We are going to have to figure out which category you belong in before we can answer your question. The categories are: if you do not have an attorney, if you have an attorney other than MRD Lawyers, and if we are your attorneys. The answer is going to vary based on which category you belong in.
If you do not have an attorney. You have likely been given a ticket or found your name on casenet with a case pending in court.
If we are talking about a ticket, there is a court date in the top left hand corner. Do you need to be there on that date and time? Well, that is actually pretty complicated. We have written a blog on that subject before here (link) and have written about it on our website here (link). The short answer is MAYBE. You will likely have to dig a little further to see if you really need to go to court on a ticket.
If we are talking about a case you found on casenet, the answer is YES if you do not have an attorney. That means a court has likely ordered you to be there through the issuance of a summons. If you do not appear (or hire an attorney to appear for you) there could be a warrant issued for your arrest. So plan on taking the morning or afternoon off of work and sitting in a very crowded room waiting for your name to be called.
Please remember that failure to appear when a court has ordered you to do so could lead to a warrant and in some cases new charges for failure to appear. It is always a very good idea to get advice based on your specific circumstances from an attorney that practices in that jurisdiction in criminal defense.
If you have an attorney other than MRD Lawyers. Well, you are about to hear something from an attorney that you would not anticipate hearing: We do not know.
Part of your attorney’s job is to communicate with you. Frankly, that is one of the most important jobs. The number one complaint to the Bar Association about attorneys is lack of communication.
Your attorney should be calling, emailing, texting, or mailing you letters about the status of your case. Including whether you should be in court. That is their job and part of their ethical duty. If they are not, you need to ask them or their staff.
If MRD Lawyers represents you. The answer is we will tell you if you need to be in Court.
Here is how and where we tell you if you need to be in Court:
First, when we meet in our office or over the phone for the first time, the attorney tells you what is expected in that Jurisdiction that you are charged in and the crime you are charged with on whether you need to be in court with us for the first time. Many times, by hiring an attorney, you will be able to avoid going to court. We will be able to represent to the court that we represent you and that we have the authority to act on your behalf. If you do need to go in with us, we will walk you through when to appear, where to wait for us, and what to expect. We will try to paint a mental picture for you about what you are about ready to go through and what the Judge will likely say and do.
Second, because we will be talking about a lot of information in that first meeting, we know it is hard to remember everything. So, we send you a letter telling you whether you will need to be in court. We even put it in bold as the most important thing that you need to know in that letter. In fact, we send you letters for everything. Every time we touch your file or go to court, we record it with a letter and send it out to you. We have systems in place that make that happen on a very consistent basis and we are proud of that. We want to keep you informed.
Third, we have our staff call you the day before court to remind you when and where you need to be in court. They will tell you if there are any last-minute changes to the exact time you need to be there. If you do need to be in court and have last minute questions, our staff will be able to take those questions down and get them to the attorney as the attorney prepares for court the next day. That attorney will then be able to reach out to you to answer those last-minute concerns.
Finally, we invite our clients to email the attorney directly to ask ANY question, including the next court date. You may also call our staff and ask them. We have detailed notes about whether clients need to be in court in our system that the staff can access. They will generally be able to answer that question or get the answer within minutes. We absolutely strive to let communication be one of our most important goals here at MRD Lawyers.
So, if we represent you do you need to be in Court? Maybe. But we will make sure you know well in advance and then we will remind you that you need to be there.
Put National and State award winning Criminal Defense Lawyers who are former Greene County Prosecutors to work for you. We have three decades worth of experience winning cases in Greene County, and we want to help you with your legal issues. Contact our office today.
Website: www.mrdlawyers.com
Email: mrussell@mrdlawyers.com
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