Keeping Emotions Out of Solving Criminal Defense Problems
I can't tell you how often I've seen clients act from emotions when deciding how to deal with their particular case.
Whether the case is a good case or a bad case against you, you've got to act with a mind that is even-keel, and your decisions need to be based on the facts of the case and the advice of your attorney versus your emotional reaction to whatever is going on.
A lot of people ask me what I think. Should I take the case to trial? I give the same answer every time. If you did something wrong and there's evidence against you, we should try to work out a deal.
If, on the other hand, you're innocent and you didn't do anything wrong, then we should take the case to trial. That's the same thing I say, and I think it's a pretty basic policy, but sometimes people get emotional. They'll get angry. They'll get scared.
Whatever the case may be, they'll start making foolish decisions based on emotion. I evaluate cases from a neutral standpoint.
I'm going to look at the prosecution's evidence. I'm going to look at the defense evidence. I'm going to talk to you. I'm going to speak to the prosecutor.
I may even talk to the judge, and then I'll use my 30 years of experience to help you decide on the best course of action.
Common Sense Dictated by Evidence
But we're not going to act from emotion. We're going to act from common sense, which is dictated by our situation.
Once we break everything down, step by step, we ask ourselves:
- what is the best possible resolution we can get in this case?
- What are some of the things that we must have?
- What are some of the things that we can't have?
Then, you and I will devise a game plan outlining exactly what we need to do to achieve the desired result, and I will execute the plan by approaching the prosecutor.
I will approach their boss. Sometimes, I'll have to approach the judge, and finally, I might have to approach a jury and get that not-guilty verdict.
Factors that Determine Defense Strategy
So, to resolve your case, a wide range of issues must be considered first. Every case is unique and will require a different approach. Thus, the factors we must consider include:
- it depends on the facts of the case;
- it depends on what evidence they have against you;
- it depends on your criminal record;
- it depends on your job, your family, and all of the things that are important to you.
You and I will sit down, design a game plan for your case, and decide what we must have and what we can't have.
Then, I will set up a meeting with the prosecutor assigned to your case, typically the boss of that prosecutor.
I will first send them a mitigation package laying out all the good things about you, any applicable character letters, and any weaknesses or problems with their case, which they will consider in trying to decide what the best possible result is from their point of view.
Seeking the Best Possible Outcome
Once we have all of that information in their hands, I will sit down with them, try to get you what the fair resolution is, and obviously, try to attain the goals that we decided when we talked about the case.
So, don't act from emotion; rather, act from knowledge and act from your attorney's advice. Pick up the phone. Ask for a meeting with Ron Hedding.
Let me use my 30 years of diverse experience—I have worked for the district attorney's office, for a superior court judge, and as a criminal defense attorney since 1994—to your advantage.
Let me use my skills. Let me help you decide on a game plan and then execute it so you can get the best possible result for your Los Angeles criminal case.
