To Plead or Not to Plead, That is The Question . . .

You may not see slings and arrows flung at you (at least not literally) as you go into a courtroom and plead guilty these days, but the shock of serving a jail sentence or being placed on supervised probation can make you feel like you are being attacked by the court.

You don't have to end up with that outcome.  If you get the right defense attorney, you may figure out that you don't have to plead guilty, or that you at least can negotiate for a better sentence than the "standard sentence" that is imposed in most cases.

A good attorney will know if the prosecution's offer is a good one (especially IF they have been a prosecutor before, like I have), or if it is merely part of a choreographed dance that starts with a tango of jail time ends with a dip of good behavior probation and a lower fine (or a dismissal if the evidence is tainted or insufficient).  But to get to the end of the dance, you have to know all the steps. 

Fortunately for my clients, I have done the dance both as a leader and a follower, so I know how to signal my partner to get where I want to end up.

Don't hire a billboard picture with no rhythm.  Hire experience with worn out dancing shoes.