In Alexandria, a robbery lawyer will begin preparing a defense by looking at each and every individual element that the prosecutor has to prove very specifically. For instance, the actual taking of money, goods, or items from an individual makes it so that the prosecutors will have to prove that something was actually taken. A criminal defense attorney will look at that situation in order to work against the claim and show that the property was not taken.
Additionally, a criminal lawyer will examine the other elements of the charge, such as the violent component that classifies the act as robbery and tries to find out if the prosecutor is alleging that there was actual violence toward somebody or whether they are alleging violent threats. An attorney will also look at whether a weapon was involved or whether the assault is alleged, which is inflicting fear of imminent bodily injury upon somebody while the taking of the goods occurred.
A seasoned robbery lawyer will work to show that one of the essential elements of a robbery was not present when the incident occurred and that the offense should be treated as a simple theft charge.
When a person is charged with robbery, the District Attorney will approach it differently. Some people will look to see whether or not there is an alibi defense or whether or not there is a mistaken identity defense. For any kind of evidence that the prosecutor has, it is always important to look very specifically at what these elements are and prepare to be able to contest each element.
For example, for video footage or an eyewitness, a defense attorney will look at the credibility of the eyewitness and the accuracy of the video footage. Certainly, each case is going to be different, but a good defense will efficiently attack and know the weak points of the prosecution, which could be the identity of the individual or whether they can actually prove that there was some kind of theft or some kind of act of violence.
If an individual is charged with robbery and is in a situation in which the evidence that the prosecutor has is so straightforward, so believable, and very strong against the person, or if they have a criminal record that would cause a judge to impose extremely harsh sentencing guidelines should the person be put in front of a judge, a defense attorney would urge their client to consider taking a plea deal where there is some kind of cap on potential sentencing.
In the situation of a plea deal, the judge is not able to sentence the person up to life in prison for the charge, and instead there is an agreed upon duration of time the convicted will spend in prison. Certainly, in a situation in which someone has a very poor criminal record and the facts of the case are very negative against them, an experienced attorney would not urge a client to take a plea deal if there is any evidence of their innocence or if the prosecutor is presenting weak evidence in the case.
When contacting a criminal lawyer about robbery charges, individuals should have information about exactly what happened, when the situation took place, who else is involved, where the incident occurred, and any other details that they may remember about the case itself. One of the most helpful things a client can share with their attorney is if they are able to walk the lawyer through the series of events that took place.
Additionally, any other information that can be provided to the attorney is always helpful. People who were present, alibi witnesses, or any small things that someone else may have observed can all help an attorney prepare a very thorough and robust defense to robbery charges.