What should I do before I go to court?

 Find out where the courthouse is prior to your court date.  If you are uncertain, call us and we will be happy to provide you with directions.

 Bring a pencil and paper into court with you.  You may need to take notes about your case or write down court dates.  It is your responsibility to know when to return to court if your case is postponed (continued) until another date.

 Plan to stay at least 3 hours.  Often courtrooms are crowded and it may be some time before the District Attorney calls your case.

 If you have children, find a babysitter.

 Bring all of your papers you have concerning your case to court with you.

 Dress appropriately.  If you dress inappropriately, you may be asked to leave the courtroom.  A good rule of thumb is to dress as you do for church.

 If you have any witnesses who can tell the court what they saw or heard concerning your charges, bring them with you and make sure that they dress appropriately.

What should I do when I am in court?

 Get to court early.  Court session usually begins at 9:00am.  Please sit near the front so we can find you more easily.

 When court starts, listen for your name to be called.  Listen carefully, because the DA may mispronounce your name.  When your name is called tell the DA the name of the attorney that is representing you.  Your attorney may be in another courtroom or in the judge’s chambers when your name is called.  Do not worry; your attorney will be there shortly.

 If you get to court late and you do not see someone from our firm in the courtroom, wait until the next break and tell the DA that you have arrived.  It is very important that you be on time.  DA’s are often angry when defendants are late.  Furthermore, the judge may not hear your case that day and in the most extreme cases, tardiness could result in arrest.

 Do not bring a cell-phone or pager into court!  Judges can become VERY angry when cell phones and pagers detract from the court proceedings.

What happens when I stand before the judge?

 There are three types of offenses with which you might be charged:

• Infractions: An infraction may carry a maximum of $100 as the penalty. You cannot be sentenced to serve time in prison for an infraction.
• Misdemeanors: A misdemeanor may require the payment of a fine and/or a sentence of imprisonment.
• Felonies: A felony may require the payment of a fine and/or a sentence of imprisonment.

 When you stand before the judge in court, the assistant district attorney will read the charges that have been made against you. You will be asked how you plead to your charges and your attorney will respond for you.

 You may plead in three different ways:

• You may say that you are “Not guilty,” which means that you deny the charges against you or you want a trial.
• You may say that you are “Guilty,” which means that you admit that the charges are true.
• You may say “no contest” (sometimes called a “Plea of Nolo Contendere“), which means that you are not going to plead guilty, but you are willing to be sentenced as you would be if you were found guilty.

 If you say “Guilty” or “No contest” to a misdemeanor you will receive your punishment by the court that day. If the charge against you is a felony, the District Court judge will give you another day to return to court because, with some limited exceptions, judges in Superior Court hear cases that are felonies.

 What will my punishment be?

 Your sentence or punishment could be any one of the following, or some combination of the following:

• a fine and court costs; or
• probation, a suspended sentence (which means going to jail if you violate the rules of your probation), community service and if necessary, money damages to the victim; or
• an active sentence, which means that you must go to jail for a specific amount of time set by the judge.