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If you have been charged with a crime, a good criminal defense attorney is the only person involved in the case who is advocating for your interests. Police and prosecutors want to see you convicted, while judges and jury members are expected to be impartial fact-finders. Only the attorney you hire has your best interests at heart.

The New Jersey criminal defense attorneys at the Law Offices apply these rules and ethics to every aspect of our professional lives. As former prosecutors and public defenders from cities and counties across the state, our attorneys know that most clients come into contact with the NJ criminal justice system at the most difficult points in their lives. We take seriously our obligations and role in guiding them through the justice system and protecting them along the way.

Start your fight for justice with a free consultation from the Law Offices. We’ll listen to your story, assess your case, and explain how we can defend you.

When engaged as your attorneys, our team will seize every opportunity to fight the charges against you. We may seek to have charges dismissed, get you into a diversionary program, secure a favorable plea, or, if necessary, present your case to a jury at trial. We have one of the most experienced criminal defense teams in New Jersey. We will be by your side every step of the way.

Do You Need a Criminal Defense Attorney? Here’s What They Can Do for You.

New Jersey has a complex criminal justice system. A defendant does not go directly from being charged to being tried. Depending on the charges, there may be multiple hearings regarding pretrial detention or release, pre-arraignment conferences, a first appearance in which the defendant is formally advised of the charges, hearings about eligibility for diversionary programs, and more.

As your attorneys, we will ensure you understand what happens at each step in the criminal justice process, including what is expected of you. In most cases, we will speak for you, ensuring your intentions are properly stated and your rights are protected.

We will investigate the prosecution’s case against you and develop our own evidence in your favor based on consultations with you and interviews with others involved in your case. As we move forward in the criminal process, we will develop a strategy for defending you and resolving your case with the best possible outcome for you.

The Risks of Going to Court Without a Defense Lawyer

You have the right to represent yourself in criminal court, but it’s not a good idea. No matter how innocent you are or how strong your case is, an untrained person can’t expect to understand the complex laws and rules of evidence. Meanwhile, you’ll be up against a prosecutor who’s trained and experienced in winning cases. If you lose, you could go straight to jail and stay there until you finish your sentence or get it overturned on appeal.

An experienced defense lawyer knows exactly what the prosecutor needs to prove to convict you. They can evaluate the case against you and spot weaknesses in the prosecutor’s case from a mile away. We also know about programs in New Jersey that can help you avoid trial altogether.

Let an Attorney Keep You from Standing Trial

A prosecutor with a weak case may offer to let you plead guilty to a lesser charge, a plea bargain. They may even offer to suspend your sentence, meaning it isn’t applied as long as you are not arrested again. Sometimes, a plea bargain is the best outcome available, but it still puts a conviction on your record.

If you are a first-time offender not charged with a violent offense, you may qualify for one of several diversionary programs offered by New Jersey Courts. Your attorney can advocate for you to be directed to one of these diversionary programs. If you qualify for and complete such a program, your record is wiped clean:

• Pre-Trial Intervention: Probation, typically lasting six months to 3 years, is available for those charged with indictable offenses.
• Conditional Dismissal: A 12-month municipal court diversionary program for those charged with certain petty disorderly persons or disorderly persons offenses.
• Deferred Disposition: Probation or up to 12 months for juvenile offenders (under age 18) charged with minor offenses.
• Conditional Discharge: Probation, typically lasting six months to 3 years, is available for those charged with disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons drug charges or drug-related charges.
• Drug Court: A rigorous five-year program of treatment, drug testing, and recovery work meant for defendants ready to overcome alcohol and/or drug dependencies.
• Veterans Diversion Program: Mental health and addiction services available to active duty and retired service members who have been diagnosed with mental illness or who law enforcement, family members, or friends say have exhibited symptoms of mental illness.

Take a Long-term View of Criminal Charges

Most of our clients come to us after making an uncharacteristic mistake. It’s something that is unlikely to happen again. But if they are convicted for this one mistake, it will stay on their record.

