Misdemeanors
Municipal Court
David Lash maintains an active municipal court practice. He defends people charged with traffic and misdemeanor offenses in all municipal courts. He practices primarily in the following courts:
- Lyndhurst Municipal Court
- Shaker Heights Municipal Court
- Bedford Municipal Court
- Rocky River Municipal Court
- Cleveland Municipal Court
When charged with a misdemeanor and/or traffic offense in municipal court, the first hearing is the arraignment. If a person is unable to obtain legal representation for the arraignment, it is generally recommended that he/she enter a plea of “not guilty” and respectfully request the court schedule the matter for pretrial. In order for the court to grant a defendant’s request for pretrial, it is typical that the Defendant waive his/her right to a speedy trial.
Your Defense Strategy
At the pretrial, the prosecutor will provide defense counsel with discovery. Discovery consists of evidence known to the prosecutor that may be used to prove the case. This includes police reports, witness statements, video tapes and all other evidence known to the prosecutor. Due to the recent “open discovery” procedures promulgated by the Ohio Supreme Court, prosecutors are not permitted to withhold any evidence, even if it is exculpatory for a defendant. At the pretrial, the criminal defense lawyer analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of his client’s case. In some instances, he may be able to convince the prosecutor to dismiss the case. In other instances, the criminal defense lawyer will advise his client to consider a plea bargain. In many instances, the plea bargain results in a reduction in charges and advance knowledge of sentence imposition parameters. This helps a person charged with a crime to decide the best possible strategy for defending his/her case.
