Item: Law Office of Param S. Pabla
Rating: 5
Author: Gurpreet

Should I Accept the Plea Bargain in My Sacramento Criminal Case?

Symbol of law Sometimes, the prosecution will offer a lighter sentence if you plead guilty instead of proceeding with a trial. Many of our clients find this offer tempting, as it would allow them to avoid the intimidating process of a trial.

However, our Sacramento criminal defense lawyers will advise you to carefully consider the consequences of accepting a plea bargain if it is offered. Any charges you plead guilty to will be entered into your criminal record. The prosecution may warn you of this fact and tell you that it may make the penalties for future criminal charges more severe. However, even if you never get arrested again, having a record can have severe consequences that may not be immediately obvious. A mere state misdemeanor will prevent you from ever owning a gun, and a drug possession offense will bar you from receiving federal student loans.

In light of this, our Sacramento criminal defense lawyers will generally only recommend accepting a plea bargain when your odds of winning at trial are slim. This is not a simple assessment to make, as the prosecution often offers generous plea bargains when its case has a major but undisclosed weakness. Your attorney will need to find any discrepancy between the deal you were offered and deals for cases similar to yours, which may require him to consult with other attorneys. A major discrepancy may signal a major weakness in the prosecution’s case, in which case your attorney may advise you to call the prosecution’s bluff and either hold out for a better deal or go to court to try and try to avoid the charges entirely.

Knowing when and when not to accept a plea bargain is just one of the many skills our experienced Sacramento criminal defense lawyers have. Your defense attorney will be able to tell you when to take a plea, when to wait for another deal, and when to take your chances at trial. Having an experienced defense attorney on your side now is key to getting the best possible outcome to your case. Call Sacramento criminal defense attorney Param Pabla today for a consultation.

★★★★★

“Mr. Pabla represented me with my DUI case. He has excellent communication skills and always kept me informed. Mr. Pabla made sure I understood the process and my rights. He eased my mind through a very stressful situation. I highly recommend Mr. Pabla.” Gurpreet

“I am so happy with the service that I received from Param S. Pabla. Jarrett did a great job solving my legal issue and I can’t recommend him enough! He was able to do everything quickly, painlessly, and was ALWAYS available to talk when I needed him. If I ever need help again, I will definitely use him!" Boris

“Param was excellent in my court case of failure to stop at a stop sign. The officer could not see clearly because he was too far away. The officer insisted he could and said he had video but could not produce it at the trial. The officer then asked if he could suspend the trial to go get the video but the judge said he should have had plenty of time to get the video ready beforehand. Needless to say, the judge ruled in my favor and dismissed the case which enraged the officer. Pabla Param’s defense and cross examination skills were excellent and paramount in having the case dismissed. Highly recommended.” T.C.

“My husband and I needed to update everything -family trust, will, medical stuff. Param was really patient -answering all my questions -even when I asked them twice. He wanted to be sure I understood everything we were doing. All docs were sent to us so we could go through them on our own time before anything was finalized. I also liked when we were looking at medical stuff that he had a conversation with me about what I wanted and pointed out some things I didn’t think of.” Debbie

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