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Columbia Federal Criminal Lawyer

Being charged with a federal crime means that a person has been alleged to have committed an act which is within the jurisdiction of the federal system. The federal system has a very wide-spanning jurisdiction. While there are federal jurisdictions and federal territories like the Baltimore-Washington parkway for example, many federal cases can be picked up from the state prosecutor’s office as well.

Federal criminal charges are usually very serious in nature and require the resources of the federal government to properly investigate and prosecute. Being charged with a federal case means, in the simplest form, that a person is being charged with an offense which will be heard in the federal court and prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

If you have been charged with a federal crime, contact an experienced Columbia criminal defense attorney as soon as you can. Hiring someone knowledgeable and who understands these cases is incredibly valuable to your defense. En Español.

Preparing for Trial

A person charged with a federal offense should expect a lengthy period of discovery, multiple hearings, and that the matter will ultimately be scheduled for trial. There will also be quite a bit of negotiating between the prosecution and the defense when reviewing the evidence in a particular case, and determining the most appropriate resolution.

Federal criminal cases in Columbia are far more serious than state criminal cases. Usually if a case is being charged in the federal court system in Maryland, the prosecutors probably have a fairly strong case on their hands and are well prepared. That is because the federal courts, and Maryland in particular, do not get involved in cases unless they feel strongly that they have a good chance at earning a conviction.

When preparing a case for federal court, it is important to be very diligent with the client to make sure the defense attorney utilizes all of their resources and find out as much information as possible about the case, client, and the witnesses. That way the federal criminal defense attorney can adequately prepare a defense on their client’s behalf knowing that the federal courts and the federal prosecutor’s office are going to come from a place of very strong evidence when prosecuting a case.

Role of an Attorney

Federal cases are extremely complicated cases to handle in criminal court. They are largely based on statute and language which the accused will be unfamiliar with, unless they practice federal law on a regular basis.

An attorney who simply has a license to practice law will have a very difficult time navigating the federal criminal court system, understanding all of the rules of evidence, and varying deadlines when filing certain requests with the court and prosecutors. These kinds of cases, because of their complex nature, need to be handled by attorneys who have extensive knowledge and experience with representing clients in the federal courts.

A criminal lawyer will review all of the evidence and discovery with their client. Additionally, they will interview all the witnesses necessary to a particular case, and make determinations about the most appropriate methods for defending a client in the court system on those charges.

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