If my husband was arrested for marijuana possession last week, should we secure a private defense attorney, a public defender or simply self represent?
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If my husband was arrested for marijuana possession last week, should we secure a private defense attorney, a public defender or simply self represent?
He has a court date in about 2 weeks. What are we up against in terms of penalties?
Asked on January 12, 2015 under Criminal Law, Minnesota
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 9 years ago | Contributor
You give no specificas as to the charges (i.e. how much was in his possession, is this his first offense, etc). Consequently, it's hard to predict what the penalties might be. And the fact is that any time criminal charges are involved it's best to seek legal representation; in other words your husband should not try to represent himself.
As to whether or not to get a PD, first of all you must qualify for one; if you are not icome eleigible then you will have to seek private counsel. Additionally, while PD's are typically quite experienced in these matters, they notoroiusly have a heavy caseloads so having a private criminal defense attroney might well be advisable.
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