Do’s and Don’ts for Harassment Victims

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Dos and Donts for Harassment Victims
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• Why do I need a criminal defense attorney?
• Being charged with a crime can be a frightening
  and confusing experience. The court system and
  process behind a criminal case can be difficult
  to understand. The police and the district
  attorneys may say they are trying to help you but
  they do not represent your best interests. The
  polices job is to arrest people and gather as
  much evidence as they can in order to assist the
  prosecutor in putting together a winning case.
  The district attorneys job is to get
  convictions. Only a defense attorney looks out
  for your best interests and protects your
  Constitutional rights during the process. This
  is why you need an experienced criminal defense
  attorney to guide you and fight to protect your
  rights when you have been arrested or charged
  with a crime.

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• No two criminal cases are the same, and the facts
  of your case are unique to you. We understand
  this and treat every case with the attention to
  detail it deserves. No outcomes are guaranteed
  in criminal law, but everyone deserves to have a
  defense. Whether you choose us to represent you
  or not, you should never be alone when facing
  criminal charges.

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• How should I interact with the police?
• You should always cooperate with all commands and
  instructions an officer gives you. Give all
  pertinent information such as your name, address
  phone number, and date of birth. But if they
  begin questioning you about an incident you were
  involved with (such as, What were you doing
  during this? Where were you when this
  happened? Have you done this or that
  today?) or if they are officially wanting to
  question you or seeking a written or recorded
  statement from you after an arrest, you should
  not answer until you have an attorney present.
  This is your right and you should always use it!

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• What should I expect to face during the
  proceedings?
• That depends on what you have been charged with.
  If you have been charged with a misdemeanor your
  case will start out in the General Sessions
  Court. At this point you have several options on
  how to proceed. You can request a preliminary
  hearing, which is where the court determines if
  the police had probable cause to arrest you, you
  can try to negotiate a plea agreement with the
  prosecutor, or you can pass your case up to
  Criminal Court for trial.

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• For felony offenses your case may start out in
  General Sessions. If so, it will generally
  follow the same path as misdemeanor cases except
  that General Sessions Courts do not have
  jurisdiction to enter guilty pleas on felony
  cases. However, if the district attorney
  presented the matter to a grand jury from the
  beginning, your case may start out in Criminal
  Court and bypass the General Sessions phase
  altogether.
• Once in Criminal Court you have the right to
  request all evidence the state plans on using
  against you. At this point you can work out a
  deal or take it to trial.

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• How long does the criminal process take?
• Every case is different. It could take weeks or
  it could take years to resolve a criminal matter
  depending on what your goals are, how severe the
  charges are, or how complicated the facts and
  evidence are. While there is no good answer on
  how long your case will take, each step of the
  process is very important and can impact the end
  result. Therefore, you should do everything
  possible to retain an experienced criminal
  defense attorney.
• If you have additional questions, we are here to
  help! Give us a call at [phone] to make
  sure someone is fighting for you when youve been
  accused of a crime.

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  located in Knoxville, Tennessee. We are in
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  represent people facing family issues, such as
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