular manslaughter, underage DUI, unlawful police stop, and California DMV hearings.

Our Los Angeles criminal lawyers also handle federal offenses, such as wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, healthcare fraud, federal drug offenses, and insurance fraud. We handle juvenile cases, vandalism, three strike cases, bench warrants, expungements, and probation violations. California white collar crimes such as identity theft, credit card fraud, and internet crimes.

Criminal Case Process in Los Angeles Courthouses

The criminal case process starts with an arrest. After someone was arrested, they will be detained at a local police station or county jail until their arraignment where formal charges are filed.  They will normally appear before judge within a few days and a bail amount will be set based on a bail schedule for the specific crime. However, there are certain crimes when a judge will not set a bail, such as serious violent felony crimes or a probation violation.

At the arraignment, a defendant appears before the judge who will read the criminal charges they have been accused of committing. At this point, a defendant will enter their plea of not guilty, guilty, or no content. When a defendant enters a not guilty plea, the judge will set a date for a preliminary hearing, which is commonly known as a probable cause hearing. Depending on the type of criminal charges, the case will then proceed to a pretrial conference or preliminary hearing.

A pretrial conference is a meeting between the Los Angeles criminal defense attorney and the prosecutor in order to negotiate a resolution to a misdemeanor case, such as reduced charges or a plea bargain.  A plea bargain typically involves a defendant making an agreement to plead guilty in exchange for reduced penalties or sentencing.

Preliminary hearings are for more serious felony crimes where a judge reviews the evidence, witness testimony, legal arguments from both sides, and then decides whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to a trial court. However, it should be noted that the standard of proof at a preliminary hearing is very low. At this stage, the judge doesn't decide guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, rather only if there is enough reasonable suspicion the defendant was more likely than not to have committed the alleged crime.

At the preliminary hearing stage of the criminal case process, it's crucial for a defendant to have representation from an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who can cross-examine witnesses. During cross-examination, it can expose weaknesses in the prosecutor's case and gives the defense lawyer a road map on how the case could be presented at trial. It's also an opportunity for the defense attorney to persuade the judge to reduce felony charges to a misdemeanor.

If the judge decides there is sufficient evidence for a criminal case to proceed to a trial court, or the case has not been resolved through plea bargaining, then the case will move to the trial stage.  At trial, both the criminal defense attorney and prosecutor will make arguments and present evidence before a judge or jury.

Once the trial has concluded, the judge or jury will decide whether the defendant is not guilty or guilty based on the evidence. If defendant is found guilty, the judge will schedule a sentencing hearing, where they will impose punishment for the crimes they were found guilty of committing.

Contact a Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer for Free Consultation

With decades of combined legal experience defending criminal cases, the top-ranked Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers at the Hedding Law Firm represents individuals in all criminal courts in Los Angeles on any type of criminal matter. We have the knowledge and skills to provide you with superior legal defense.

With our experience working for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, we know how the DA will attempt to build a criminal case against you. We also understand how police detectives conduct their criminal investigations, and use this knowledge of the process to provide the best defense for our clients.

Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers defend clients in California state and federal courts and have a track record of success. Our professional attorneys are dedicated to obtaining the best possible outcome your criminal case.

If you are under a criminal investigation or have been charged with a crime, our criminal defense experts will meet with you to discuss the details of your case and legal options. Our criminal defense law firm has two office locations in Los Angeles County. Our primary office is just a few miles away from the Van Nuys Courthouse.

We have successfully handled countless criminal cases in the San Fernando Court, Downtown Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building, Metro Court, LAX Airport Court, Burbank, Hollywood, Pasadena, Torrance, Alhambra, Santa Clarita, Valencia, Compton, Downey, Pacoima, Inglewood, Norwalk, Malibu, Chatsworth, Studio City, Palmdale, and Lancaster. Our criminal defense specialist are available 24/7 to take your call and offer a free case evaluation.

You can see that I've been doing this for a long time and I have a substantial legal background. Here's to getting your case resolved in the most powerful manner based on the circumstances of your alleged crime and here's to moving on with your life and getting out of the criminal justice system as fast as possible. Are you under a criminal investigation in Los Angeles County? Call a lawyer at our office to learn how we can help you.

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