When Should I Hire an Attorney?

Criminal Defense Lawyer in Clearwater

If you have been arrested for a criminal offense, or suspect that you might be, intervention by a Clearwater Criminal Defense Attorney before formal charges are filed can have a tremendous impact on the outcome of your case. Often times, the prosecutor is not fully apprised of your version of events, and may not be aware of witnesses or other evidence you may have to corroborate your position.

At The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger, we are very familiar with the investigative procedures employed by law enforcement and the criteria prosecutors utilize in assessing the viability of a particular charge. Upon being retained by a client under criminal investigation, and where an arrest has not yet been made, we will often times contact the assigned detective or police officer to provide additional information, favorable to our client, that he or she may not yet be aware of of. Our objective in intervening at this point is to reduce the degree or severity of the offense that is referred for prosecution or, under certain circumstances, attempt to prevent a charge from being referred altogether.

For those clients who have been arrested, we take the same approach, but will deal directly with the assigned prosecutor. Although an arrest has been made, the client is not formally charged unless and until the prosecutor files a charging document, called an "information", with the clerk of court. By providing additonal information to the State, including witnesses and other types of evidence that support our client's position, we are often times bale to reduce the severity of the charge that is filed and, in some instances, have the charge or charges dropped.

Making a Difference

Once the charge is filed, it is extremely difficult to have it dropped or abandoned by the State, which is why early intervention by an experienced Clearwater criminal defense attorney is so critical. If you have been arrested, or think you may be, our attorney will to consult with you to explain your options and outline the strategy we would expect to employ to vigorously represent you and obtain the best result possible.