A conviction can come back to harm you years later when found in a criminal background check conducted by a prospective employer, loan officer, college admissions official, public housing official, or others.

The best way to keep that from happening is to engage a knowledgeable New Jersey criminal defense attorney. Having a seasoned defense attorney represent you is your best opportunity to avoid a conviction.

Many people browse the internet looking for information on ‘what does a personal injury lawyer do’ to ensure they hire the right person for their case. With so many different lawyers available, it’s not always easy to understand whether you’re looking for a personal injury lawyer or one that specialises in something else.

The primary role of personal injury lawyers is to help people who have experienced physical or mental injuries. They assist with intentional tort and negligence cases and fight for your right to receive compensation.

Personal injury lawyers will also assist with a broad range of incidents, such as:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorbike accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Legal malpractice
• Wrongful deaths
• Workplace injury

Essentially, when someone fails to use reasonable care that results in injuries or loss of life, this can be classed as a form of negligence that may require the assistance of a personal injury lawyer to help you through the legal process.

How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost? What Fees Can I Expect?

After being involved in an incident requiring legal help, one of your first thoughts might be how much personal injury lawyers cost. You likely want to ensure you can afford to pay for the legal fees before using their services, so having an idea of personal injury lawyer fees can be crucial.

Some of the best personal injury lawyers in Australia operate on contingency. This means that if you don’t win your case, you don’t pay your lawyer for their time – no win, no fee. This can be a weight off anyone’s mind who’s unsure about proceeding with legal action when they don’t think they can afford a lawyer’s hourly rate.

Some additional fees may apply, depending on your unique case, such as:

• Filing fees
• Police reports
• Medical records
• Expert witness fees
• Trial exhibits
• Postage and copying expenses
• Trial exhibits

How Does the Personal Injury Claim Process Work?

If you have never made a personal injury claim before, you may not know how the process works or what you can expect. Fortunately, by contacting a personal injury lawyer for legal advice, you can find out all this information and ask any questions you have to receive much-needed clarity.

Typically, the personal injury claim legal process follows this timeline:

1. Receive Medical Treatment

Immediately after your accident or incident, such as a motor vehicle accident, seek medical treatment at your nearest hospital or medical centre. Doing so can mean you get the help you need while also beginning your paper trail for the personal injury claim process.

2. Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you’ve suffered serious injuries or your situation is more complex than you can handle, contact a personal injury lawyer for help. You can explain the facts of your case, which gives your lawyer a foundation to work from while investigating your compensation claim.

3. Claim Entitlements and Begin Negotiations

After reviewing the facts of your case and waiting until you’re on the road to recovery, your chosen lawyer can claim your entitlements to cover your accident-related costs, such as medical care and vehicle damage. Some examples of claims are:

• Workers compensation claim
• Public liability claim
• Motor vehicle accident claim
• Medical negligence claim
• Personal injury compensation claim

If both parties cannot agree on a settlement figure, the litigation process begins, with a personal injury lawsuit filed.

4. File a Lawsuit

When negotiations break down, a lawsuit can be filed in court within the statute of limitations, in other words, the time limit allowed to initiate legal proceedings. From this point, mediation and negotiations begin. If a successful conclusion can’t be reached, your lawyer can prepare you for trial.

How Do I Choose the Best Personal Injury Lawyer?

Choosing the best personal injury lawyer is not always easy when you’ve never required their legal services before. However, there are ways to narrow down your options while speeding up the process.

Ask for Referrals

Ask your friends and family for referrals if they have had experience in the legal system before. If they trusted their lawyer, they would be more than happy to recommend them for your case.

Look at Online Reviews

Online reviews can sometimes be as effective as referrals from friends and family. Look at different lawyers online and review other clients’ experiences. Some lawyer websites also have testimonials so you can gain insight into the level of service you can expect.

Review Track Records and Lawyer Credentials

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, review your preferred lawyers’ credentials, track record and experience in personal injury law. By doing so, you can gain insight into how successful they are at fighting for their clients’ rights.

