Rape is a very serious charge that’s punishable a mandatory five years in jail and can result in up to life in prison depending on the victim and the circumstances of the allegations. Hiring a Fairfax rape attorney immediately upon being charged is absolutely crucial to help put you in a position to defend your case completely, get the charges reduced, or lessen your potential punishment. Read below to learn more about the benefits of an experienced lawyer, before calling and scheduling a free consultation to discuss your case.
An attorney will begin building your defense immediately and will most likely start with a thorough conversation with you about the facts of your case, the likely outcomes, and the potential defenses you may have. They can help you know what evidence in your possession may be relevant to your case, and can advise you of how to preserve that evidence so that it can help you later on. They also can negotiate plea offers with the prosecution and advise you on whether the offer is good for you or not depending on the likely outcome while also examining the state’s case to make sure that the state has done what they need to do to properly prove the allegations.
Your attorney also should be familiar with the constitutional provisions regarding search and seizure and interrogation. Since an arrest means the seizure of a person’s freedom, the constitution plays a role in every criminal case in the United States. Your attorney will be able to determine whether there are any constitutional issues that may preclude the state from using evidence against you that was obtained in violation of the Constitution. If there has been a Constitutional violation, your attorney will be able to move to suppress that evidence at trial meaning it will be excluded and not used against you.
In general, hiring an attorney immediately is important and crucial in putting you in the best possible position when you get to court because they can begin building your case immediately and can guide you through the process to ensure you get a good outcome in court.
Experienced criminal defense attorneys can help every single step of the way if you’re facing a rape charge or other sexual offense. They can advise you if you reach out prior to being arrested on how to speak with police and what to say or not to say to police to help put you in the best position to never be arrested. If you have been arrested an experienced defense attorney will know the best possible defenses and will listen to your version of the story to see which defense strategy to take.
Additionally, they can begin collecting favorable evidence and speak with possible witnesses. Once they have that evidence that can ensure that they present it in a favorable manner to the prosecutor to discuss possible pleas or if you go to trial they can help put the evidence together in such a way as to help you successfully defend the charges.
Once you get to trial, an attorney will be able to take the evidence that you have in your favor and present it in a manner to help your case. They will know how to cross-examine the Commonwealth’s witnesses and they will know the right legal arguments to help persuade a judge or jury.