The Criminal Case Process - Why You Should Hire Attorney Robert A. Dodell!

If you stand accused of a criminal offense, contact Robert A. Dodell, Attorney at Law, now. Your freedom, your rights and your future are at stake. It is very important that you speak to an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney who is familiar with such matters. Robert provides individual service when protecting your rights.

Robert Dodell, Attorney at Law provides an aggressive criminal legal defense. Call us at (480) 860-4321 to claim your free initial consultation.

The Pre-Charging Investigation

There is an opportunity for you to fight your criminal case even before it goes to court. Prior to making an arrest or filing charges, local law enforcement agencies often investigate people suspected of committing an offense. This is the best time for someone under investigation to hire an attorney to conduct an independent investigation to take control and defend the case.

The goals of conducting a pre-charging investigation include: (1) preventing the filing of charges; (2) reducing the charges; (3) assisting with self-surrender, avoiding arrest, and arranging release conditions; (4) diverting allegations into an informal disposition, and (5) keeping clients advised of legal rights.

By bolstering your credibility or attacking the credibility of the complaining witness, an experienced criminal defense attorney is sometimes able to prevent the filing of charges. The most common ways of bolstering credibility are notifying the prosecutor of favorable evidence and/or polygraph results. In fact, this firm will not hesitate to use polygraph results to (1) verify your story; (2) verify a witness statement; (3) obtain favorable pleas and (4) establish lenient terms and conditions of probation. By providing favorable evidence or witness statements to the prosecution, it is possible to challenge or question the complainant’s side of the story, or his reputation for truthfulness, making it possible to prevent the filing of charges.

Criminal Defense Lawyer Scottsdale - Criminal Attorney Scottsdale Presentation

Learn More About What Items Can Affect Your Case

One of the first questions that people involved in a criminal case asks their lawyer is “What are my chances of winning this case at trial?” The answer will depend on several factors. The following are just some of the most important factors or considerations that can affect your criminal case and why you need to hire an experienced criminal attorney.

1. Evidences and facts of your case – The evidence and the facts about your case is a major consideration when it’s time to rule of the case. The court whether the judge or jury, will looks into all the information provided during a trial and use this information to formulate a conclusion to decide whether or not you are guilty. The facts and evidence can either help or harm your case. Things, like audio, video and forensic evidence, witness accounts and their credibility as witnesses and admissions are all part of the “facts” that will be presented in your case.

2. How evidence is obtained – Some evidence is obtained illegally. Once the court finds out about this, they deem the evidence inadmissible. This means that no matter how much it can help or harm your case, if it was obtained using illegal means, the court will not consider that evidence as part of the trial. Other reasons why evidence becomes inadmissible is when the crime scene or the evidence itself was not handled properly.

3. Your criminal record – The court also looks into your criminal record when it’s time to present your sentence. First time offenders of non-heinous criminal cases are sometimes given only the minimum punishment. Repeat offenders often get higher sentences, as are people who commit the same crime repeatedly.

4. The severity of the crime – The court takes into consideration the severity of your crime. If you are convicted for a DUI but no harm was done on anyone or anything and you truly show the judge that you are repentant then maybe you can end up with a minimum punishment and minimum fines for that crime. If your DUI comes with drug charges or someone had been harmed, then the court will likely give you a higher level of punishment if you are found guilty. If there is also evidence of criminal damages, then you may need to consult with a criminal damage attorney in Scottsdale like Robert A. Dodell.

5. The prosecutor handling your case – Some prosecutors are more forgiving than others. Some are more reasonable when it comes to resolving a case without going into trial while others want harsh penalties with a conviction. Prosecutors will always make a recommendation for the sentence to the judge.

6. Your attorney and how he handles your case – Some lawyers are diligent and make sure that they have all the bases covered when it comes to your case. They make sure that for every argument that the complainant has, they have a counter argument available. Your attorney’s negotiation skills will also help determine the type of plea offer extended.

7. The judge assigned to your case – Judges handle cases differently. Some judges are stricter, while others are more forgiving. Their interpretation of the law also sometimes varies as well. Some judges will give you a long jail time without fine while others will give a shorter jail time and bigger fine for the same crime. The judge’s decision will depend on the facts of the case and evidence for mitigation of a sentence provided to the court.

Why Hiring an Experienced Criminal Case Lawyer is Important For Your Case

Have you been charged with a crime? If you have, it is important to understand that you are about to enter the criminal justice system. In here, your best bet at getting the best possible outcome is to hire a competent and experienced criminal defense lawyer. Robert Dodell is the personification of excellent legal counsel. While you can find other defenders to represent you, you want one that has years of experience and extensive knowledge with these types of cases in your area.

An Expert on Local Procedures and Personnel

The big question is: Why should you hire Robert Dodell? Plain and simple, the answer is that he possesses the local advantage that you’re looking for.

Keep in mind that it is best to hire a lawyer who is experienced in courthouses where the defendant’s case is filed and heard. It is true that laws are the same throughout the state. However, the policies and procedures themselves vary from one locality (or courthouse) to another.

