Pasadena Criminal Defense Lawyers
Questions About...
Appearing in Court & Charges Filed Against You
Do I need to appear in court if I hired you?
You may never have to appear in court if you retained the Law Offices of Anthony Arzili. Attorney Anthony Arzili can normally appear without you on any misdemeanor offense, with the exception of domestic violence cases. Felony Offenses require your personal presence in court.
No charges have been filed yet, do I need a lawyer?
More than you can imagine. Most cases start off as investigations by a police agency who then turns the file over to the District Attorney for consideration of filing formal charges. This stage is knows as the “pre-filing” stage or “investigation” stage.
In this stage, critical decisions are being made about your case, whether to file formal charges or to drop the case. Decisions are being made on whether to file a misdemeanor or felony charge against you. While some attorneys maintain a “wait and see” approach to this critical stage, Attorney Anthony Arzili believes a more proactive approach can make all the difference.
Hiring the right attorney before formal charges can prevent the detectives from gaining damaging statements from clients. Hiring the right attorney can provide the D.A. positive information about your side of the case that may tip the case into a “D.A. Reject”
Attorney Anthony Arzili has handled many cases where “early intervention” resulted in no charges being filed against our clients.
I have a court date. Does that mean charges have been filed?
Not necessarily. The simple fact that you have been given a first court date does not mean that all the charges against you have been decided already. In most cases, once someone is arrested and released by the police pending their court appearance, the D.A. still hasn’t even seen your police reports to file a case. The setting of a court date by the police or your bailbondsman is simply just a date that they hope the D.A. will file a case by.
With that said, this is an important stage for your attorney to attempt to “run interference” or provide positive information to the D.A. about your case before they file.
I know I am guilty, why can’t I just go in myself and plead guilty and get this over with?
Hiring a defense attorney is not reserved for the innocent. A majority of my clients realize that they are somewhat culpable but do not want to get slammed by a brutal criminal justice system.
When you walk into a courtroom, your attorney is the only person on your side. The prosecutors, the Judges and the police are all part of the system.
You need someone on your behalf to fight for the minimal sentence possible for your crime. If you walk in by yourself or even use a Public Defender, you will be handed a sentence and will have to do it, no matter how harsh.
Attorney Anthony Arzili can use multiple negotiation sessions with the D.A. and the Judges to secure for you the lightest sentence possible.