What to Expect From a Newport News Case in Court

Below, a Newport News criminal lawyer discusses what you should expect in court if you’ve been charged with a crime in Newport News, Virginia. Call today to schedule a free consultation with an attorney.

In a criminal case, the prosecution has to prove all of the elements of the crime the defendant is charged with. And they have to prove these elements beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that each element must be addressed and shown to have been met and that there cannot be doubt as to whether such elements have been met.

For example, in a possession case, the prosecution would have to prove that the defendant was aware of the presence and the character of the contraband in issue. Also, it would have to be proven that the contraband was subject to the defendant’s dominion and control.

If the prosecution cannot convince the court of these elements beyond a reasonable doubt, then they cannot prove the case and the charges should be dismissed.

How Do Prosecutors Go About Proving The Case?

The prosecution goes about proving their case by using all kinds of evidence. This can be in many forms. They can use witness testimony to their advantage. They can also get expert witnesses to give an expert testimony on their specialized field.

The prosecution may use forensic evidence such as fingerprint analysis or a lab results for the presence of a particular substance or chemical. Really anything that the prosecution can show is relevant to the case, can potentially be admitted as evidence as long it is not overly prejudicing the defense.

They collect said evidence through their investigators and through their witnesses. The prosecution has to convince the judge during a bench trial or convince the jury during a jury trial.

Benefits of Finding an Attorney Early

The first thing someone charged with a crime in Newport News should do is get an attorney to help guide them through each step of the process. At the very least, they should consult with an attorney so that they’re better informed of what they are heading into.

And then they can make an educated and informed decision of whether they truly want to sit in there alone or with an attorney by their side.

If you are not local to Newport News whether, whether you’re from another Virginia city or from a completely different state, you should find an attorney that practices in Newport News and go from there.

For some cases, it may be possible to have the attorney appear in court on your behalf and argue the case without you being present. However, this isn’t always possible.

So it’s imperative to obtain assistance from an attorney as soon as possible so that if they cannot appear for you, then you can make arrangements to be in Newport News for your court date. The last thing you want to do is to be charged with failure to appear because you are not in court for your hearing.

How An Experienced Local Attorney Can Help

An experienced lawyer is advantageous to a client because the benefit of the attorney having handled multiple cases similar to the client’s own case. This gives the attorney a good idea of what arguments will work in the cases and therefore the attorney will also know what arguments have not worked in the past and therefore they probably shouldn’t be used again.

Another benefit to the client is that the attorney will have knowledge about the judges that the attorney likely has been in front of multiple times before, as well as knowledge and familiarity about the prosecutors.

Having good relationships with all of the players in the court system oftentimes helps to obtain the best possible result. An attorney’s good reputation will precede them, if judges are familiar with them and they in fact do have a good reputation.