Value of a Lawyer in Anne Arundel Robbery Cases

The offense of robbery is one that is very serious in nature and can sometimes take an extremely long time to come to resolution—from a few months to sometimes over a year depending on the kind of case and the amount of evidence presented.

In Anne Arundel County, a local robbery attorney who has relationships with the police, prosecutors, judges, and other court personnel will be helpful and valuable in expediting the process of discovery, as well as any hearing that is needed to make sure that that person is getting a speedy trial.

Advisement on Taking a Plea Deal

A lawyer might encourage someone to take a plea deal if the evidence against that person is so strong that a plea deal would be the best way of salvaging some part of the case. Prosecutors will make plea deals for many different reasons.

Sometimes, it is a weakness in the individual’s case, sometimes it is because the prosecutors believe that the defense has strong arguments on their side. Sometimes, the prosecutors will make favorable plea deals because the defendant does not have any criminal record. There are many reasons why a prosecutor will make a plea offer to a defendant or a defense attorney.

Reviewing whether or not it is a good plea agreement will really depend on the strength of the government’s case and whether or not the defense attorney believes the government’s case is one that will ultimately result in a conviction, despite the possible defense raised. The ability to analyze the case in this fashion is one of the benefits an attorney will provide.

Negotiating a Robbery Charge Down to a Theft Charge

Another way defense attorneys can be helpful is that they will sometimes be able to negotiate a robbery down to a theft charge if there are weaknesses in the prosecutor’s case and the defense has strong arguments on its own side. There may be other issues that have come up during the course of the discovery process or trial preparation that have weighed heavily in favor of the defense and make the prosecutor believe that it is appropriate to take that kind of a position.

Even if a person is just charged with theft, that is still a charge that carries the possibility of incarceration, all the way up to over a decade in prison, and it should be treated very seriously. There is still value in hiring an attorney under these circumstances.

When to Contact a Criminal Lawyer

Robbery carries a very serious amount of jail time and also is a felony offense (PDF), which has collateral consequences beyond incarceration. Handling a case as serious as robbery without an attorney would be something that is discouraged by judges, prosecutors, and anyone that has any experience with the criminal system because of how serious the consequences are and how deep the details and the nuances of a trial preparation can be.

A criminal lawyer is incredibly valuable in the early stages of an investigation; when they know that the investigation might be taking place; or when they know they are being charged. If they do not know they are being charged, then they should make contact immediately after they have been charged.

Criminal attorneys can be instrumental at the beginning and early stages of a case in either discussing issues with the prosecution that could make the case go away completely or exploring investigative tracks that are time sensitive by way of their own investigators, like gathering surveillance video or alibi witnesses that over time could be wiped or disappear.

Information to Provide Your Lawyer

Usually, when a person is calling an attorney to discuss charges of robbery, the attorney is not going to have that information available to them right away because those charging documents, while public, are kept at the courts or at the States Attorney’s office and are really only accessed by the attorney after they are retained.

Once an attorney is retained, they will access all paperwork, court documents, and other material information to assure that they are properly up to speed on the allegations that have been brought against their client and are adequately prepared to conduct any investigation necessary to prepare their defense.