If you are facing criminal charges, there is a series of steps to follow in your defense case. Following these steps can help you prepare for your case and educate yourself with information related to the decisions you may have to make. Learn about the criminal defense steps by reading on.
The first step in a criminal case is the arrest or the notices, followed by the booking. If you do not respond to notices, you can be arrested and booked. Then, the first court appearance takes place with 72 hours of arrest. If you do not get bailed out during your first day in jail, you will have a first appearance in court. This appearance, also called the advisory, is where a judge can set your bond amount and advise you on the charges you are facing.
Following the advisory is the arraignment. The arraignment takes place 30 to 60 days after the first court appearance. During the arraignment, a plea is given. The three plea options are not guilty, guilty, and no contest. After a plea, formal charges can go into effect between one and 90 days after the arraignment. A discovery then happens within 30 days, followed by the potential of an early resolution or pretrial intervention. A motion to suppress can also happen before pretrial.
Following the pretrial, individuals can go through a hearing, a plea deal, depositions, a trial, and the sentencing. During these steps, you may want to work with a lawyer from the Dunn Law Firm. Contact us to work with an attorney who is dedicated to helping you defend your case. Our team at Adam Dunn Law is professional, skilled, and available to take your case. To talk to an attorney now, call us at 941-866-4352.