Phoenix Assault Attorney

Assault is charged to someone when they cause physical injury to another person or cause someone to fear that they will be injured. The charge can either be a misdemeanor of a felony depending on how severe the act was and if there were any aggravating factors. For assault that causes minor injury, causing someone to fear being injured, or touching someone with the intent to provoke them, the charge will likely be a misdemeanor. It turns into a felony when the injury that resulted was serious, the assault involved a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, or it happened against certain protected individuals such as healthcare workers or teachers. The penalties are significantly more severe for a felony so make sure you have strong legal counsel throughout the process.

How quickly the case resolves will depend on whether the assault was a misdemeanor or a felony. In general, misdemeanor cases can take 1-6 months to resolve. However, felony cases may take 6 months to over 2 years to resolve! The factors that influence the timeline are the complexity of the case, how full the court’s schedule is, whether or not you’re able to reach a plea deal, and more. For more detailed information on how long your case will take, consult with a skilled assault lawyer.

For a full list of what you should bring to your meeting with our lawyer at Davidson Criminal Defense, give us a call. We will make sure you are informed so you come well prepared. Generally, we ask our clients to bring any legal documents associated with the case such as arrest records, charging documents, court notices, and more. If you have any evidence such as witness information, photographs, videos, social media posts, and more, bring what you can. Bring a list of questions for your lawyer and be sure to bring your personal information.

The costs associated with hiring a lawyer vary. At Davidson Criminal Defense we know that it can be expensive to hire quality help which is why we work hard to make our services available to everyone regardless of their situation. We will work with you when it comes to payment ensuring you get the legal help you need without having to worry about what’s in your bank.

Whether or not you go to trial for an assault charge depends on the nature of your charge, strength of the evidence, and the defense strategy that will work in your favor. If the evidence against you is strong, it may be advantageous to skip the trial and negotiate a plea deal. A plea deal allows you to negotiate for lower charges or penalties in exchange for a plea of guilty. Or maybe the evidence against you is weak or other procedural issues arise. In these cases, your charge could be dismissed altogether without the need to go to trial. With a skilled attorney on your case, you have a higher chance of avoiding trial. And if avoiding trial is not the most advantageous in your case, your lawyer will walk you through the process step-by-step to make sure the outcome is in your best interest.

Unfortunately in Arizona, a record cannot be expunged. However, records can be set aside or sealed. To do this, you must have completed your sentence, including any probation or parole. Once everything is complete, you can petition to have your record set aside or sealed. A record that is set aside will still be visible to the general public, but will show that the conviction was “set aside” giving employers and landlords more confidence in the completion of your case. Sealing a record removes it from the public eye, but it will be visible to law enforcement and government authorities.