Atlanta Assault Lawyer

Assault is a serious crime. It comes in two forms – aggravated and simple. One is a felony and one is a misdemeanor. Both can carry jail time. Both involve facing a prosecutor, a judge, and a justice system that can impose harsh penalties on a person if they don’t protect themselves with an Atlanta assault lawyer.

An assault attorney in Atlanta can lead someone through the process and guide them to a successful result whether that means a plea, a trial, or a dismissal of the charges before the trial. A person needs to rely on an experienced lawyer who has handled a number of assault cases in the Atlanta area to get the best results based on the facts of his or her case.

Building a Defense in Assault Cases

Our firm starts with the basics. We interview our client and develop their side of the story. Our staff gathers police reports, 911 audio logs, and computer aided dispatch records. We gather training and disciplinary history for the officers investigating the case. Most importantly, because of the nature of the assault case, the lack of physical evidence and minimal supporting evidence besides the testimony of the alleged victim, our firm’s investigation of the alleged victim and of the alleged act is crucial.

We work with a private investigator retired from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who spent more than twenty years with the GBI, trained in investigatory techniques, and has assisted us in many cases of investigating and determining the true story behind assault charges. We have many clients acquitted at trial or had their charges dismissed because of the totality of the work done by our team here at Yates and Wheland.

Value of an Atlanta Assault Lawyer with Local Experience

The benefits of working with an experienced assault attorney in Atlanta are the guidance and protection of the lawyer to the client as they navigate the process of the criminal justice system in Georgia. An experienced lawyer helps build the defense from the ground up, from the client’s own stories and from the work of the team to achieve a successful result for the client. Whether your case seems hopeless or you have been wrongfully accused, an experienced assault lawyer can obtain a successful result through hard work and knowledge of the legal system in Atlanta.

Assault Cases in Atlanta

Assault charges often involve just a couple of people, or maybe a witness or two beyond the first two people. It is this “He said, she said” world with very little in the way of scientific or forensic evidence like other serious crimes with two completely different sides to a story. Prosecutors zealously represent the state in pursuing the criminal charges against a person charged with assault.

Police and prosecutors often focus on and give credence to the alleged victim’s story in a way that overlooks factual and physical discrepancies. This narrow view point often does not provide the story when viewed from the perspective of the criminal defendant. It is the unwillingness of the prosecution to look at charges from the viewpoint of a person charged with assault that requires the person charged to seek the protection of an attorney experienced in defending assault charges.

An Attorney Can Challenge the Case Against You

We often challenge the lack of physical evidence in assault cases. We challenge the veracity of the prosecution’s witnesses, the personal history of the prosecution’s witnesses, and other charges based on other crimes they were charged with over the years. The likelihood that a witness is telling the truth and their reputation for truth telling is essential.

Many of these cases involve the consumption of alcohol or drugs by alleged victims. An experienced Atlanta assault lawyer can the memory of alleged victims under the influence. Exploiting their memory of an event is often one of the most helpful things in dealing with an assault case because jurors question the memory of someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs in remembering an event involving assault.