First Time Offenders 

Many of the clients that the Miami criminal attorneys at DMT represent are first time offenders. If you have never been arrested or charged with a crime, this is a very stressful and uncomfortable situation. Individuals lose a lot of sleep, wondering what the criminal justice system has in store for them. When a person is arrested, and they sit down with an experienced attorney at DMT, they sleep better at night knowing that our firm is on the case. Keep in mind that your lack of a criminal record will work to your advantage.

The Miami criminal lawyers at DMT have handled hundreds of cases for first time offenders. A large number of the cases result in dismissals, nolle proses or acquittals. Of course, this depends on the nature and circumstance of your criminal offense and the number of offenses for which you are charged. Because you are a first time offender, the criminal defense team at DMT has a lot of a flexibility in defending your case.

Early Intervention is the Key

The lawyers at DMT have been extremely successful in meeting with pre-filing prosecutors prior to the arraignment (formal filing of the charges). We use your first-time offender status to our advantage and are extremely effective in preventing the filing of the charges and in reducing felony charges to misdemeanors. It is extremely important to hire the defense firm of DMT as early as possible, so we can intervene and convince the prosecution that this is a one time event and present evidence on your behalf. If we fail to intervene early, the prosecution will rubber stamp your case and file the charges for which you were arrested by the police.  Failure to intervene early in a case, will inhibit your criminal defense attorney's ability to beat your charges early on in the case.

Remember, if the prosecutor files charges - DMT has more bullets in the gun. There are several options left to the criminal defense team at DMT.

Pre-trial Intervention/Diversion

This is a program run by the local state attorney's office. DMT is extremely effective in getting their clients enrolled in the pre-trial intervention or pre-trial diversion program.  The programs vary from county to county. They are only available to first time offenders. Keep in mind, the programs are usually only offered in misdemeanor and in simple non-violent felony cases. A person offered pre-trial intervention/diversion merely has to enroll in the program and complete certain conditions (i.e., community service hours, drug testing, an anger management class or a values class) depending on the offense. When you complete the program successfully, the State of Florida will nolle pros (dismiss) all the charges against you. DMT can then expunge your record, so no one will ever know you were arrested.

Plea Bargaining

Your clean record will serve you well when a DMT defense attorney negotiates on your behalf. It is imperative to receive a withhold of adjudication for two reasons. The first prevents you from being a convicted felon and losing the majority of your civil liberties, such as being able to own a firearm. A withhold also entitles you to seal your record after your case is closed. This prevents employers and friends from discovering your situation. At the onset of the case, our lawyers engage in the discovery process by reviewing documents, performing background checks and deposing witnesses and victims.  After the criminal attorneys at DMT have punched so many holes in the your case, the prosecution will many times have no choice but to dismiss (nolle pros) the charges. Generally, the worst case scenario results in a short term of probation with minimal conditions.

Trial by Jury or Judge

When a client does not want to accept the plea offer and DMT could not convince the prosecution to drop the charges, we are the trial attorneys you need to defend your case. As a collective, the legal team at DMT has tried in excess of 500 cases to verdict with a 90% acquittal rate. Our finest criminal trial lawyers will be with you every step of the way. Our proficiency in trial work has gained our reputation as one of the finest criminal defense trial firms in the South Florida area.

For a free consultation with a Miami criminal lawyer at DMT, or if you have questions regarding your first and last case that need to be answered, please contact DMT as soon as possible after your arrest. You can call our office at (305) 643-0400 or contact us online.