The District Attorney (probably) Doesn't Know You

Clients often ask something to the effect of “why is the DA so mad at me?”  The short answer is that he/she isn’t.  The District Attorney is an elected official that has several Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) working for him/her.  Each of these ADAs has somewhere around 250-300 cases.  With that many cases, you aren’t a name to the ADA, you’re a number.  The ADA assigned to your case isn’t mad at you (or happy with you) because he/she doesn’t know anything about you or your case.
 
The crushing case load at the district attorney’s office is one reason that it’s so important for criminal defendants to hire counsel to provide legal representation.  A dedicated defense attorney can point out any weaknesses in the State’s case or highlight any mitigating circumstances. Additionally, a defense attorney can point out any progress that you’ve made between court dates (community service, DUI school, Victims’ Impact Panel, etc.) and ultimately use your progress to get a better deal if you decide to enter guilty plea.
 
If you should find yourself facing criminal charges, remember that you’ll need to hire representation as soon as possible so the ADA assigned to your case can learn who you are and just how hard you’ve been working to make things right.