How can an attorney help your criminal case?

If authorities recently charged you with a crime, you can understandably feel overwhelmed, confused and alone. They may have already made you feel guilty even before your trial begins, and you may wonder whether a jury will see your situation the same way.

Before you begin to feel without hope, remember that you do not have to go through this difficult process alone. In fact, you have the right to an advocate who will protect your rights and interests in court, so contacting an attorney after an arrest for drug charges or other allegations may be in your best interests.

How can an attorney help?

Much of what legal professionals do goes on behind the scenes. Certainly, they spend time in the courtroom presenting their evidence and making their cases to the jury in efforts to defend their clients, but in order to do that as successfully as possible, your legal counsel will likely carry out at least some of the following actions:

• Put personal feelings aside: Your attorney will not impose his or her own personal feelings about your situation onto you. His or her job is to stand up for you no matter what.
• Protect you from self-incrimination: Officers often ask suspects questions in hopes of gaining evidence against them. Even answering innocent-seeming questions could backfire, which is why your attorney can advise you on when to answer and not answer questions.
• Assess the jury: Your attorney will look into each potential juror’s background in efforts to find individuals who may be problematic and keep them off the jury panel if possible.
• Help you present yourself: Understandably, you may not know what to expect during trial or how you should act or appear. Your attorney can help you plan ahead from what to say to what to wear.
• Learn public opinion: Public opinion can influence a criminal case, and an attorney often learns what that opinion is in efforts to account for it when preparing a defense.

Of course, an attorney can help in more ways than the few mentioned here. Undoubtedly, you want to address your criminal charges as best as possible and work toward the most favorable outcomes for your predicament. It may be wise to consider your defense options and go over your concerns with an experienced Cincinnati attorney.