Legal Question in Criminal Law in California
Arraignment - do we need an lawyer?
My daughter, who is a freshman in college, has an arraignment on 3/12 in San Jose, Ca. She was given fireworks from a friend as a gift. She left it in the common area of her suite that she shares with 7 other girls. Someone shot them out of her dorm window when she was back at home for the weekend over Nov 3rd and 4th. The charges were cleared by the University on Dec 5th
She thought that took care of the problem until we received a notice in the mail for a warrant for her arrest. She turned herself into the San Jose University police and the police officer waved the need for her to go to jail at that time and a court date was set. The only infraction I can see that our daughter did was to accept the gift of fireworks. It must be illegal to have fireworks in
that city. One lawyer I talked to said that since she admitted that the fireworks were hers, that legally she is at fault. He said that having a lawyer for the arraignment may give us some advantage, but not a lot since she admitted she was the ''owner'' of the fireworks. My question is should we have a lawyer for the arraignment? If not, should she just plead guilty to possession of the fireworks? Will that stay on her record and affect future job opportunities?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Arraignment - do we need an lawyer?
She should consult with an attorney. If she does not have time to consult with an attorney prior to court she should request a continuance to consult with an attorney.
Criminal records last for ever.
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