Complacency has no place in your fight in court, says Fairfax criminal lawyer

Complacency has no place in your fight against your Virginia felony, misdemeanor or DUI prosecution. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I repeatedly hear my clients tell me about efforts by police / law enforcement officers (LEO’s) to lull them into a false sense of security that “everything will be alright”. Of course LEO’s and prosecutors would love nothing better than for you to believe that, and then not to fully fight your case. On your visit to court, do not be further lulled by a smiling judge and by the number of people who do not get sentenced to jail. Consider that the damage from a criminal conviction is not assessed merely by incarceration time (or not), but by the haunting you get from a criminal conviction in terms of career opportunities, reputation, immigration status, and security clearance status.

Complacency is never a defense?

Complacency is never a defense. Repeatedly I hear many of my clients tell me they waived their right to remain silent, consented to a search (when everyone has the Fourth Amendment Constitutional right to object to searches) and submitted to voluntary field sobriety tests in their DUI prosecution under Virginia Code § 18.2-266, because they did not want to irritate the police. My response, at least internally, is that it is a whole lot better to assert your rights with the police so as to reduce your risks of a conviction than to irritate them. That includes fully asserting your Sixth Amendment Constitutional right to obtain a lawyer who will obtain as much justice for you in court (with an acquittal or prosecution dismissal being the ideal), and your right to plead not guilty and to fully defend against your prosecution. 

Do I risk a worse plea deal when the prosecutor sees that my Virginia criminal defense lawyer is defending me with full guns?

Why would a prosecutor want to extend a favorable settlement negotiation or plea offer to you in a state of complacency when you do not come to court with the position of strength of being fully ready for trial, which includes having a lawyer who satisfies the acronym of PACED (fully prepared, fully able, caring for you, experienced and driven)? Even in such a courthouse as Fairfax, where many prosecutors seem to care more than in many other jurisdictions about the adverse consequences of a conviction or particular sentence to a defendant, they have their own agenda that does not overlap with yours. Police and prosecutors will love for you to come to court without a lawyer meeting those criteria, because that simply makes their jobs easier and makes it easier for them to rack up conviction statistics. Police, prosecutors and judges have their own agendas that do not align with yours. Your only true friend in the courthouse is the Virginia criminal lawyer who is fighting like hell for you.

How do I find the Virginia criminal defense lawyer who is right for me?

Your foregoing question is made easier by starting with my top ten questions to ask your potential Virginia criminal lawyer and top ten questions for your potential Virginia DUI attorney, as well as my article here. I offer a free in-person initial confidential consultation to discuss your court-pending Virginia prosecutions, by contacting my staff at 703-383-1100, Info@KatzJustice.com and (text) 571-406-7268. Complacency is never a defense. Obtain a lawyer who will fully fight for jusitce for you.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz relentlessly pursues your best defense against Virginia felony, misdemeanor and DUI prosecutions. For your free in-person initial confidential consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending Virginia prosecution, scheduled with his staff at 703-383-1100, Info@KatzJustice.com and (text) 571-406-7268.