Getting Charged with a Crime is Scary.
The uncertainty of your situation You were arrested or given a ticket with a court date. You don’t know what’s going to happen or how everything will turn out.
Your First Court Date Doesn’t Have to Be.
Your first court date will be when the court will formally tell you the charges, accept your plea and give you future court dates. If you’re out of custody now, and don’t seem like a flight risk, you’ll probably be left out of custody. If you were booked and released (or bailed out) the judge will remind you to follow your conditions of release. The judge could also tell you new conditions you’ll have to obey.
To Do at Your First Court Date:
Get a lawyer. A lawyer is crucial when your future is at stake. If you can’t hire a lawyer, one can be appointed to you at your first hearing.
Plead not guilty. That will buy you time to talk to your attorney, work out a favorable deal (or potentially diversion that would result in dismissal) or complete a civil compromise (where you pay for the other party’s loss and then request a dismissal by the court).
Dress as if this were a job interview. You want the judge to think of you as reliable. You also want to show the judge you respect the court because, if you respect the court, you’re more likely to follow its orders.
What Not to Do at Your First Court Date:
Try to tell your story to the judge or bargain with the judge. This isn’t the time for that and the judge doesn’t have the power to dismiss the case no matter how great your story is.
Talk to the prosecutor without your attorney. (Or, if you do, don’t admit to anything.)
Be late.
Do You Have a First Court Date Coming Up?
Having an attorney on your case can make your first court date a lot less scary, go more quickly and – depending on the where you have to go to court – you may not need to go to court at all. Contact me for a confidential consultation.