Understanding the Criminal Law Process Part 13 of 17| Criminal Law Attorney Fort Myers/Naples
Pretrial Hearing
At the pretrial hearing the prosecutor and your attorney quickly discuss the case. In many counties the courtroom is packed with many other people awaiting their pretrial. Plea offers may be discussed, accepted or refused. The pretrial hearings are a great way to get educated on what type of deals are routinely offered – for certain types of crimes. It may be a good idea to sit through a half day of a pretrial docket to get educated.
Most judges encourage deals during pretrial hearings because their calendar is overloaded. If you can get a favorable deal, your case could be finalized at the pretrial.
You will probably observe the attorneys discuss what stage they are at in the Discovery process and if there are problems. Normally discovery has not been completed by the first pretrial. Also, the prosecutor may not have filed formal charges by the date of the pretrial.
More often than not, the judge will schedule another pretrial date, a month or two in the future. It is possible to have many pretrial hearings but at some point the judge will insist on setting the final trial date.
For more information please contact us to schedule your free consultation.
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