Working with a Richmond Theft Lawyer
Theft offenses are more complicated than they appear to be, which is why it is important to get in touch with an experienced legal advocate. One of the benefits of working with a Richmond theft lawyer is their experience handling theft cases in the City of Richmond. This experience means that your seasoned theft attorney could confidently and competently handle your theft case. Work with a lawyer that could devote the time and resources necessary to craft a solid case for you.
Expectations When Speaking With a Theft Lawyer
During an initial consultation, an attorney should be able to tell the accused a little bit about the potential minimum or maximum penalties according to the specific facts of their case. The lawyer could also discuss potential defenses they might want to use. In order to provide a robust defense for an individual, it is important to have all of the necessary information about a case. There are some boilerplate defenses to theft charges that, after a cursory view of the situation, an attorney should be able to tell an individual about. However, working with a Richmond theft lawyer is only beneficial if an individual feels capable of building a strong working relationship with them.
Defense Strategies in Theft Cases
Every case is going to be different and so there are different things an attorney may have to do in every case. However, the main thing one is going to do, in most cases, involves being able to challenge different elements of the crime to find holes in the case. One aspect a legal advocate can challenge is whether the object was actually taken or not, or if it was a mistake. An attorney could also challenge the element of intent. With every theft case, there must be an intent to take something belonging to another, meaning that one believes it or one knows that the item that has been taken is not, in fact, an individual’s. If someone has a good faith belief that the item that is taken is theirs, then an individual cannot be convicted of theft.
Challenging intent could also include challenging the element of intent to permanently deprive. In every theft case, an individual must have the intent to permanently keep the item away from the possessor or owner and if an individual does not have the intent to permanently deprive, then they cannot be convicted of a theft case. Constitutional issues such as searches and seizure issues and anything involving the Fourth and Fifth Amendment are also worth challenging.
Consulting a Richmond Theft Defense Lawyer
Theft is a crime of moral turpitude and so it is going to stay on your record for the rest of your life if you are tried and convicted as an adult. It can lead to loss of jobs currently, loss of future job opportunities, and could have implications on your ability to be believed in a court of law if you are ever involved in a court case later on.
Also, being charged with theft can carry a certain amount of jail time. Misdemeanors will lead someone in jail for a year. A felony is up to 20 years. It is important that a person hires an attorney in order to not have to face some of those dire consequences. If you have been charged with theft, consider working with a Richmond theft lawyer. An attorney could work to collect anything that can dispel the notion of guilt and build a strong defense for you.