North Florida Misdemeanor Attorney
In federal and State court, misdemeanors are cases where a defendant may be sentenced to no more than one year in jail. First degree misdemeanors in State court are punishable by up to one year in jail, while second degree misdemeanors are punishable by up to 60 days in jail. While first, second, or third Dui are still misdemeanors, they have a variety of different jail times available. For more information, please click here to view our DUI pages. Federal misdemeanors carry a variety of different penalties, but a rare in shear numbers as compared to State Court.
The most common misdemeanors are drivers license infractions, DUIs marijuana charges, domestic violence, simple assault and batteries, thefts involving less that $300, worthless checks of less than $150.00, and prostitution. Most misdemeanors do not result in additional jail time and there are often other dispositions rather than jail, fines, or additional court dates that are available to those charged with misdemeanors, particularly those are young or first time offenders. While every case is different, our attorneys have disposed of hundreds cases for our clients where the charges were dropped in exchange for a Pretrial Diversion Program, Pretrial Intervention Program, or some sort of agreement with the State.
However, in many instances, the State will seek additional confinement or an adjudication of guilt in the case. The perils of a case where the State is seeking additional jail time are obvious. However, even where the State is seeking only an adjudication of guilt, the unwary or unrepresented defendant may have serious and unintended consequences that may flow from the entry of such a plea. Although most persons charged with a misdemeanor would be eligible for a sealing or expunction or their record, a conviction for a misdemeanor, just as with a felony, will be permanently on your record. For example, a conviction for a relatively harmless offense like possession of alcohol by someone under 21 would be on a person's record permanently and often could lead to embarrassing questions which would be asked by future potential employers.
:: Call the Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorneys at the Arnold Law Firm
If you have been arrested or given a Notice to Appear in court for a misdemeanor, please call the Jacksonville Defense Attorneys at the Arnold Law Firm. All criminal cases should be taken seriously, and the attorneys at the Arnold Law Firm aggressively advocate for all of our clients, whether charged with a municipal ordinance violation or murder. We use this to strive for all of our clients to receive the best possible disposition.
