Domestic Violence & Civil Orders Lawyer never got back to me

C

Criminaldefense48

New Member
What can i do between now and Monday morning when I have no lawyer for my case. They assigned me a public defender and I called and left him two messages this week and called the office several times for no response back. I have never been to court before so I dont know what to do in this situaton it's a first offense for me. I got charges with two accounts of domestic assault an battery and that's all I'm gonna say cause in not getting into my case online.
 
Criminaldefense48 said:
What can i do between now and Monday morning when I have no lawyer for my case. They assigned me a public defender and I called and left him two messages this week and called the office several times for no response back. I have never been to court before so I dont know what to do in this situaton it's a first offense for me. I got charges with two accounts of domestic assault an battery and that's all I'm gonna say cause in not getting into my case online.
Click to expand...
What state?
 
Show up at court. Your appointed attorney should seek you out. If not, when your name is called, inform the judge you have had no contact with your appointed counsel and you are not ready to proceed. A new court date should be set.
 
mightymoose said:
Show up at court. Your appointed attorney should seek you out. If not, when your name is called, inform the judge you have had no contact with your appointed counsel and you are not ready to proceed. A new court date should be set.
Click to expand...
Ok thank you, yeah I did a bit of searching that's what some of the articles were saying that he should be in court.
 
You are one of many clients. Unfortunately, you won't likely get the amount of time and attention as you would from a private attorney.
 
Many public defenders are in private practice.

Some public defenders are government employees.

It is unfair to say that either poorly represents their clients.

If a criminal defendant believes he/she has been improperly served by her/his lawyer, an assertion of "inadequate assistance of counsel" can be made during any post trial appeals.

Even during the pre-trial and trial phases, a criminal defendant can petition the court to fire the current attorney and appoint another attorney.

Law enforcement, defense attorneys, prosecutors, court personnel, medical staff, and jail personnel strive do their best to insure all criminal defendants are well cared for during the criminal trial process.

That said, one can avoid an arrest and ensuing legal jeopardy by simply adhering to and obeying all of society's laws.
 
mightymoose said:
I didn't mean to imply poor representation. I was just commenting on the level of communication... especially early on before the initial appearance.
Click to expand...

I think many indigent (and repeat) offenders expect too much.

Many have blabbed, despite knowledge of their "right to remain silent", truths, lies, admissions, and outright fairy tales during the arrest and booking process.

Some may also have engaged in criminal activity where their every action and word has been memorialized by surveillance cameras.

The time to worry and fret about one's rights is BEFORE, not AFTER, engaging in criminal behavior and pursuits.

To paraphrase Smokey the Bear, "Only you can prevent your arrest and conviction by NOT engaging in risky, dangerous, unlawful behaviors."
 
New post from criminaldefense48:

Hey I'm a Rhode Islander 26 year old Male. How do court cases go for domestic violence case if your aggressor. We are going on the third trial in 2 weeks and I haven't got to tell my side of the story yet it's a one sided story so far. I did get to meet my public defender but I haven't even gotten a chance to speak to him. All he did was pull me aside to tell me that he would have to talk to me another time because my girlfriend wants to partition to drop the no contact order we have, so he has to talk to the prosecutor first and that was literally all he said. Then before I left my public defender said he was gonna have the situation investigated. But what is there to investigate with only 1 side of the story. My lawyer didnt even talk to me for 1 minute about case. Do i eventually get to tell my side of the story or will it most likely be a one sided case just because the domestic was on a female. I never been to court before so im not sure wat to expect in court on my end it's a first offense for me. I have nothing else to say because I'm not going to go into detail with my case because it shouldn't be discussed anyway.
 
First off you have not had three trials in two weeks. You may have had three hearings but none of them have been a trial. You will know when it is a trial, trust me.

If your attorney doesn't work out a plea agreement or get the case dismissed there will be a trial and it will be your right to speak should you choose to. Though your attorney may well advise your not speak and if he does you should take that advice.
 
Don't be so eager to tell your side of the story. You don't have to, and that is where you are likely to do the most damage to yourself so it may be best not to. Be patient. This is your first time, but your attorney is no newbie.
 

Share this page

Get a free case review from a lawyer
Back
Top