Our Approach to Newport News Criminal Cases

Facing criminal charges can be a scary and frustrating experience, especially if it is your first encounter with the criminal justice system. We understand that you may have many questions about what is going to happen, and what you can do to protect yourself. We believe that it is important to have a Newport News criminal defense attorney in whom you can put your confidence and trust. Every case is unique, and no past result can guarantee similar outcomes in the future. But, if you are wondering how we approach our cases and treat our clients, a Virginia Beach Defense Group attorney answers some questions about initial consultations below. Call today to schedule a free consultation with them so you can learn more about the charges you are facing and make an informed decision in how you want to prepare for your case.

What Do You Ask When Speaking to a Prospective Client For the First Time?

Generally, we’d begin by asking the client how they’re doing as we know criminal charges can be particularly stressful, especially if someone has never been in that position before and going in blind and scared. Then, we ask them to tell me what happened that led up to the charge in the first place.

We ask for as many details as they can remember including what was said to the police officers involved, and what the police officers said back to them. We also like to get an idea of the person as a general person rather than as just a defendant in the case.

We ask them about their career and their family and any extracurricular or community involvement activities that they may have.

What Do Potential Clients Commonly Ask You?

Potential clients in criminal cases want to know what is going to happen to them. They are worried whether they are going to spend time in jail, and if so, how long of a sentence a conviction will get them. They also want to know what the chances are of avoiding jail time if they are convicted.

We tell the potential clients that it really depends on all of the surrounding facts of their case. It depends on whether they have a good defense and if they have any prior convictions. It also depends on what the charges are and if they end up convicted at all, or if the charge is reduced or dismissed.

Many times, potential clients who haven’t had any previous experience of the court system want to know exactly what they can expect when they go to court and what could potentially happen at each given court date, if there are multiple dates.

Sometimes, they get anxious because they believe the court date is scheduled for too soon after the date of the incident and they feel like there won’t be enough time to prepare. Usually however, this means that the first court date is actually an arraignment.

We explain to clients that the only thing that will happen at the arraignment is that they will be asked if they would like to hire an attorney and then the date for trial will be set from there. There’s usually plenty of time to prepare, and if there isn’t then we can request a continuance to buy ourselves more time.