Role of an Attorney in Greenwich Resisting Arrest Cases
Having an attorney by your side to help lessen or dismiss any penalties associated with your resisting arrest charge is crucial. Producing an outcome that focuses both on removing any consequences and pushing the individual toward rehabilitation if the charge cannot be defeated or removed is something an experienced attorney will work on.
If you have been charged with resisting arrest in Greenwich, it is pertinent that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible to begin mounting a case to help minimize any potential legal ramifications you may be facing.
Gathering Evidence
It is important for an attorney to understand what occurred to properly defend their client. It is critical to preserve evidence that can tell the attorney more about what happened and potentially support the client’s version of events, learning as much as possible about the client and their qualities and character to show them in the best light possible.
Further, it is important to identify the opportunities for rehabilitation to the extent that there is an underlying issue or reason that the events occurred. One of the most important roles of an attorney in a Greenwich resisting arrest case is to determine the best avenue to success on behalf of their client.
Investigating the Charge
Corroborating information, witnesses, video, physical or medical evidence, and background information about both the client and the officer involved in the arrest are crucial in determining exactly what happened.
This also includes investigating whether there have been other complaints about excessive force by that particular officer or issues with that officer being able to show restraint or engaging in a very aggressive or confrontational manner. A lawyer in Greenwich will play the role of an advocate for their client when investigating a resisting arrest charge.
Understanding the Client
The questions an attorney will ask depend on where the client is. If the client is incarcerated, the questions will be limited to what the individual is being accused of, what do they understand the charge as being, has the police officer indicated an amount of a bond, and does the person need medical attention or are they otherwise in need of some other sort of help at that stage.
At that stage, the attorney does not want the client to explain anything. The most important thing is to gather the information that is necessary to secure the client’s release. After the client has been released, the attorney will ask what happened. They will be doing this in the confines of the attorney’s office or a place where it is more secure and would be more likely to preserve confidentiality between the attorney and the client.
A Greenwich lawyer will not only ask what happened, but aside from that, the attorney would be looking to know more about that particular client, their background, who they are, how old they are, and any issues that may explain or elucidate the circumstances that led to the arrest.
Further, an attorney will want to know the individual’s criminal history, if any, because that would speak to the likelihood or availability of any potential programs or perhaps some more leniency in terms of any potential punishment. Asking these sorts of questions is part of the Greenwich attorney’s role in a resisting arrest charge.
Dismissing the Charge
There are three primary ways that an attorney could get the charges dismissed in a Greenwich resisting arrest case. Number one, a legal defect in the evidence or the circumstances saying that the circumstances surrounding the case do not fit the law as written could have the charges dismissed. Even if all of the facts that are presented by the state or government were true, the lawyer may be able to prove that they do not amount to this crime.
Secondly, a lawyer could try and use a court diversionary program like the Accelerated Rehabilitation program. This is because the result of completing that program and other ones like it is that the charges are dismissed if the person satisfies the requirements of that program.
Finally, the only other way to get the charges dismissed is by going to trial and having a jury declare the person not guilty. The main role of an attorney in a Greenwich resisting arrest case is to try and employ any of these defenses to best help their client.
Benefits of an Attorney
One of the most important roles of an attorney in a Greenwich resisting arrest charge is keeping their client’s mind clear. The criminal court process can be confusing, daunting, and stressful. The most valuable thing a lawyer can offer, particularly in cases like resisting arrest or interfering with an officer, is peace of mind.
Though an individual cannot control every part of the case process, anything that can be controlled will be handled in the most efficient way possible. An attorney will always keep the person in the know about what is happening and why it is happening during their Greenwich resisting arrest case.
This also allows for a more efficient interaction with the court system. This smoothness goes a long way to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety that any person has when they are charged with a crime, not only because of the fact that they have been charged, but from the unknown that lies ahead when a person is not experienced with the criminal justice system.