Legal Question in Criminal Law in Missouri

Re: First time offender-Lost please help

Your post did not tell us WHERE this incident occurred. What county were you in, and what court are your pending criminal charges in? The answers to these questions might make a big difference in responding to your questions, and they will certainly make a huge difference in the final outcome of the cases against you. First, and foremost, it is absolutely crucial and it is of the very utmost importance that you obtain the very best legal representation you can get as quickly as possible. This is definitely NOT something you should attempt to go through alone. If you are absolutely unable through any legal means to hire private counsel then you should insist upon the appointment of a public defender to represent you. In my experience there are many public defenders who are extremely competent and most of them tend to believe in what they doing which helps. However, in many counties the public defenders are simply over-burdened and have far too many cases to be able to devote as much time to any individual case as a private attorney would. So, generally speaking, it would be best for you to hire your own attorney if possible, and the attorney fees requirements will vary from place to place and person to person. A new, relatively inexperienced attorney may quote you a very modest fee, but you may decide that such an attorney would not be able to adequately represent you in this case. On the other hand, you should watch out for attorneys who quote outrageously high fees, and leave the impression that a person can buy their way out of trouble. In my experience, I have seen attorneys charge anywhere from $2500 to $10,000 up front on similar cases. In my location, with my experience, I routinely require a $5000 retainer fee with the understanding that I may require more if we take the case to a jury trial. Again, your attorney will be able to tell you what the likely outcome of your case will be after he or she has interviewed you and other witnesses, reviewed all discoverable material from the prosecutor, researched the law if necessary, and talked with the prosecutor concerning a possible disposition. In St. Louis county, for instance, it may be possible for you to get the 120 day shock with drug treatment, or it might be possible to obtain an even better result! It would be nice to be able to avoid taking a conviction on your record, wouldn't it? In any event, I strongly advise you to do what you can to hire an attorney and I am confident that everything will work itself out for the best. Good luck.