The Benefits Of Using An Atlanta Criminal Defense Law Firm

Online, April 20, 2010 (Newswire.com) - In times of economic downturn most industries suffer. We have seen the media coverage. The real estate market, General Motors, the big banks, and small businesses everywhere have suffered from this recession. One business has thrived though and that is the criminal justice system. Arrests are up, and criminal cases are filling court room dockets all over the country. In Atlanta, this has been especially true. Law enforcement efforts are up, and so are revenues from fines, court costs, and probation.

If you find yourself arrested, or under investigation for a criminal offense it is wise to seek legal counsel. Most attorneys will meet with you once for free, but don't abuse this. Criminal defense lawyers have a sixth sense for sensing when people are attorney shopping solely to get an understanding of their legal matter at hand. When you meet with an Atlanta criminal attorney, they will present the situation at hand to you and discuss what your options will be. There are often several different defense strategies available to you and knowing all of them is worthwhile.

In many cases, innocence is hard to prove and the best route to take is to strike up a favorable plea deal, hopefully to a lesser crime. Innocence does not necessarily have to be proven, only reasonable doubt does. Sometimes there is no reasonable doubt though and it is obvious the defendant is guilty of what they are charged with. If you don't have a good attorney who specializes in Atlanta criminal defense in this scenario, you will unfortunately suffer a sentence that is near the maximum of what the sentencing guidelines allow. It would be a rare (event) to receive the maximum sentence if you clearly cannot provide good legal representation for yourself, but one could expect the sentence to reflect about 75% of the maximum allowed, which is plenty.

When you use a good criminal lawyer though, you can fare much better. A good criminal defense attorney knows how to work the system. They know how to seek multiple continuances to draw out the proceedings for months, if not years. They also know how to ensure your rights are protected, and will even fight for them. This type of defense will wear the prosecutor down. With a full case load they will just want to be done with the case at hand. This is where your favorable plea deal comes in, and this can potentially equate to years in sentencing. Years of your life are worth fighting for.