Let’s look at Timelines as they relate to procedure of the criminal justice system in relation to the charge, with date ranges, and the length of the process.
According to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) in a 2020 report titled, Crime in Texas, there were an average of 55,000 newly charged state crimes each month.
The system faces a substantial burden in disposing of all the criminal cases in a timely manner.
The Court of Criminal Appeals is Texas’ highest court for criminal cases and the final stop for relief when faced with charges in almost all cases.
If your case goes all the way through the legal system, it may be years before you ever get that appeal.
If your case is federal, it can make it to the United States Supreme Court.
As a consultation for representation often marks the very beginning stages of the legal process the attorney should provide you with some insight into the length of time it will take to dispose of your case.
The attorney will often give you an overview of the ways of resolving your legal issue and the different time frames in doing so. The attorney will explain whether the entire case process is covered by the representation or if it is limited.
In most cases, an attorney will limit the scope of the agreement to best achieve your goals while meeting their duties and obligations.
You need to know whether the lawyer will cover pretrial negotiations and hearings, the trial, or appeal if convicted. The time it takes to resolve your issue may be only a few weeks up to possibly years.
We’ll discuss attorney Legal Advice in this post What to Expect from a Criminal Consultation
