Assault is one of the most common crimes with which a defendant is charged. Just like any other violent crime, the conviction is always significant. While an assault might result from incitement or aggravation, the court always handles it as a criminal act. If you have been accused of assault, you will realize how fast things can escalate when the state wants to establish whether you:
• have a criminal record
• have special self-defense or martial art training
• own a firearm
• intended to kill the plaintiff
• are willing to plead guilty
• are a threat to the society at large
At our law firm, we understand that the plaintiff might paint a grave picture with the intention to punish severely or extort some monies from you. As such, we handle your case with extreme care. In fact, we recommend that you refrain from giving the police any information before contacting us since anything that you say could be used to hurt your case in court. We can get you out of the tricky situation by:
• Reviewing all the evidence presented in court against you to make sure that every detail is accurate. We identify the flaws in the evidence that might be used to escalate a minor offense to a major felony. By reviewing such evidence and establishing these flaws, we can get the charges reduced significantly
• Ensuring that you do not agree to things that might hurt the outcome of the case by intervening on your behalf
• Requesting the judge to extend some leniency even if you are guilty by arguing that you acted out of anger, but do not hold any grudges
• Helping you to get some references to speak on your behalf and highlight that you have good character and moral values as showcased by your clean record
• Developing a list of any mitigating circumstances and explaining how the unfortunate event happened
• Highlighting that the burst of anger was a mere blip and nothing more, and explaining that the plaintiff is exploiting the defendant for personal gain
While the assault victim deserves compensation for the pain and suffering or loss of income, the defendant has rights too, according to the constitution. While choosing an assault attorney, you should always do your homework. Since the state takes the assault cases very seriously, it will provide the defendant some of the service driven lawyers available. In most cases, the defendant might not stand a chance, and in the worst-case scenario, a life sentence might be on the cards. You need a reputable attorney who cannot be intimidated by the state. A lawyer who can establish the gaps and loopholes in the state’s case will work to your advantage. One of the best ways to reduce the sentence is to highlight that you are willing to:
• Apologize to the plaintiff
• Handle the medical expenses
• Compensate the plaintiff for personal injury
• Provide compensation for any loss of earnings
Our firm will highlight that you never intended to harm the plaintiff. We will also help the court to see the case as what it is by preventing the plaintiff from blowing things out of proportion. In some cases, you might be accused of assault, even if you never caused any physical injuries to the plaintiff. If you caused some fear unintentionally, some states would consider this as a case of assault. Unfortunately, the consequences can be dire if you do not get the best legal representation available. Since you do not stand a chance against the state, be sure to contact us for legal representation. Considering that we have been handling such cases for decades, we know the loopholes as well as the hurdles that you must navigate to avoid a lifelong sentence. As such, we will argue your case in court based on facts and prevent the court from making the judgment by using conjecture.
Attempted murder vs. felony assault
If you get into a fight, you should be charged with felony assault. However, most people are charged with attempted murder after engaging in a fight. The district attorney decides whether to charge you with assault or attempted murder.
A felony assault constitutes of the following:
• Inflicting extensive bodily injury on purpose
• Inflicting bodily injury with a weapon
Attempted murder
You might be charged for attempted murder for in the following instances:
• Stalking someone in the hope of committing murder
• Acquisition of a firearm with the hope to murder someone
• Luring a person to a place where in the hope to murder the victim
• Breaking into someone’s property in the hope to commit murder
• Acquiring weapons and making arrangements to commit murder
• Convincing someone or hiring somebody to commit murder on your behalf
As you can see, attempted murder involves the actual planning to kill someone even if you do not follow through with the plan. An assault involves getting into a fight, especially when there is no premeditation. As such, you might get into a bar fight in the quest to defend yourself. If that is the case, our team of experienced lawyers will give you the legal representation you require to have the charges dropped.