Help... Public Defender Vs. Private Attorney???
Q: I don't know if this is the right place to post this. Please excuse me if it isn't.Here's my scenario. Basically, I was shopping at the local grocery store to pick up my photo reprints and do a little grocery shopping. I guess there were... six packages of reprints. Three big ones, three little ones. I didn't want the smaller ones to slip through, so I stuck them in my purse for a while and left the others on the "baby seat" of the shopping cart. Then I continued with my shopping, picking up some fruit and bread. I went to the cashier and paid for my groceries. My pictures were right there sitting on the seat, but the cashier didn't mention them, and I forgot to pay for them. When I walked outside, I was asked to go back inside and accused of shoplifting. I realized my mistake, and asked if I could pay for them now, but the security guy basically said, "This is my job, I don't care if you meant to pay or not." He said he would have to charge me with shoplifting and that it was up to the police after that. I was placed under "citizen's arrest" by the security guy. Basically, I had to pay a restitution fee to the supermarket chain. Then the police officer came, gave me a citation, and asked me to go to court in a month. This morning I went to be "booked," I guess. This is my first offense, and I have never, ever, shoplifted in my life. The booking officer suggested I get a lawyer... I'm a full-time student living off of financial aid without any parental help. My question is: should I get a public defender appointed to me, or should I scrape together whatever money I can from friends & financial aid, and hire a criminal attorney? And if I do want an attorney, how do I go about getting one? I tried a legal referral service, and I was told it would be $1500, not including any trial. Will there even be a trial? I'm also worried about my record -- how will this incident affect my legal record? I'm a graduate student right now and I'm worried that this could hurt my chances for employment later. I've been trying to find out what exactly is going on, and what exactly I should be doing with this case, but the information I'm getting is sketchy. The officer who booked me tried to reassure me that the judge will probably understand and this wouldn't even appear on my record. But then the lawyer I "consulted" said this could be very very bad. Any advice or suggestions? I'd appreciate any advice at all.
A: -That's why they created the great system we now have. Don't take the word of someone like Crapford, who keeps trying to get other people to test his legal theories but can't provide the name of even one person willing to state publically that they agree with them. Ask him for the name of an honest attorney who will say in public that his theory is correct. -Since you have no criminal record and this is a minor misdemeanor there is a strong likelihood that the state will not seek a jail sentence. In most states you are not entitled to appointed counsel unless you are facing a jail sentence. This means that you will probably have to hire an attorney out of your own pocket. Since you are a full-time student you will probably be looking at some sort of white-collar job when you finish grad school. Shoplifting is a crime of dishonesty that can haunt you for the rest of your life - the charge is actually theft. It is admissible in court to impeach you, just like a felony conviction. It can interfere with your ability to get a job. Whether you should defend this with counsel really depends upon balancing these factors against the cost and your likelihood of success. You can't evaluate the latter without initial legal advice. You should consult an attorney in your area who specializes in