Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
In Jacksonville Florida’s first appearance court (also known as bond hearing), most Jacksonville Criminal Defendants are not represented by a Jacksonville criminal lawyer. Under Florida law, a Jacksonville Criminal Defendant is entitled to appear before a judge within 24 hours of his arrest. Due to this Florida law, Duval County first appearance court is held twice a day, every day.
As a Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer, I have spent a lot of time in Duval County first appearance court for bond hearings. I have seen many Jacksonville Criminal Defendants stand before a judge without representation. While there is a Jacksonville Public Defender present in the room, this is only one Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer to represent one hundred or so Jacksonville Criminal Defendants in one day. It is not possible for a Jacksonville Criminal Attorney to adequately represent that many people at one time.
Jacksonville Criminal Defendants that hire a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer for a bond hearing have the benefit of one lawyer for one client. Also, an experienced Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer will give the judge favorable and valuable information about the the Jacksonville Criminal Defendant to the judge at the bond hearing. The reason a Jacksonville Criminal Attorney presents this information is to achieve a lower bond for the Jacksonville Criminal Defendant.