How a Good Attorney Can Help With Bail Bonding

If you or a loved one has been arrested it can be an extremely stressful experience. If you have little or no experience with the court system in Denver County, Jefferson County or Golden you may have no idea how to proceed, and depending on the severity of the charges against you or your loved one, obtaining bail may present a significant hurdle.

If the charges against you are serious, or you have a prior criminal record obtaining bail may be no small task. More than one bail bond agent may decline to work with you and all the while you are searching around for an agent, precious time is ticking away and you are languishing behind bars. In such cases, it can pay handsomely to make sure that the first thing you do after being arrested is to hire a reputable local attorney.

Why a Good Attorney Can be the Difference Maker

If you or a loved one has been arrested and is facing serious charges chances are you or they are in an agitated state of mind and unable to make clear, thoughtful decisions. In addition, if you have a prior history of arrests the bail hearing could be short and unpleasant. You may have a tough time finding a bail company that will talk to you and prosecutors may be looking to make an example of your case. At times like this, it can really pay to have a good attorney on your side.

Whereas a bonding agent may be unwilling to talk to you if you contact them cold, the attorney may have a good working relationship with one or more bondsmen that can smooth things over in your favor. Being able to tell the agent that "X" is your attorney and they recommended you call could be the difference maker in whether or not the bonding company will work with you.

A Good Attorney May Well Secure You Lower Bail

Public defenders are an integral part of the judicial system but they are not always the right choice for defendants. Even if hiring an experienced lawyer is a financial stretch it may be a better choice than trying to save a few bucks and going with the court appointed lawyer. Why? Because a public defender knows little to nothing about you and frankly they don't have the time to learn. They come in at the last minute to ensure you don't get bamboozled by legal procedures you don't understand. It's an admirable job, but in some cases, it's like putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot.

On the other hand, when you hire an experienced lawyer to represent you they will take time to get to know you, your history, your family, your ties to the community, and at least some of your life experience. These are all important things the attorney can use to paint a more sympathetic picture of you before the court. If that attorney is also known to the court and has a solid reputation the judge or magistrate will be more inclined to listen to their pleas on your behalf and may even lower the bail amount.

When you take the trouble to hire an attorney it demonstrates to the court that you are aware of the seriousness of the charges and that you are committed to seeing the legal process through, instead of just waiting for the first opportunity to jump bail.

Attorneys and Plea Deals

In addition to being able to lower (or even eliminate) bail in your case, an experienced attorney may also be able to arrange a reasonable plea bargain that enables you to avoid serving time, or serving significantly less time than you likely otherwise would. If you forego legal representation or opt for a public defender any opportunity to strike a deal may pass before you even show up for arraignment.

That's because oftentimes plea deals are only available early on in the process, meaning you may show up for arraignment and be faced with a plea offer you know nothing about and do not have time to digest. Chances are the public defender will be in the same boat as you, having to get their head around the offer at the last minute. This does not often lead to positive outcomes. With a reputable attorney on your side, however, he or she will be on top of any plea offers and you will have plenty of time to consider them before accepting or rejecting.

Regarding Out-of-State Defendants

Let’s say you are not a resident of Colorado and are arrested here on a serious offense. Your out-of-state status could potentially make securing bail more difficult because you will be seen as a definite flight risk. In addition, a bail bonding agent in Lakewood, for example, will likely require some type of collateral before they’ll be willing to work with you. If you have no suitable assets to offer they may refuse to write the bond.

This is another situation where hiring an experienced local attorney may help. If that local attorney has a good relationship with a bonding agent they may be able to convince the agent to drop the asset requirement, or at the very least, reduce the value of the collateralized asset to a more manageable amount.

If you need help with bail get in touch with Tayler Made Bail Bonds at (303) 623-0399.