When you’re facing a sexual offense charge, you need to know that you’re facing one of the most serious charges that you will ever see in your life. If you’re convicted of any kind of sexual offense, it’s likely to follow you around for the rest of your life. Besides having the obvious conviction on your record, you’ll likely have to mention it whenever you apply for a job to any potential employers, and depending on the nature of the offense, you might be forced to register as a sexual offender whenever you move to a new location.
All those negatives are before the prospect of any fines or jail time enter the equation, which means that a sexual offense case is not one that you can afford to lose. Here’s how the right attorney can help you prepare to earn the best possible outcome for your case.
Knowledge of the Law
When you start your search for a sexual offender attorney in Houston, you need to focus your search on an attorney who has the necessary experience and knowledge to provide the best defense possible for your case. The right attorney will not only know Texas laws regarding your specific situation, but will also have an idea of what cases are most relevant to crafting your defense. There are thousands of cases that have been argued over the years in the Lone Star State, and a good attorney will be able to pinpoint a case or two that is both relevant and helpful to your situation, if such a case exists.
In the unlikely event that your case breaks new ground in terms of the law, an experienced attorney can determine which existing cases are most similar to your case and how to relate them to your own case in a way that benefits you. Regardless of the background of your case, your attorney should make you feel like you’ve got a real expert on your side when you plan your strategy for court. If you don’t feel like that when you leave your meeting, you don’t have the right lawyer.
Knowledge of the Courts
Even a great legal argument won’t make a dent with a judge who isn’t receptive to the points that you’ve outlined in your strategy. A good attorney can use both his or her own experience in front of the judge and the results of past cases decided by that judge to fine-tune a strategy that’ll appeal to their interpretation of the law. Remember, judges are still human and will view the law through their own mentality. The right attorney will be able to use that to your advantage.
Knowledge of the Opposing Side
Sometimes, the facts are simply stacked against you and there’s nothing that any attorney can do to get you a not guilty verdict. But even then, the right attorney can work in your best interests through his or her relationships with the prosecution. If your lawyer has worked with the prosecutor for years and you’re facing a relatively minor charge, your lawyer could strike a deal that will lessen your sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. Even on more serious charges, there’s still a chance that with your cooperation and the right lawyer on your side, you can lessen the sentence you receive.
When you’re facing a sexual offense charge, the last thing you can afford is to lose the case and receive the maximum sentence. Rather than face that possibility on your own, you need to get a sexual offender attorney in Houston that you can trust to fight by your side and get the best possible outcome for you. When the price of failure is your freedom, there’s no such thing as being too prepared.
