What to Expect of the Case Process

Sometimes cases can go on for weeks, months and, in some places, even years before they get a resolution. We will always tell our client early on what to expect of the process of court when we start their cases. We try to explain that, first of all, in most cases, nothing is going to happen in a hurry. It is a process and it is important for us to do our investigation. It is important to us to get as much information as we can so we can build a defense to the charge.

The experienced lawyers at Polson and Polson Law Firm want clients to always know they can call us when they are feeling anxious or when things have not happened at the timetable that they think they should. We try to help them be realistic about what to expect, what happens when a person goes in the courtroom for the first time, and what happens when the judge calls that individual’s name and that individual is asked to come up to the bench. They may wonder if they have to say anything, what they have to do, what they have to wear, and more. We help them through all of that so they will know what to expect. There will not be any questions about it.

In Alabama, we have a right to a jury trial. No matter what the charge is, anyone who is unhappy with an outcome in a municipal court or in a district court has the right to have a jury trial. That is important to know.

Alabama has some really harsh laws. We have habitual offender laws. We have mandatory sentence laws. We have laws that can require people to be registered as sex offenders. There are some really serious consequences that come to people based on what they are charged with.

Being charged with a crime in the state of Alabama is serious. A person should take it seriously and hire the best lawyer they can, especially one they can trust.

DUI cases are heavily prosecuted cases that our experienced lawyers frequently can work to defend. DUI in Alabama is a political crime. Every time the legislature meets, they make the laws harsher. There is a real focus on punishing people in DUI cases. Any criminal offense involving a child also has really serious consequences. Drug cases can be potentially really serious for people. There is so much involved and a lot to prepare for with our client in these cases.

In traffic cases, for people whose automobiles are stopped, we have a Fourth Amendment right that protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures. Sometimes, law enforcement agencies take liberties with some of the rights that we have. Lawyers who focus on the nuances of search and seizure law are going to bring a lot to the table in defending people charged with those types of crimes.

There has been a common shared mentality in the legislature to lock people up in jail rather than deal with societal problems. The truth is, somebody has to pay for that and it does not solve the problem.We have seen a huge increase in the number of people who are being charged with crimes in Alabama. It is important that people be seen as individuals instead of just a number or just a case file that needs to be closed.

Those people come out of prison and they are not better for the experience. It takes individualizing the clients, forcing the system to put the brakes on and look at a person, look at what is right, and look at what is justice in the case.

It is what is fair, what is right, what is just, but we play a numbers game. Many cases are plea bargained. They are pled down. However, we are always willing to give the best advice possible to our clients based off their particular case, and we can help them decide which option may be best to pursue once we know all specifics in a case.