This is my first shoplifting charge. Is there a chance I can go to jail?

If you have no prior criminal history and you’re charged with petty theft, if you’re well-represented, you’re not going to go to jail, and if you’re well-represented, you’re not going to be convicted. But it’s critical that you get an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you. You can’t go to your family lawyer who does wills or does real estate because they’re not specialists. In this day and age, you’ve got to have a lawyer who’s a specialist. I wouldn’t handle a real estate closing or a bankruptcy matter. I don’t like it when lawyers who don’t specialize in criminal law, handle criminal cases because almost always the result is not what it could have been if an experienced board-certified criminal defense lawyer represents you.

By Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A.