Robert Dodell is experienced in all the criminal laws and proceedings in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He is equipped with knowledge regarding the many of the prosecutors. As a local attorney, he is also familiar many on the police officers and how they handle their cases and how they testify in court. As an attorney defending you, having experience with both local policy, procedures and personnel can be a huge advantage for your case.

Criminal Law Experience and Knowledge

You need to go with a lawyer who has previously represented defendants who had cases and offenses similar to yours. These days, criminal law encompasses so many subspecialties, such as drug offenses, white collar crimes, drunk driving, domestic abuse, and more.

You can be sure that whatever it is, Robert Dodell has handled it before. His experience is wide and extensive. Before hiring him, you are more than welcome to inquire about his previous experience with criminal cases. You can ask him any questions and open any concerns that are bothering you.

He will work for you and with you to the best of his abilities. Working together, he will work up with the best possible defense for your case. You will be working together, with him offering guidance and expert opinion about legal proceedings and projected outcomes.

Why Choose Robert Dodell as your Criminal Lawyer?

If you have been charged with a crime, you must hire an experienced criminal lawyer to defend you. The criminal justice system is complicated, and things can easily go against you if you do not have the best defense. A criminal lawyer can help ensure the best possible outcome for your case, in addition to defending your rights.

Criminal law is complex and attorneys who do not specifically practice in this area may not be able to navigate it and provide you with the best representation. Most people are not familiar with the law or the way the criminal justice system works, so they may end up accidentally incriminating themselves. Having a good criminal lawyer involved as early in the process as possible ensures that your rights are protected, thereby increasing your likelihood of getting the best representation that you need to get the best resolution of your case.

The criminal justice system involves the following stages:

Investigation – If a crime has been committed, officers investigate to determine the facts of the case and identify a suspect. If you believe that the police are investigating you as a possible suspect then you may want to engage a criminal lawyer to protect your rights, particularly if the police officers call you in for questioning. During the investigation, the police may also get a search warrant to search your home or office to look for evidence against you.

Arrest – Once the police officers believe they have probable cause to believe that you have committed a crime, they may arrest you. In this case, your criminal lawyer can protect your rights by instructing them as to what they can say or not say to prevent self-incrimination. It should be noted that contrary to popular belief, hiring a criminal defense lawyer is not an indication that you are guilty of anything. Your attorney is there to ensure that your rights are safeguarded and that you do not say anything that the police may use against you during your hearing.

Arraignment – Once the police have filed charges against you, a prosecutor will formally present them in open court, and you are asked to make your plea. Your lawyer will usually tell you to plead “Not Guilty” and to ask that bail be set so you won’t be incarcerated until your trial or other criminal proceedings.

Plea bargaining – Once the arraignment has taken place, the criminal lawyer may start to negotiate a plea with prosecutors. A plea means that you will plead guilty to a lesser charge or a single charge in exchange for the other charges being dropped. Your lawyer will usually recommend this option if the evidence against you is too strong and you are likely to be found guilty, or if being found guilty will subject you to severe penalties such as being sentenced to death.

Trial – Your lawyer may try to get the charges thrown out of court by arguing that improper procedure was followed or that the officer did not have probable cause to arrest you. If the trial goes forward, your criminal defense lawyer will defend you by questioning the state’s case against you. It should be noted that you still enjoy the presumption of innocence while being tried and it is up to the state to prove that you are guilty, rather than the defendant having to prove that he is innocent. In order to be found guilty, the state must prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Criminal Record Expungement in Arizona

Expungement can be technically defined in legal terms as a request or petition to a court or law enforcement agency for the erasure, cancellation, sealing, modification or destruction of a criminal record.

People may apply for expungement of certain criminal records when it starts to affect their image or reputation, such as when applying for work. However, under the Arizona law, this process cannot technically be utilized for an Arizona criminal record. An individual’s crime history remains untouched in the books until they reach 99 years of age.

Arizona does not have an expungement law. The substitute process for expungement for Arizona cases is having the case “set aside. ”However, a“set aside” does not make your record free of previous crimes committed.

Setting aside a felony or misdemeanor conviction in Arizona, however, means that your criminal records will still be viewable by anyone who plans to review it (e.g. a potential employer) but it will also be recorded that your case has been set aside or that all the conditions of your probation and sentence have been satisfied and cleared. A set aside confirms that a court has handled your case and has resolved to dismiss the charges against you.

A set aside has its own limits and is not applicable when the crime committed:

consists of some driving offenses
involved a finding of sexual motivation,
involves a victim below 15 years of age,
involves serious physical injury on the victim,
involves any dangerous instrument or deadly weapon, or
requires the defendant to be registered as a sex offender

Juvenile record clearing options are also available for cases in Arizona. Juvenile record sealing may apply if you are at least 18 years of age, without adult conviction or pending charges, and have completed all the terms and conditions of the sentence. This kind of sealing does destroy the records though it does not relieve you from its accompanying penalties.

Criminal reports can be set aside and juvenile records can be destroyed. It is best to hire a criminal Defense attorney in order to assist you in this process.