Blog

22Jul
2014

3 Things You Need to Know About Domestic Violence Charges

As a criminal defense attorney with more than 20 years experience, I have helped many clients with charges of domestic violence, also known as domestic battery. The three most important things you should know if you’ve been charged with domestic violence are:

1). If the police are called to your home, you will be arrested.  There exists a pro-arrest policy.  The police are not going to leave a domestic violence situation without making an arrest for fear of not acting if harm later comes to a victim.  The rule law enforcement officers follow is to arrest to avoid the possibility of harm.

2). The state attorney’s office has a pro prosecution policy.  In short, they will want 6 months of counseling in any situation.  Once again, this is because the state wants to avoid the possibility of harm in the future — and the possibility of blame for not acting.

3). In order to have your case considered on an individual basis as opposed to the above polices, legal counsel is essential! Without an experienced criminal defense lawyer to help you navigate the criminal justice system in Palm Beach, Martin, or Indian River counties, your defense may be compromised. The prosecuting attorney has the state’s virtually unlimited resources to marshal witnesses, evidence and experts.  A individual defendant is often at an extreme disadvantage, when his or her resources are compared to the resources of the state.

If you have been charged with domestic violence and want to protect your rights and present a strong defense, we can help. Just call our office to set up a free consultation.