Convincing Reasons to Retain an Experienced Drug Crime Attorney
When you have been arrested on a drug-related offense, you have a limited opportunity to defend yourself against the charge. You may not want to bank your case on your own lack of legal knowledge and finesse in the courtroom. You need an assertive lawyer to take your case and speak for you.
To launch the best chance of avoiding serious punishments like jail time and expensive fines, you need to find and retain the best legal counsel available in your area. You can defend yourself in this kind of case by working with a drug crime attorney.
1. Proving Your Innocence
The fact that the police may have found drugs in your vehicle or on your person does not necessarily mean that you are guilty. In fact, you might be innocent simply because you did not know that the drugs were there or that anyone in your vehicle had drugs on them.
A drug crime attorney can secure evidence to show that you were not aware of the drugs being there and had no culpability in committing the crime. He or she can secure testimony from people involved in the offense that explains that you were an unwitting party and should not be held accountable for the offense.
2. Bargaining Down Charges
If the evidence is not enough to exonerate you, it may be enough to get the charges against you reduced. In fact, when you retain a drug crimes attorney to represent you, you can look into whether or not the charges can be lowered, particularly if you have no prior offenses and an otherwise clean criminal record.
The charges may also be lowered if the number of controlled substances found on you do not constitute a felony. Your drug crimes attorney may be able to get the charges lowered to a misdemeanor and keep you from being convicted of a felony charge.
Finally, your drug crimes attorney can work to help you escape going to jail. He or she may be able to convince the judge to sentence you to probation or community service. You may even be sentenced to completing a drug rehabilitation program.
An experienced drug crime attorney can provide important benefits to defendants in your predicament. He or she can find evidence to prove that you are innocent. He or she may also be able to lower the charges and help you avoid jail.