Robbery is a felony offense in Virginia. What that means is that somebody convicted of robbery will be considered a felon for the rest of his or her life. People convicted of robbery will never be able to get that stain off of their record, it will come up on all security clearances, and other background checks from employers. He will not be able to vote or carry a firearm here in Virginia. Having a felony conviction on somebody’s record is extremely serious.
The harshest penalty that a person charged with robbery might face is life in prison if convicted of a robbery, which is why it is absolutely critical to retain the services of an experienced Alexandria robbery lawyer. People should contact a criminal lawyer as soon as possible, preferably before they are even arrested, but certainly, if they do not know that they are about to be arrested, as soon as they are arrested and have the opportunity to speak to an attorney, they should. Until then, they should not make any statements to law enforcement or anybody else about what happened, and they should talk to an attorney as soon as possible.
Because robbery is such a serious charge, a person looking for a robbery attorney in Alexandria needs to find somebody who not only has local experience but has the resources and colleagues to be able to construct a really robust defense. An individual should look for an attorney who has experience not only in a robbery, but also has the resources to spend the time on the case to really provide the best possible defense.
Somebody should hire an attorney who has a lot of experience in this jurisdiction with robbery because robbery is different than other simple theft offenses. It is important to have a criminal defense attorney with experience, because that person will know exactly how to be aggressive and how to effectively handle the case, and will also be able to give the client a realistic evaluation of the case to help the client to understand exactly what the risks and benefits are of going to trial and of having a jury trial versus a bench trial. Also, an attorney can help decide whether or not it is something that requires filing a motion and can otherwise prepare an alternative and creative defenses.
Criminal defense attorneys that have experience with robbery charges in Alexandria will be able to use their experience to gain an advantage over the prosecutor by knowing the case, knowing exactly what is required, and whether the prosecution has a conviction. An experienced attorney will be able to attack the weak aspects of the prosecutor’s case simply based on things that he or she has encountered before. Certain prosecutors tend to do things certain ways and a defense attorney with experience in Alexandria will be able to predict exactly what the prosecutor is trying to do and then to not only prepare for that but to prepare the best possible argument to attack the prosecution’s case.