Petit Larceny in Rotterdam, New York

[LawSearcherALB]

My question involves criminal law for the state of: NY

I was arrested for the shop lifting (2 purses worth of $125 or so) by Sears in Rotterdam Mall couples of days ago. Currently I have an appearance ticket at Justice Court, Town of Rotterdam to answer a charge of petit larceny.

I have started the process for seaking legal help fm. lawyer. However, selecting a good lawyer is quite a challenge since each one has different saying. And the price they charge varies quite a bit, $500, $1500 and $2500.

Here are a few questions I have now,
1. I'm in late 30's and a professional with graduate degree. I have a clean record. Will most likely the lawyer be able to help me get the "Violation" with $250 fines or "ACOD"? What's the chance to get an "ACOD"?

2. Will "violation" stay on record, which will affect my current/future employment and my future US citizen naturalization? Is there any way to get "Violation" removed if it stays on the record? What's the cost of it?

3. Does hiring an expensive lawyer or a cheaper lawyer make the case outcome differently? I saw two lawyers last night. One asks for $500 with confidence in getting "Violation" with fines and 25% chance in "ACOD"; while another one asks for $2500 with confidence in getting "Sealed Violation" with fines and 75% chance in "Sealed ACOD".

4. I accidentally send a legal request to an attorney who happens to be the judge for my court date. So right now he changes my court date to a new date with a new judge. Will this affect the outcome of pleading not guilty?

Looking forward to hearing from senior member's response soon! Thanks.

[TheArgumentative]

My question involves criminal law for the state of: NY

I was arrested for the shop lifting (2 purses worth of $125 or so) by Sears in Rotterdam Mall couples of days ago. Currently I have an appearance ticket at Justice Court, Town of Rotterdam to answer a charge of petit larceny.

I have started the process for seaking legal help fm. lawyer. However, selecting a good lawyer is quite a challenge since each one has different saying. And the price they charge varies quite a bit, $500, $1500 and $2500.

Here are a few questions I have now,
1. I'm in late 30's and a professional with graduate degree. I have a clean record. Will most likely the lawyer be able to help me get the "Violation" with $250 fines or "ACOD"? What's the chance to get an "ACOD"?

As many expertlaw.com posters would say, our crystal ball is in the shop. We have no idea what will happen when you go to court. This being a first offence may help, but there's no way we can know exactly what will happen.

2. Will "violation" stay on record, which will affect my current/future employment and my future US citizen naturalization? Is there any way to get "Violation" removed if it stays on the record? What's the cost of it?

A violation will stay on your record permanently, but is (usually) sealed; it won't affect your employment prospects because employers can't see it. I'm not sure about naturalisation.

3. Does hiring an expensive lawyer or a cheaper lawyer make the case outcome differently? I saw two lawyers last night. One asks for $500 with confidence in getting "Violation" with fines and 25% chance in "ACOD"; while another one asks for $2500 with confidence in getting "Sealed Violation" with fines and 75% chance in "Sealed ACOD".

No, an expensive lawyer doesn't mean a better one. Make sure the lawyer is in good standing with the bar association, check out his credentials, and be very wary of any lawyer offering a 25% chance or a 75% chance of anything.

4. I accidentally send a legal request to an attorney who happens to be the judge for my court date. So right now he changes my court date to a new date with a new judge. Will this affect the outcome of pleading not guilty?

How did you do that? Is the judge listed in a legal directory as having a private practice?

If it was an honest mistake, then it shouldn't affect the outcome of your case. The judge may have postponed the case for any number of reasons (the court system is horribly overcrowded), or he may have recused himself; while your inadvertently sending him a letter asking him to represent you is probably a meaningless event, it could theoretically create the appearance that he's biased and convince him to withdraw from the case.

[LawSearcherALB]

What do you mean by "be very wary of any lawyer offering a 25% chance or a 75% chance of anything"? Would you please elaborate your saying a bit? How can I make sure the lawyer is in good standing with the bar association? How can I check out his credentials? There are so little reviews on the internet for lawyer's work. Most lawyers have none review.

To your question, I just send the legal help request through that attorney's website via internet searching. He responded back right away. It's all set now by his saying: a new court day with another judge.

Thanks for your response.