Speak to Several Lawyers

Many personal injury lawyers in Australia offer a free consultation or case review. Don’t be afraid to speak with several lawyers before making your decision on who you’d like to represent you.

You usually go through a scary and stressful experience when you face criminal charges. You’ll likely find the process stressful whether you are innocent or guilty. Unfortunately, the legal system design makes it hard to represent yourself in court. So, if you face criminal charges, a qualified criminal defense lawyer is often your best option.

But, what should you expect from an excellent criminal lawyer? Read on to find out.

1. Investigation

Agree with your attorney on the scope of the investigation. That’s because your case requires strategy and careful thoughts. Your attorney addresses any analyses or expert testimony to present a strong defense. So, you can expect investigative skills from your attorney to dig deep into your case.

Your attorney performs intense research because each case is unique and has distinct challenges. Valuable sources of information include consulting other experts and research on similar cases. Also, an investigative approach can find any hidden clues to prove your innocence.

2. Excellent and Confidential Communication

You likely don’t want to stay in the dark about any matter related to your case. So a criminal lawyer who maintains consistent, private communication is paramount. Your attorney should update you on any changes or new developments to your case that arise with time. Updates and valuable information inform you on how to prepare for trial.

Privacy is paramount for any information between you and your attorney. Otherwise, the other parties might get the information and use it against you in court. Even if the other party doesn’t get the information, you likely don’t want your details to leak to other parties.

3. Practice Area Expertise

Different criminal lawyers have different specialties and levels of expertise. You likely expect your lawyer to have experience in the practice area where you need defense based on your case. For example, if you face drug charges, you should expect your selected attorney to have drug cases experience. The more your attorney’s experience, the more skills available to defend your case.

Your criminal lawyer garners experience through continual practice. So, you can expect your attorney to have handled various similar cases before. Also, your attorney usually knows excellent defense strategies. With a good plan, you can prepare well for different stages of the justice process.

4. Negotiation

You may believe that the primary role of your criminal lawyer is only to prove your innocence, but that’s not the case. Instead, your lawyer acts as your negotiator, protects your rights, and battles for a favorable outcome. So, you should expect thorough knowledge of the legal system and expert negotiation skills.

Your lawyer should prepare to act when discussions arise between the prosecution and the defense. Whether your aim is to get cleared of the charges or get the best deal, you’ll find negotiation paramount.

5. Empathy

An absolute necessity for professionalism, empathy means your attorney lacks judgment. Also, your criminal defense lawyer advocates from your perspective, position, and experience. So, you can feel more confident to open up about all relevant information without fear of judgmental sentiments.

Empathy boosts the relationship between you and your criminal defense attorney. With an empathetic lawyer, you get legal and emotional support. What’s more, you can trust, confide in, and work better with your attorney if they relate to your situation.

6. Confidence

Your attorney’s confidence is often put under consistent trial at different levels of the legal process. Nevertheless, you should trust your attorney to represent you well, so you wouldn’t want their confidence to get crushed.

So, expect your criminal defense lawyer to exude confidence during the trial. Also, high confidence levels at trial convince the jury of your side of the story.

People involved in accidents regularly question why having a personal injury lawyer is important. Accidents tend to occur when we least expect them. They also tend to unfold in the places where we feel relatively safe. From the roads we travel on daily, to the workplace, and even our doctor’s office, it seems that there is no location where we are immune to injury.

Fortunately, you can minimize your risk of being in an accident by following safety guidelines at work, adhering to driving laws, and always being cautious – especially when you are away from home. But you should also be prepared to protect yourself in case you sustain an injury.

One of the best ways to achieve this goal is to hire a skilled personal injury attorney. Below are five reasons why having a personal injury lawyer is important, and some of the benefits of hiring a personal injury lawyer.

1) You Receive Trusted On-the-Spot Guidance

When people are injured in an accident, it is normal for them to experience a variety of feelings and emotions ranging from shock to fear to anger. Even the most level-headed people may feel temporarily confused or unsure of what steps to take next.

