There are really only two options when you are facing a criminal charge in Bella Villa MO: 1) you could hire an defense attorney to represent your interests; 2) you could try defending yourself
Most folks who do not hire an attorney make this decision for purely financial reasons: they simply cannot afford to pay a lawyer thousands of dollars (and they cannot take advantage of the public defender, because smaller municipalities like Bella Villa MO do not have such services).
Pleading Guilty Is Not Your Best Option!!Which means that the vast majority of people (all over the United States) go into courtrooms every day by themselves (without the aid of legal counsel). And when this happens, they most likely will do nothing more than plead guilty. Why? Because the judge will very likely make it seem as if that is your best and/or only option available. He will say something like, “You’ve been charged with trespassing in the first degree. How do you plead? If you plead guilty, you won’t do any jail time.” People hear this and think that they are getting a great deal, so they agree to plead guilty.
But here’s the problem with making that decision: a guilty plea will allow the state of Missouri to put the charge onto your permanent record. Once it is on your record as a criminal conviction, it will stay there forever (hence the word “permanent”). This in turn means that anyone wishing to do a background check on you in the future will see it (and you could easily miss out on a job opportunity, or an apartment, or a government benefit).
But we have a much better plan in mind!! All you need to do is give us a call! Sometimes our efforts result in a dismissal of the charges, other times we can get the charge reduced to a minor infraction (so that nothing bad shows up on your record). Either way, this is far better than simply pleading guilty!!
The affordable St Louis, MO criminal defense attorneys at The Bankruptcy Company, have been helping people with their criminal charges for over ten (10) years. We want to do everything we can to help you get the best possible outcome! We want to make sure that your record stays as clean!! And we want to do all of this at an affordable price. The fees for a typical St. Louis misdemeanor charge start at $450. Our fees for a low level felony charge start at $750. But the initial consultation to discuss your legal issues is free of charge. So contact us today!!
We have two main locations: in the Central West End of St. Louis, at 1 North Taylor (on the corner of Taylor and Laclede), 63108; and in the Twin Cities of Festus / Crystal City, at 1000 Truman Blvd (Highway 61/67), 63019. The initial consultation is free of charge. So contact us today to learn more!!