Working with a DC Domestic Violence Attorney

When speaking with individuals facing any kind of criminal case, including domestic violence cases, one of the first questions people often ask is about the relationship with prosecutors. It is an important question because having a relationship and knowing the prosecutors involved in these cases can facilitate defense work. It can make it easier to conduct negotiations, to conduct discovery and conduct investigations, and it can also help a defendant feel confident that their attorney knows the system, understands the people filing the charges, know the players involved and can use that system to put up a vigorous defense and seek out the best possible result. Working with a DC domestic violence attorney can be extremely beneficial, and your lawyer’s preexisting relationship with the prosecution is just one of the benefits you may experience. Talk to a professional DC domestic violence lawyer today to learn more.

Good Relationships with Prosecutors

Good relationships with prosecutors have to be differentiated with being overly friendly with prosecutors. In the end, it is an adversarial system where the defense does not work with prosecutors to seek out what is best for the prosecutors. In the end, a defense attorney has a singular goal which is seeking the best possible result for their potential client, and they do that through whatever lawful and ethical means they have at their disposal.

In some situations, having a familiarity and a positive relationship with prosecutors can help facilitate that end-result and, in some situations, an attorney has to explore more adversarial roles to assist the defendant. Understanding what the best strategy for the situation is, and understanding how relations can achieve that goal should always serve the purpose of vigorously representing a person as opposed to maintaining good relationships with prosecutors.

Consulting with a Local Lawyer

Washington, DC criminal law is very different both procedurally and the way in which prosecutors handle their cases compared to many other states. DC is a federal district as opposed to a state or a commonwealth, so it has a different set of rules and different set of procedures that make most kinds of criminal cases different than in a lot of other places. With domestic violence, one can say the exact same thing about criminal domestic violence cases. Even comparing Washington, D.C. to Maryland and Virginia, one will often see different procedures, different possible penalties and different strategies for defending people charged with domestic offenses compared to neighboring states.

Working with a Local Attorney

It is recommended that if someone is facing a criminal charge where the prosecutors are alleging a domestic violence offense and the person is facing a charge in Washington, D.C., they should be looking for attorneys to represent them who have direct experience dealing with DC cases. On many situations, people hire attorneys who are local to the area where they live. Defendants who are from New York or Pennsylvania or Southern Maryland or Western Virginia, out of convenience, hire someone who is close to where they live as opposed to close to the jurisdiction where they are being charged, and many people are under the impression that having a lawyer close to one’s home is the most convenient way to get representation.

This is not recommended because the only attorneys who are truly going to understand the charges that someone is facing and the best ways to get the best possible result is to have a lawyer who is local to Washington, D.C. This means an attorney who practices in Washington, DC, is admitted to the DC bar and is highly familiar with D.C. rules and procedures. A person would especially want to be speaking with attorneys who have a great deal of experience handling domestic violence cases. An attorney who has a criminal practice but focuses only on DUIs or DC practice but focuses mostly on family-related civil matters may not be able to fully understand the possible consequences to a domestic violence offense and the best way to deal with prosecutors who are filing the domestic violence charges.

Experience on Cases

Having an attorney with that level of experience, specifically in domestic violence cases, can enable a person to really face the charges head on and be represented by a person who can negotiate for favorable results, seek out the best legal defenses and be a zealous advocate for your best interests. Only an attorney with that kind of background is going to be able to accomplish your goals and do so effectively, and efficiently.