What You Can Expect if You’ve Been Charged with a Misdemeanor

Aug 11, 2017

If you have been charged with a misdemeanor in Maryland, you will either experience one of two things: you will receive summons that request that you appear in court without being arrested or you’ll be arrested by the police at that time. If you have been arrested, you will be taken to a jail promptly and you’ll be eligible to see a district court commissioner within 24 hours.


At this stage of your case, the commissioner is responsible for setting bail. If you are unable to pay the bail that is established by the district court commissioner, then the following day you will be eligible to request to meet with the judge for bail review. You may be eligible to have a criminal attorney appear on your behalf to request why the bail in your case should be lower or why you should be released on your own recognizance. This is why it is so crucial to hire a Maryland criminal defense attorney as soon as possible after you have been arrested.


Having an established relationship with someone you can trust allows you the necessary help in these early hours of your arrest. It is still important to be able to have someone to turn to during this time because you will have many questions and common missteps can be made that could compromise your case. The right criminal attorney in Maryland is crucial during this process in order to present you in the best possible light and explain how you are not a flight risk or a danger to the community. After the bail review has been completed, you may be able to get a bail bondsman to post the bail or you can pay the amount of bail.


Your court date will be the very next proceeding in your Maryland misdemeanor case. You are expected to appear with your criminal defender and present your defense during the official court date. There are very few cases in which the court will allow you to postpone your case in order to get a criminal attorney. This highlights yet again why you need to contact an experienced Maryland criminal defense attorney as soon as possible after you have been accused or charged. Being able to get your questions answered and providing further information about your case are just a couple of the reasons why it makes sense to retain a knowledgeable attorney. Your lawyer can help explore all possible avenues in your defense as well.

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