Have you received a summons to appear at your nearest court or police station? Then you’ll need to oblige, or else there may be trouble.
It can be a pretty harrowing experience if you get summoned by the police out of the blue. Most start to panic and become stressed.
Fortunately, all is not lost since the law allows you to seek proper representation for yourself. Besides, if you have done nothing wrong, then you don’t have anything to be afraid of.
So, the first thing to do is hire a defence attorney to represent your case. You will find a good defence attorney in Toronto quite easily.
Usually, the legal process for a summons can be fairly long, but with a good lawyer, you can navigate them easily with the best course of action. That said, the process has been outlined below for those who are curious.
Receiving A Summons
Generally, a summons is served to a person who was involved in a crime. You may also receive a summons if you are just a witness to a crime. Regardless of the reason, it is delivered by the police personally to your residence. In case they cannot find you at home, you will receive the document in the mail.
After receiving it, you should carefully go through the document. And then contact your defence lawyer, who will tell you about the scope of the summons, your legal rights, and the available options. They will tell you about what to say as well to avoid getting into trouble.
Should Your Lawyer Present When Appearing For Summons
Once you are done with the consultation, you will need to appear for the summons on the date and time specified in the document. If you miss it, the police can charge you and issue a formal warrant for your arrest. Ideally, you will be summoned directly to the court; however, in some cases, you may be asked to show up at the station for fingerprinting.
You can take your lawyer with you, but they won’t be able to directly participate in the process. This is because the first summons is not a proper trial. It’s rather a process to gather more information about the case. Your lawyer can provide advice and record information, which might be helpful later on.
Conclusion
That is the basic process followed in a summons, and while it may look simple, there are several factors to consider. These involve the dates, timeline, the information you can provide and so on.
If the court finds the information to be sufficient to press charges, you will need a lawyer to represent you. This is where defence attorneys come into the picture, for they can fight the case on your behalf.
So, if you have received a summons notice, contact your defence lawyer immediately!