For clients that wish to move their case as quickly as possible, a plea deal can be entered as soon as the Trial Information is filed. If this is your desire, Mr. Thompson will be ready to move on the case as soon as is legally possible. On the other hand, sometimes clients wish to wait and deal with their case on the latest dates possible. This can arise when a client knows they will need to prepare for jail time or court fines. In those cases, we will wait until the date of the pretrial conference before entering any plea bargains.
Generally after the Written Arraignment is filed and the pretrial conference is set, the evidence will become available for review and negotiations will begin with the county attorney.
If there is a problem with the evidence, Mr. Thompson will consult with you and file a Motion to Suppress. This is a method to fight the admission of the evidence, and to try and exclude it from further proceedings. Although a successful Motion to Suppress is somewhat rare, when it happens the case generally has to be dismissed. All flat fee cases will include a review to determine if a Motion to Suppress is worthwhile.
If a Motion to Suppress is not to be filed, a plea bargain will often times be reached at this time. Mr. Thompson will contact you regarding the deal and determine whether we should accept it.
When you agree that the plea deal is appropriate, Mr. Thompson will draft the necessary Guilty Plea and deliver it to you immediately.
You may review the plea with Mr. Thompson either in person, or over the phone. It is vital that you understand exactly what rights you would be surrendering, and what the benefits of the plea deal would be as well. Once the guilty plea is signed, we will ask that you return it as soon as possible. Again, a return envelope will be provided for convenience.
If the guilty plea is received prior to the pretrial conference date, then we will be able to file it instead of forcing you to appear for the court hearing. Thus, it is possible to avoid returning to court as long as all of the proper documentation is on file. Mr. Thompson understands how important it is to stay ahead of the court schedule to save you as much time and inconvenience as possible.
After the guilty plea is received and processed, Mr. Thompson will send the Court’s final judgment, along with detailed instructions on what the judgment means. This will include all fine payment dates and locations, and any other terms if you receive probation or a deferred judgment. It is Mr. Thompson’s goal to ensure that you understand every aspect of the criminal case, most importantly the terms of the judgment.
Once the case is concluded, Mr. Thompson will still be available for any questions you or anyone else has about your case.