Orlando Best Criminal Defense: Plea Negotiation
What is plea negotiation?
Plea negotiation is the negotiation of a plea between the criminal defense lawyer and the state attorney’s office.
How long can it last? Plea negotiation is an ongoing process that starts the minute a criminal defense lawyer takes over the case and ends the minute the case is over. Because cases can drag on for years, in theory, the negotiation can last for years. However, ultimately the decision to enter a plea is made by the client. In other words, if a favorable plea offer is made within the first week of a case, the negotiations can end, and the case is resolved with the agreed-upon plea.
Advantages/Disadvantages
Plea negotiations are not an exact science. However, when a case begins there is a clear advantage for the state attorney to make their most reasonable offer up front: less work for the state attorney’s office. The longer a case lasts and the more work you make a state attorney do, the offer can sometimes go up. The offer often goes up because the state is more invested in the case, the victims in the case become more upset about the aggressive defense that is being presented, and the case often becomes stronger against the Defendant.
However, in many instances, the offer becomes less because a skillful defense lawyer will exploit the weaknesses in the state’s case, & will wear the state out with calculated motions to put the state on the defensive. So, in sum, the longer a case lasts you are taking a calculated gamble of risking the current offer for a better one. In instances where the offer is unacceptable a lengthy plea negotiation is often desirable; however, where the offer is overly generous up front, it’s often to the advantage of the Defense team to conclude the case quickly. An experienced Defense lawyer will help you through the process.
Orlando Best Criminal Defense: Plea Negotiation
If you or your loved one are in need of information on Plea Navigation, call us at 407-930-8912 to speak with a qualified legal professional or fill out the contact form on this page. We’re available 24/7, we offer free initial consultation and payment plans. In addition to our Orlando location, we have offices in the following cities across the state of Florida:
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