If you have been arrested or accused of a crime, you are facing a challenging time in your life and a challenging road ahead. A misstep with the criminal justice system could have a dramatic effect on your life and the lives of those around you – unfortunately mostly on the ones you love. Contact a Rock Hill criminal defense lawyer today.
You know that you need assistance in making decisions that will impact you both now and in the future. You need a strong advocate by your side to help you make the best of the situation you are in.
Our Criminal Defense Lawyers in Rock Hill, SC Are Here to Help
At McKinney, Tucker & Lemel LLC, we believe that there is no substitute for experience when it comes to choosing a criminal defense lawyer to defend you in a criminal case. Our attorneys have decades of experience in handling criminal cases that involve our clients’ lives and liberty, in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and the rest of York County.
What happens to you matters to us. Our South Carolina criminal law attorneys fight for the rights and the future of our clients.
How Can Our Criminal Defense Lawyers in Rock Hill at McKinney, Tucker & Lemel LLC Help You?
Our Rock Hill criminal defense attorneys are very experienced with all phases involved in a criminal case. We have defended clients accused of a variety of criminal offenses. Our experience includes the best ways to handle interaction with law enforcement before charges are brought to the follow-up necessary after the final court appearance is made.
We pride ourselves not only on knowing the processes and pitfalls of a criminal matter, but in our ability to explain them to our clients in a clear and understandable manner. In the end, regardless of the outcome, we want our clients to know that they had strong, clear, and qualified guidance throughout a difficult and high-risk process.
Hiring an attorney does not mean that someone who is accused won’t enter a guilty plea. Hiring a lawyer who has worked criminal cases extensively in the criminal justice system, however, means that every option will be explored and that all possible outcomes will be considered. Only after an accused person has all of this information should they even consider entering a plea.
Our criminal defense attorneys know the routes through the maze of the criminal justice system, and can analyze any case for technical flaws or possible defenses and tell you whether the prosecutor may be able to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Our attorneys will make sure you know ALL of the consequences of a plea, beyond what happens while at court.
We are unique in how we handle criminal matters. We spend the time necessary to get to know our clients as individuals, not just numbers on a file. We find out what things matter most to our clients, whether that is a need for treatment, the preservation of a job, or minimizing the publicity surrounding a case. We advocate strongly for our clients while always keeping in mind that very real person that is being impacted by our strategies and decisions. We work hard to establish our reputation with the judiciary, prosecutors, and law enforcement, so our clients reap the benefit of that respect.
What Should You Do If Arrested or Charged with a Crime in Rock Hill or Surrounding Areas?
If you are arrested or charged with a crime, talk to an experienced criminal defense attorney at our Rock Hill, South Carolina law offices as soon as possible, before saying anything to the police or prosecutors. The police, prosecutors and judge will not and cannot give you legal advice. If you try to go it alone, you are really on your own. In most cases, you have better options than just pleading guilty and accepting the consequences.
If you are thinking of pleading guilty to a criminal charge, consider talking first to the criminal defense lawyers at McKinney, Tucker & Lemel LLC, so you can understand the long-term consequences of doing so and be aware of other options that may be available to you.
For example, a college student who pleads guilty to alcohol offenses may lose their scholarship or be suspended. A person who pleads guilty to a driving offense may have their driver’s license suspended. A guilty plea for some crimes may impact one’s ability to own certain property or travel.
When a person goes to court without a lawyer at their side, they may not realize just how dramatically the odds are stacked against them. Police officers and prosecutors are trained to know the system and they are not on the side of the defendant. The judge is a neutral party. A judge can’t advise someone when they are making a bad decision and is not under any obligation to let a defendant know about other options they may have.
There is no such thing as “guilty with an explanation.” By pleading guilty, you are waiving your rights and will be convicted. Once you plead guilty, they turn the power over to the judge to determine punishment, regardless of what explanation might be offered. Sometimes the “explanation” makes matters much worse.
If you have been charged with a crime, you need to talk to experienced defense lawyers who can assess your case, guide you through the process, lay out your options, with the risks and advantages of each, and help you come to a solution. Our Rock Hill criminal defense law firm makes this process easy for you to relieve some of the stress that you may have as a result of this experience. In some cases, a guilty plea may be the best option, but in that case, we have years of experience in negotiating plea deals with prosecutors.
