There may come a point in time when you end up on the wrong side of the law with a criminal charge. Instead of tackling this charge alone and possibly doing hard time, it's best to work with a criminal defense lawyer. They'll walk you through this legal process and provide many helpful services along the way. 

Assess the Strength of Your Defense

Before a criminal defense attorney dives head-first into your case and starts putting together a defense, they'll assess the overall strength of your case. They'll see if your account of the incident can be verified or backed up through evidence. If it can, then you have a great shot at having all charges dropped.

If there isn't any evidence or the evidence is weak, then your attorney can switch tactics and try lessening the charges in some way. Either way, you'll receive a sound defense depending on the evidence stacked against or supporting your account of the incident. 

Protect Your Rights

If you handled this case alone against a prosecuting attorney, you could risk having your rights violated. After all, you don't know the law as well as they do—which they can use to your disadvantage. This will never happen when you work with a criminal defense attorney.

All throughout these legal proceedings, your attorney will uphold your rights. If the prosecuting attorney asks an unfair question or tries bringing forth evidence in an unethical manner, your attorney will intervene before your case is seriously affected. Having someone fighting to protect your rights will give you confidence from start to finish.

Settle Out of Court

The last thing you probably want happening is to end up in court for months, trying to get these criminal charges sorted out. Instead, a swift process would be better so that you can move on with your life. A criminal defense attorney will make sure this happens by trying to settle out of court.

They'll work with the prosecuting attorney and judge to see if you can avoid court all together. This might involve pleading to a lesser charge and completing some community service hours. Or, there might not be a strong case against you and the criminal defense attorney can help you avoid any form of punishment. 

Facing a criminal charge—be it battery or theft—can cause you a lot of stress. The best way to approach this type of charge is to hire a criminal defense attorney. Their experience, knowledge, and resources will ensure you proceed appropriately when facing one of these life-altering charges.