A personal injury lawyer can be a lifesaver in the minutes following an injury accident. Once you have requested medical help and called the police, it is a good idea to reach out to your lawyer for guidance. Here are some specific reasons why why having a personal injury lawyer is important, and ways a lawyer can help you in the minutes following an injury:

• Offer Steps on What to Do Next: If you are shaken after an accident, your lawyer can offer valuable guidance on what to do and what not to do.
• Advise You in Communications with Others: A lawyer can advise you on how to handle questions from the police, your employer, and others.
• Provide Tips That Could Ultimately Help Your Case: Your lawyer may advise you to take pictures of the scene or write down information.

2) You May Discover Hidden Injuries That Require Treatment

Data published by the United States Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows that there were 5,250,837 motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2020 for the 2.9 hundred million vehicle-miles driven. In these motor vehicle crashes there were 2,282,015 injured persons, and 38,824 fatalities. Per 100 million vehicle-miles driven in 2020, there were 181 crashes, 79 injured persons, and 1.34 fatalities. With all of these accidents, many people still ask “Why do you need a personal injury attorney?”

Experienced lawyers know that some of the most serious injuries produce no outward signs of trauma. Even if you “think” you are okay, a good personal injury lawyer knows the injuries to watch out for, such as traumatic brain injury, herniated discs, knee damage, and psychological trauma. They will remind you to seek a thorough medical evaluation after your accident to screen for problems that may require treatment. This is another reason why having a personal injury lawyer is important.

3) Bilingual Legal Support Can Make a World of Difference

Sustaining an injury in a accident can be traumatic for anyone. But it can be especially challenging for the 13.5% of Spanish speakers in United States. If you or a loved one speaks Spanish as a native language, hiring a bilingual personal injury lawyer is a wise investment.

From explaining laws and documents in Spanish to providing guidance in a language that is easy to understand, hiring a bilingual personal injury lawyer can make a world of difference in the outcome of a case. So when you search for an “accident lawyer near me”, be sure they and/or the staff can speak Spanish.

4) A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help Stop Intimidation Tactics Against You

Some personal injury cases unfold relatively smoothly. Unfortunately, there are others that are marked by the use of unsavory tactics on the part of employers, insurance companies tricks, and even health care professionals who are unwilling to treat injured parties.

These tactics are often used to coax people involved in accidents into minimizing their injuries or settling for a compensation amount that is less than what you should ask for in the personal injury settlement. Here are a few common examples which highlight why having a personal injury lawyer is important:

• Pressure: An employer may attempt to dissuade you or distract you from filing an injury report or workers compensation claim at work, or for searching for a “work injury lawyer near me”.
• Threats: Some employers tell injured workers that they will lose their job if they file a claim
• Low-Ball Settlements: An insurance company may try to entice you into accepting a fast settlement for an unreasonably low amount
• Stalling: Some insurance companies purposely delay the processing of your claim to avoid paying you what you are owed

Personal injury attorneys can spot these tactics a mile away and know how to handle them, which is why having a personal injury lawyer is important. If necessary, your lawyer can communicate with the insurance company and your employer’s attorney on your behalf. Your lawyer can also stay on top of insurance companies that have failed to remit payments.

5) You Will Not Miss Any Key Deadlines or Requirements

Navigating the complexities of the court systems can be extremely challenging for anyone who does not work in the legal profession. And it can be especially difficult if you are trying to recover from injuries.

Your attorney will provide guidance as your case unfolds, making sure you don’t miss any filing deadlines, court dates, or paperwork requirements. An attorney will also make sure your claims and appeals are completed properly and in full.

What Is the Single Most Important Reason to Have a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Having a trusted personal injury lawyer in your corner will boost your odds of having a favorable outcome with your case. From a financial standpoint, people who hire personal injury attorneys tend to receive a settlement that is approximately $60,000 higher on average than people who don’t hire a lawyer. For this reason alone, hiring an attorney is worth the investment.

If you have decided you would like to hire a lawyer, remember that not all attorneys are created equal. With roughly 135,000 personal injury lawyers in the United States, it can be a bit overwhelming to narrow the field and make a decision.