Legal Question in Criminal Law in Massachusetts

Re: minor in possession of alcohol in MA more info

It's difficult to predict how your case would turn out. There are a number of factors that would come into play, including the underlying facts about the incident, your prior criminal record (or lack of one, as it turns out), the flexibility of the district attorney in plea negotiations, the track record or "temperament" of the particular court you happen to be in, and other things. All of that said, given everything that you have at risk and your career goals, I would strongly encourage you to seek legal representation, to try to get the best possible result. For example, while a CWOF disposition may be an option available to you under this set of circumstances, one would hope that there may be a better option (e.g., (a) "pretrial probation," which would be substantially better than a CWOF because it would not require your to admit under oath in open court to any inculpatory facts, or (b) dismissal of the charges altogether, if for example some of the evidence against you is not admissible in court due to police error). While I do not know the particulars of your situation and cannot say that there truly is a better option available in this instance than a CWOF, it would be difficult for anyone to say what your options truly are without the benefit of a skilled criminal defense attorney to review the specifics of your case. In any event, if you are truly concerned about not getting a mark on your criminal record, I'd advise you to remember the advice of "penny wise, pound foolish," and try to find a way to get legal representation. Yes, there are gambles involved in just about everything, and there may be reasons why a lawyer may not be able to get you a better result this time, but if you are able to get a better result because you have a good lawyer working your case, you'll be much happier about the whole situation for many years to come. Good luck.