The crime of aggravated assault is a serious matter and can carry heavy consequences even if it’s your first offense. The punishment for an aggravated assault conviction includes prison time and huge sum of fines. With such high stakes involved, you should be sure to hire a seasoned attorney who knows how to fight these types of charges.
An attorney for assault charges with experience in this area of law can build a strong defense on your behalf. Whether the legal evidence against you is minimal or overwhelming, they are your best chance at preventing an aggravated assault conviction.
The following are several ways an attorney will work to defend you if faced with these charges:
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Building a Defense Strategy
The first thing your attorney for assault charges will do is look into all of the facts surrounding your case. They’ll get additional information from witnesses or police reports from what you’ve told them.
They will also get details about your past or present living situation to see how it led to the incident in question. Putting together an effective defense strategy often starts with investigating all aspects of the allegations against you.
Only after they have done this can your attorney begin to look at the details of your case and develop a concrete plan of action.
Taking Your Case to Trial
In some cases, an attorney may advise going to trial. While this may scare you – especially if you feel that the evidence against you will lead to a conviction – it’s sometimes necessary. The prosecution usually has a much lower standard of proof in a misdemeanor case than for a felony offense.
Because of this, pleading guilty to a lesser offense just because you’re scared may not be the best way to go. In the end, going to trial can be a gamble.
However, if you’re confident that your attorney has done a thorough job of building a solid defense and gathering evidence for your case, then it may be best to go forward with a trial to fight the charges against you.
Avoiding a Conviction Altogether
If there isn’t enough evidence to prosecute your case, then there’s a good chance an attorney can keep it from going before a judge and jury. When they know how to work the system and do their job right, you won’t have to worry about facing those charges in court.
For instance, if you were involved in a fight but didn’t purposely cause the other person harm, then you should avoid this serious offense.
Likewise, if someone provoked your actions and an assault was an accident with no intent to cause them harm, it may not be considered a felony either.
Negotiating with Prosecutors
Once they fully understand what happened, your attorney will consider all possible ways to resolve the charges against you. If it could be pled down or reduced to a lesser amount, your lawyer might be able to negotiate with the prosecution.
If your attorney can show you have already suffered enough, the prosecutor may be willing to accept a plea deal for an offense less serious than aggravated assault.
Building a Trial Strategy
If negotiations fall through or if there is not enough evidence to support a plea deal, then your attorney will start building up your case for trial.
This move is when the stakes are the highest since you face conviction of a felony charge. Your attorney will need to prepare all of their arguments to be ready to go if your case moves forward.
By preparing an aggressive defense strategy, your attorney can argue on your behalf at trial and attempt to secure an acquittal. Even if the lawyer does not achieve this, they may at least get the charges reduced to a misdemeanor.
Final Thoughts
You cannot easily fight an aggravated assault conviction alone without an attorney. The average person will have difficulty proving their innocence against so many strengths in evidence. This is why it is important to take the help of an expert attorney. Your trusted choice for legal representation should have extensive experience, knowledge, and training about your charges to be able to bring out the best outcomes of your case.
