Clermont Criminal Defense Attorney
Why Choose Our Criminal Defense Lawyer in Clermont?
The Criminal Defense Team was founded in 2007 with the goal of representing individuals accused of crimes throughout Indiana. We bring over 120 years of combined experience defending clients to every case and every client.
We have represented clients accused of a range of crimes and understand the battle you’re up against. Involvement with a criminal legal system is stressful and overwhelming. Our legal team is ready to take on your case and go to battle for you in court to protect your rights and freedom.
Call the Indiana criminal defense attorneys from The Criminal Defense Team today at (317) 687-8326 or contact us online to schedule your initial consultation. Find out how a skilled Clermont Indiana criminal defense attorney can fight to protect your rights.
Do I Need A Clermont Criminal Defense Attorney?
When you are facing a potential prison sentence, don’t leave your fate in the hands of an inexperienced attorney. A criminal charge and conviction can take a toll on your life and your reputation. It can impact your ability to get a job, rent an apartment, or even take out a loan.
Our experienced team will serve as your guide and confidant inside the complex criminal justice system. Our criminal defense lawyers are skilled negotiators and litigators who are ready to aggressively argue your case in court. While the burden of proof lies with the prosecutor, it doesn’t feel that way after you’ve been arrested.
When you hire the experienced and skilled criminal defense lawyers from The Criminal Defense Team, you can rely on your team to effectively negotiate with the prosecutor and tenaciously fight for your rights in court. Feelings of embarrassment, fear, and lower self-esteem are compounded by the justice system.
Law enforcement may come across as being friendly, but their goal is to find evidence they can use against you. Police may take advantage of your inexperience and use intimidation to get you to talk. When you don’t have representation, you may expose yourself to a great amount of risk.
When you hire an experienced criminal defense trial lawyer, we can protect your rights and ensure you don’t make an inadvertent mistake that costs your freedom. Our desire is to get superior results through zealous representation and diligent use of our collective experience. Our attorneys work together for our clients to produce far greater results than you might get working with a single lawyer.
Criminal Defense Process
After years of experience, our legal team has learned the crucial nuances that are important to defending your rights. We understand the gap between what you learn in books and real-life applications. No two criminal situations are identical. Yet, despite the individuality of your situation, most cases will follow a 12-step process.
- Investigation: Every criminal case begins with an investigation by law enforcement. Your case may involve multiple agencies or investigators.
- Warrants: When investigators are convinced there is probable cause to suspect you are responsible for the crime in question, they request a warrant for your arrest from a judge.
- Arrest: Your arrest may happen immediately after the crime or after a judge has issued an arrest warrant. Processing: This is also known as “booking.” During processing, you are photographed and fingerprinted to check for outstanding warrants.
- Bond: Under the law, an offender is entitled to bail. But if you were arrested for a serious crime, such as capital murder, bail can be denied.
- Preliminary hearing and indictment: If you were arrested and charged with a felony, the prosecutor has a choice of seeking an indictment or requesting a preliminary hearing. In a preliminary hearing, a judge decides if the case moves forward based on the evidence. In an indictment, a grand jury makes the decision.
- Arraignment: This is a court date during which you hear the charges filed against you. The judge will ask how you plead – guilty, not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, or no contest.
- Discovery: This months-long process gives your attorney time to see the evidence the prosecution has gathered. The police are mandated to provide your defense team with any evidence that shows the defendant is innocent.
- Negotiations: The prosecutor has the option of negotiating with your Clermont criminal defense attorney. However, this is not a right of the defendant, only an option the prosecutor may use.
- Motions: Your lawyer may file motions that ask the judge to take specific actions. For example, your Clermont criminal defense attorney may file a motion to suppress certain evidence or reduce bail.
- Trial: When negotiations are not successful, the trial will go ahead.
- Sentencing: If the defendant is found guilty, the judge will announce the final decision about punishment, which is called the sentence.