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REPRESENTING YOURSELF IN THE BRONX

Many people often ask; can I represent myself in court? This question usualy stems from being unhappy with your current lawyer. After spending thousands of hours in courtrooms in Brooklyn, my answer has to be an absolute NO! To represent yourself in small claims court or in traffic court is one thing. The stakes are not that high and you do not face jail time. However, in Bronx Criminal Court or Supreme Court, the consequences can be dire. To begin with, the rules of evidence are extremely complicated and the average person simply cannot learn them in a couple of months. Second, there are many decisions that have to be made during the pendancy of a criminal case. Should I plead guilty? Is this a good offer? Is the prosecutor hiding something?

These questions can only be answered with the assistance of an experienced Criminal Defense Lawyer. Many lawyers that have given this advise have been accused of just looking to make money off their clients. This is completely the wrong way to look at it.The only thing you need to be concerned with is the result of the case. What will happen to you if you are convicted or receive a bad deal from the prosecutor. The only way to make sure is to hire a Criminal Defense lawyer that knows the system and understands how he can help you. This is not the time in your life to go into do it yourself mode. A famous case of a person representing himself was the Long Island subway shooter. He defended himself at his murder trial against the advice of three attorneys. He received a 315 year sentence and the judge said ""Colin Ferguson will never return to society, and will spend the rest of his natural life in prison".
If you have been charged with a crime in Bronx Criminal Court or Supreme Court, contact The Law Offices of Michael S. Discioarro, LLC at 917-519-8417.