Mario Madrid Law Firm

Evidence: In criminal court, the outcome will be determined by what can be proven with admissible evidence. The defendant’s task of establishing “reasonable doubt” can be surprisingly tricky, and may require the testimony of expert witnesses such as accident reconstruction specialists as well as physical evidence such as CCTV recordings. More importantly, a skilled criminal defense attorney will know how to poke holes in the prosecution’s evidence and cast doubt upon the credibility of hostile witnesses.

Although a criminal defendant has the final say on major issues of his case such as whether or not to plead guilty and whether to accept a plea bargain, he may be in dire need of expert legal advice to allow him to make a rational decision. An effective criminal defense lawyer will be intimately familiar not only with criminal law in general, but also with the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the local justice system.

Negotiating: Many criminal prosecutions are resolved not by trial but by plea bargains. A good plea negotiator might save you from years in prison or a felony charge by introducing enough doubt about the strength of the prosecutor’s case to induce him to offer to allow you to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Negotiating a plea deal against a prosecutor who negotiates such deals every day is not a job for amateurs or for those who are easily intimidated.