What to Do When You Need A Criminal Defense Lawyer When you need the services of a criminal defense lawyer, you are finding yourself most likely in much deeper hot water than what you can handle on your own. There are several reasons why you might be in a position where you need the services of the specific kind of law practicing professional. As it might be a daunting time in your life, the trusted team of criminal defense lawyers in RI at John Grasso provided us with an overview of all you should expect in this challenging time. While it is best not to consider having criminal charges against you as the end of your life as you know it, it is important to remember that hiring the services of a reputable legal defense team during this time, can make a world of difference to your future. Criminal defense lawyers are the kind of legal practitioners who can defend you in the proceedings surrounding criminal charges in federal, state and appellate courts. Their scope of work includes representing you through the entire process from the moment when you are charged with criminal charges. The first appearance these lawyers usually make is at your bail bond hearing. From there onwards, depending on the course of action you and your criminal defense lawyer opt to take, the professional will be by your side for a plea bargain. If you opt to go to trial, they present your case in court and work on proving your innocence through the presentation of evidence. They also appear at parole and probation hearings, if you want to appeal the judgement against you, you rely on their expertise as well as during post-conviction proceedings. The main purpose of a criminal defense lawyer is to prove you innocent through the support of evidence. Regardless of whether you are guilty or innocent, your defense lawyer in RI presents the evidence and witnesses in such a manner to convince the court of your innocence. The legal system always allows for a defendant to choose to decline legal support but as these professionals are highly qualified to complete various tasks that can all aid to convince the court of your innocence, it is better to rely on their services. If you do not have ties with an experienced criminal lawyer at the time of your charges, the John Grasso team urges you to truly find someone with a respected reputation based on several favorable outcomes to their past cases. Your criminal defense lawyer will prepare your plea bargain. In the case when your criminal lawyers have considered all the evidence against you and believe the courts will most likely find you guilty, they might urge you to rather work on a plea bargain than on your defense. The purpose of a plea bargain is to negotiate for a potentially better sentence against you for the charges the federal or state courts are hearing against you. While you can do this yourself, it is not advised as you will have to negotiate with a