Do I Need a Lawyer to Go with Me to Court in a Shoplifting Case?

It's incredible how many good people with no prior criminal history steal. They get charged with shoplifting, but the real charge is called petty theft or grand theft, depending on how much money is involved. And I have been amazed in my 41 years as a criminal defense lawyer, how many good people, who have money in their pocket, who have credit cards with them in their pocket or their purse, steal things. They do it for a myriad of reasons. Maybe they're bored in life. Maybe they think they can get away with it. Maybe they get a thrill by it. Maybe it's just something they wanna do, whether it's switching a label or going into a fitting room and stealing something. We've had hundreds, probably thousands of cases, through the years where doctors, lawyers, judges, believe it or not, all sorts of people from all walks of life, students, steal. And when you get caught, it is serious. It is a crime of moral turpitude. It says who you are. It is absolutely essential that you have an experienced criminal defense lawyer to represent you if you've been charged with shoplifting, with petty theft, with petty larceny, with grand theft. It is much more serious than you think.