Most of our cases don’t make it to trial; they are usually settled during pretrial proceedings. These proceedings are thus extremely important. During the pretrial, we will discuss the case details with the prosecutor and judge and attempt to get the case dismissed or settled on lesser charges.

Once the judge has ruled on all pretrial motions, if a settlement has not been reached, we may request another pretrial hearing to give everyone involved one last chance to review the details and decide whether or not to go to trial. If an additional pretrial hearing is not requested, a court date will be set.

If the case goes to trial, the judge will rule on legal questions, but the jury will decide the question of the defendant’s guilt or innocence. Additional motions can be filed at this time.