Comprehensive Client Service in Municipal Court Defense
In New Jersey criminal defense practice, a much more useful distinction than felonies and misdemeanors is the difference between indictable offenses, or those crimes carrying felony penalties that are heard and tried in superior court, and disorderly persons offenses, or crimes subject to less severe punishment that can be heard and determined in municipal court.
At the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, a great deal of our practice is conducted in municipal court. In some cases, we can achieve a partial victory for our clients just by keeping an otherwise indictable offense in municipal court. To learn how our experience in municipal court criminal defense can benefit you, contact an experienced attorney at any of our five New Jersey locations.
Our defense strategies are well suited to municipal court procedures
There’s a trade off involved if you pursue the municipal court option in a case that could be handled in superior court. On the one hand, there is no trial by jury in a municipal court. The judge finds the facts and determines questions of guilt and innocence. On the other hand, your maximum exposure to punishment in any municipal court case is limited to six months of jail, plus any fines, surcharges, restitution or other sanctions.
Many of our clients count on us to keep borderline fraud, theft, assault, drugs, or computer crimes in municipal court, even though the facts alleged in the police report would support referral to superior court for indictment. Charges such as shoplifting, disorderly conduct, or serious traffic offenses are nearly always handled in municipal court.
Our skill with the negotiation of favorable outcomes in municipal courts throughout the state can not only protect you from severe punishment, it can also put your case on track for eventual dismissal and expungement through a conditional discharge arrangement.
The options in your case will vary according to the facts, your prior record, and the local practices of the municipal court where your case is pending. Our lawyers have represented clients in dozens of New Jersey municipal courts, including those in the following communities:
Learn how our experience in the municipal courts of New Jersey can help you in cases ranging from drug possession to bad checks. Contact the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall in Shrewsbury, Toms River, or any of our other locations.
