San Diego Appeals Lawyer

If you are convicted of a crime, one of the fundamental rights that exists for your benefit is the right to an appeal. This right exists to make sure that every defendant who is convicted has had every advantage in place in order to prevent a wrongful conviction. Generally speaking, our society would rather risk that a defendant who has committed a crime go free than an innocent defendant be wrongfully convicted.

However, the appeals process is not an easy one to handle. Appeals are extremely complicated, extremely time-consuming and can be very confusing at times to many who are otherwise quite knowledgeable regarding the prosecution and post-conviction process. If you or someone you love has been convicted of a crime and you feel that you do not deserve your sentence or punishment, you need to contact a San Diego appeals lawyer at Kerry Steigerwalt & Associates today to schedule an initial consultation.

Below is a brief look at how the appeals process works in general. Keep in mind that you only have a certain amount of time to assert your appeal rights, so for a complete set of answers to your questions, contact the firm today.

Upon Conviction

If you are convicted of a crime at trial, you and your attorney will be able to take the step of having your rights and the trial itself reviewed after the verdict is announced. The first step towards doing so will come in the form of filing a notice of intent to appeal with the court. Your attorney will be able to help you determine if pursuing an appeal is an advisable step, and this decision must be made relatively quickly, as you only have a certain amount of time to file this notice upon conviction.

Grounds for Appeal

There are several grounds for appeal, and a few of the examples include the following:

• Improper inclusion/exclusion of evidence
• Civil rights violations
• Insufficient or improper attorney representation
• Improperly instructing the jury
• Improperly applying the law
• Applying the wrong law to the facts
• Newly discovered evidence

If you feel that you were wrongfully convicted, you need to act immediately. Contact a San Diego appeals lawyer at Kerry Steigerwalt & Associates today to begin this process.