Misdemeanors
A misdemeanor charge is a criminal law case that is charged and prosecuted by the government, either a city prosecutor or district attorney. A misdemeanor is defined as a crime that can carry up to but no more than one year in a county jail. A felony is an offense that is punishable by more than one year in a state prison.
Person's charged with a misdemeanor case has a constitutional right to a criminal attorney of his or her choice at at all phases of the case and all courtroom proceedings. With few exceptions, persons who retain an attorney on a misdemeanor case can have that attorney make all court appearances for them without having to go to court personally.
Misdemeanor charges differ from infractions such as speeding, illegal turns, and the like that carry only fines. Traffic crimes such as driving without a license, DUI, or reckless driving are misdemeanor crimes and do carry jail time. However, unlike infractions, a person accused of a traffic crime is entitled to a jury trial if he desires one. Having an experienced criminal law attorney working for you can often give you the leverage to force a favorable plea agreement with the government.
Misdemeanor cases such as domestic violence, battery, public intoxication, solicitation of prostitution and other misdemeanor crimes carry jail sentences but often also require the completion of certain types of programs.
Misdemeanor convictions can also result in the revocation of the right to own a gun. It is a felony for a person with certain misdemeanor convictions to possess a firearm within ten years of that conviction. Those crimes include, but are not limited to: assault, battery, criminal threats, witness intimidation, domestic violence, brandishing a weapon, and various weapons possession offenses.
Although a "misdemeanor" was at one time considered only a minor spot on one's record, in the days of internet data bases, a conviction for misdemeanor offense can have permanent consequences.
For American citizens, a conviction on a misdemeanor case can result in the inability to obtain certain professional licenses, such as a nursing license, real estate license, massage therapist license, and others. Employers frequently conduct background checks on prospective employees and tend to avoid persons who have criminal convictions.
Non-citizens, even those who are documented and lawfully within the United States can be depoerted or denied citizenship or naturalization due to a criminal misdemeanor conviction.
When people find themselves accused by the government of a criminal charge, they often mistakenly believe that they can't fight the government. However, an experienced aggressive criminal law attorney can stand up against the government. Criminal law attorney Matthew Kaestner understands the dangers of a criminal conviction and knows the techniques to avoid a criminal conviction.
Long Beach Criminal Law (keep the first four words of this sentence as a hot link to the home page as before) Specialist Matthew G. Kaestner, has over 23 years of criminal law experience. As both a prosecutor in the late 80's and as a criminal defense attorney since that time, Mr. Kaestner has won virtually every type of criminal case from DUI to first degree murder. He successfully handles both felony and misdemeanor cases on a daily basis.
When you or a loved one is accused of a misdemeanor please contact Mr. Kaestner directly at (562) 437-0200.
Long Beach's Criminal Law Specialist Matthew G. Kaestner is a criminal law attorney with over 23 years experience in all types of criminal law cases, including narcotics offenses, murder charges, white collar offenses, all felonies, DUI, domestic offenses, battery, and other serious criminal law matters.
|
