10 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Lawyer in a Wyoming Criminal Case

If you have been charged with a crime in Wyoming, your freedom could be at risk. Depending on the severity of the crime, you could be facing time in jail, the loss of your driver’s license, substantial fines and court costs, and a lifetime of secondary consequences such as missing out on job opportunities or having career paths completely closed off to you.

Many people are reluctant to hire a lawyer in a criminal case, fearing that a lawyer will be too expensive, or because they think they can do it on their own. In reality, deciding not to hire a lawyer could end up costing you more in the long run, and representing yourself is rarely a good idea.

The law is complicated. If you are not a lawyer, you probably should not represent yourself in court. In fact, when lawyers face criminal charges they often hire a lawyer to represent them. An often quoted maxim in the legal profession is that if you represent yourself you have a fool for a lawyer and a fool for a client.

If you are facing criminal charges in Wyoming, you want an experienced criminal defense lawyer on your side. Here are 10 reasons why you should hire a lawyer if you were charged with a crime in Wyoming.

1. A Lawyer Offers Unbiased Advice

In addition to knowing the law, a lawyer’s job is to help you design a strategy to combat the charges against you. A criminal defense lawyer will evaluate the charges against you and develop a strategy to reduce the charges, negotiate a plea bargain, or even have the case against you dismissed. One of the most important reasons to hire a lawyer is so an attorney can offer you an unbiased opinion about your options. Attorneys are trained to provide a dispassionate and emotionally detached evaluation of a case, which will help you make a calm and rational decision, uninfluenced by your emotions.

2. A Criminal Defense Lawyer Protects You from the Harshest Penalties

Prosecutors and judges can treat criminal defendants harshly. A criminal defense lawyer acts as a buffer between you, the judge, and the prosecutor, insulating you from the harshest penalties.

Even if you are innocent, you still face the possibility of conviction and harsh penalties.

A criminal defense lawyer will work hard to prove that you are innocent, and will advise you on how to present the evidence to maximize the chance of a not guilty verdict.

At Just Criminal Law, our team of criminal defense professionals will investigate the charges against you, search for evidence that can be used to refute the charges, and attempt to negotiate a plea bargain or have the case against you dismissed.

3. A Lawyer Knows the Law

Lawyers spend years studying the law and learning court procedures. They are familiar with how the court system works, and have worked on thousands of cases in addition to yours. A criminal defense lawyer will draw on these years of experience to offer you advice and help you make the right decision under the circumstances.

A lawyer knows and understands how to examine and evaluate the evidence against you and how that evidence will be presented in court, and can use this knowledge to search for and request information that could help exonerate you.

A lawyer can and will look for any loopholes in the law or inconsistencies in the evidence, and use these to your advantage in an effort to secure a not guilty verdict, have the charges reduced, or have your case dismissed.

4. Lawyers Understand How the Courts Work

A lawyer spends most days in court. When they’re not in court, a lawyer is often working with other lawyers. There’s a good chance that your lawyer will have worked with the prosecutor who is handling your case, and has probably appeared before the judge assigned to your case before. This experience and depth of knowledge will be used to help you by building a stronger case.

A lawyer also knows the rules that apply in the courts where they practice. They know filing deadlines and where to file court paperwork. There is so much about the practice of criminal law for a non-lawyer to know that’s it’s difficult for a non-lawyer to even know what you don’t know. A criminal defense lawyer will minimize these surprises by drawing on years of experience, and a knowledge of the ins-and-outs of how the court functions.

5. A Lawyer is a Buffer from Law Enforcement

Having a lawyer on your side means that anyone who wants to discuss your case has to go through your lawyer first. This includes law enforcement, the prosecutor, the judge, and even the media. Having a lawyer on your side minimizes the chance of you being intimidated, and can prevent you from making hasty, uninformed decisions, or poorly thought-out responses to questions from law enforcement or the press which could result in additional charges being filed against you.

6. Financial Benefits

While it may sound counter-intuitive, hiring a lawyer can actually save you money in the long run. Sure, there is an up-front cost to when you hire a lawyer; but there’s a good chance that you’ll make up some, if not all of that money, by paying less in fines and court costs, and costs associated with jail time, bail, and other fees, than you would have without a lawyer. An attorney knows how to circumvent some of these expenses, and can work to minimize days that you miss from work which could reduce your income or even jeopardize your job.

7. A Criminal Defense Lawyer Will Save You Time

A criminal defense lawyer is familiar with the criminal process. They will use this experience to save you time by anticipating problems before they appear, and by moving through the process as quickly as possible.

Court moves slowly. It will move even more slowly if you don’t have an experienced criminal defense lawyer at your side, helping to guide you through the process.

8. Emotional Support

Facing criminal charges is scary. Some people suffer from depression, anxiety, and shame as a result of being charged with a crime. A criminal defense lawyer is familiar with and understands these feelings, and can help you cope with these emotions.

9. Investigative Resources

At Just Criminal Law, our team of criminal defense professionals will work tirelessly on your case. We will manage your case from your initial appointment through trial and appeal, if necessary, and will go the extra mile to investigate the charges against you, looking for evidence that could be used to refute the charges against you, or present them in a light that is most favorable to you.

10. Work With a Former Prosecutor

The prosecutor is the person who brings the charge on behalf of the government. A former prosecutor has a unique understanding of the trial process and knows how the prosecution gathers evidence, decides when and how to present charges, and prepares a case for trial. In turn, this means that a criminal defense lawyer who used to be a prosecutor can use this knowledge to your advantage, knows where the prosecutor’s case will be weak, and can exploit these weaknesses to your advantage.

A former prosecutor might be able to negotiate better plea bargains, and will know just how far to push the prosecutor assigned to your case.

Just Criminal Law Is Here to Protect Your One Shot at Justice

If you have been charged with a crime, expert legal representation is critical. The team of criminal defense professionals at Just Criminal Law is here to help.

Contact us today by calling 307-686-6556, email inquiry@justcriminallaw.com, or complete our online form.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article is offered for educational purposes only. This information is not offered as legal advice. A person accused of a crime should always consult with an attorney before making decisions that have legal consequences.