Criminal Defense Attorneys and Drug Lawyers in Memphis, TN

If you have been accused of a crime in Memphis, Tennessee, you will be facing investigation including rigorous police interrogation, and ultimately, arrest. The State of Tennessee has immense resources at its disposal to investigate your alleged criminal involvement and build a case against you. Being the subject of a criminal investigation is an extraordinarily a frightening experience. However, if you have been charged with a crime in Memphis, Tennessee you have the right to have a criminal attorney defend your rights. While the state might offer to appoint you a public defender free of charge, most public defenders are terribly overworked. According to a Northwestern University study, approximately 73% of public defenders have to handle excessive caseloads that far exceed recommendations for providing effective representation. Public defenders shouldn’t have handle more than 150 felonies and more than 400 misdemeanors in a single year. Yet, in some cases, public defenders have to handle not hundreds but thousands of cases and often have less than an hour to devote to each case. While the Sixth Amendment requires the state to provide competent representation to those who cannot afford it, the sad reality is that public defenders, while doing the best that they can, are overworked to the extent that they seldom have adequate time to devote proper personal and effort attention to each case. This is not a criticism of public defenders who are often very fine lawyers. This is merely a statement of how it is.

If you’re facing criminal charges in Memphis, Tennessee, you need a criminal defense attorney who has been working in the field for years and who knows how to effectively litigate for and defend his clients. You want personal attention and a lawyer who will acquire and review all the evidence of your case and work diligently to build the strongest defense possible. In fact, in the hands of a dedicated criminal lawyer, even the State’s evidence can be turned on its head and used to your advantage. When your rights, your freedom, and your reputation is at stake, you need a solid and dedicated criminal law firm on your side. The Muldavin Law Firm, P.L.C. is a criminal defense law firm located in Memphis that is eager to provide the people of Memphis the representation and legal assistance they deserve.

How Most Criminal Cases Unfold

Sam Muldavin of the Muldavin Law Firm, P.L.C. is a criminal attorney and drug lawyer based in Memphis who has handled many criminal cases over a long period of time. If you live in Tennessee, you deserve the same aggressive and attentive representation that Sam has given his clients in big city litigation. Every criminal case is unique and special as you are. The Muldavin Law Firm, P.L.C. knows this which is why it takes the time to review all records and evidence and investigates and interviews each and every witness to ensure that it has gathered all necessary evidence in preparation for trial. All criminal cases begin a police investigation of some kind and culminate with an arrest and the accusation of criminal wrongdoing. If you’ve been arrested for either a drug charge or criminal charge, it is important that you contact a qualified criminal law firm as quickly as possible. Officers use a variety of tactics including “stretching the truth” to gather evidence against you. You have the absolute right to remain silent and to request to have a criminal attorney present during any questioning and during many parts of the investigation. A criminal defense lawyer or drug attorney in Memphis can ensure that police don’t overstep their rights while questioning you or gathering evidence.

Within days of your arrest, you will be required to appear in court where you will be arraigned. Your bail will have been set, the nature of your crime is one of several factors used to determine the amount. If it is more than you can afford, your criminal defense attorney or drug lawyer will urge the court to reduce the bond so that you can be set free. At the arraignment, you will be informed of the charges being made against you and the minimum and maximum penalties that they carry. You will also be asked how you plead to the charges, “guilty” or “not guilty,” or in very rare instances, “not guilty by reason of insanity.” It is critical that you appear at the arraignment accompanied by your criminal defense attorney or drug lawyer who will advise you about how to best proceed during your arraignment.

After the arraignment, you will have a preliminary hearing where some of the basic evidence against you will be presented to a judge. Your guilt or innocence won’t be determined at this time. Instead, the judge will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to present your case to the grand jury. Your criminal defense attorney or drug lawyer will challenge the State’s evidence and argue that the State has failed to establish probable cause, that is, that the evidence is insufficient to send the case to the grand jury. If your defense attorney or drug lawyer is successful, the case against you will be dismissed.

In some cases, having reviewed all of the evidence against you, your Memphis criminal defense attorney or drug lawyer may determine that your interests are best served by a plea bargain. By entering into a plea bargain agreement, you would be giving up your right to have a trial in exchange for a reduced charge and a lesser sentence which can even include probation which would allow you to avoid serving any time in jail. However, before pleading guilty to any charge, it is of the greatest importance that you speak to your criminal defense attorney or drug lawyer about the plea bargain and whether it will be beneficial for you to take it. Pleading guilty can have immense consequences because you will now have a criminal record or will have added a conviction to your criminal record if you already have one. Moreover, any kind of conviction will have an effect on your ability to get a job, be accepted at certain types of schools and may disqualify you from entitlement to access to certain kinds of federal or state services and aid. A felony conviction will deprive you of your right to vote or to hold public office and will forever prohibit you from ever again owning or possessing a firearm. Your criminal defense attorney or drug lawyer will do everything necessary to make sure that you understand your rights and the consequences of any legal choice you make before you make that choice.

Memphis Criminal Defense Attorney for the People of Tennessee

Stated as simply as possible, if you’ve been accused of a crime, everything is on the line. You are facing the very real possibility of jail time, possibly years of incarceration. You are facing the very real possibility of having a criminal record and of suffering the consequences of having that record long after you have completed your sentence and have been released to “resume your life.” If you’re accused of drug or other criminal charges, you need a criminal defense law firm that can offer you the tailored criminal defense litigation you need and deserve. Settling for any less can put your freedom, your reputation, and life as you know it at risk. Contact us today to learn more about your rights and options and permit us the privilege of assisting you during difficult and frightening times.