Many people who are arrested and charged with serious crimes are taking a “wait and see” approach in dealing with their case. This is to some degree understandable, given the delays in San Diego criminal courts during this time of COVID. Indeed, you may be looking at a period of four or five months between the date of your arrest and your first substantive court appearance. This leads some people to hold off doing anything, in the hope that maybe they won’t have to lay out money to hire a quality law firm, at least not right away. In this
video, San Diego criminal defense attorney David P. Shapiro explains why holding off on hiring a defense firm can be a big mistake. He also explains how to make the delay work for you and how to maximize your chances at success.
The question you may be asking, of course, is what can an attorney do for me if I don’t have to be in court on my case until the late spring or early summer? The answer is that the right attorney can use that time to your advantage. Some of the steps that can be taken during this “waiting period” are (1) investigating the facts of your case; (2) locating and preserving surveillance videos; (3) finding and reaching out to potential witnesses; and (4) even when your defense looks weak, your lawyer can guide you to taking action that can help you present yourself to the court and prosecutor in the best light possible. Those steps may include addressing substance abuse issues, attending anger management classes, obtaining psychological counseling, and others, that will show the court that you are addressing any problems in an intelligent and effective manner.
The bottom line: Don’t sit back and take a “do nothing” attitude. Make the court delays work for you and strengthen your defense. The starting point, of course, is hiring the right criminal defense lawyer for your case. Call our Firm if you have any questions.
