Reckless Driving Lawyer Loudoun VA

Loudoun County General District Court – What to expect on your court date

When you get charged with an offense in Loudoun County Court, whether it is a simple Traffic Offense or up to even a Criminal charge, you can get very stressed out. Even knowing where to go and what to do is stressful. Have your DUI / DWI or Reckless Driving Lawyer Loudoun VA explain how it works in Loudoun.

Location: The Loudoun County Court is located at 18 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA.

Parking: Parking is a pain. There is an outdoor lot about two blocks from the Court behind the Court House. If fills up, so look for a lot even further back. If that fills up, then parking on a street is your best bet. They are expanding the Court House and it looks as if parking improvements will be included. But until then, everyone must suffer.

Entry: The Court House entrance has only one check in place. They have only one screening machine and seem to use only one metal detector. Security never seems to take a long time as the court is not that busy.

Electronics – What you can and cannot bring in: No cell phones or any device that takes pictures is allowed in Loudoun County Court. But they do have free lockers in case you don’t leave your cell phone in your car.

Actual location of the court rooms: Loudoun Court not very busy, but since it is one of the fastest growing counties in America, that won’t last long. After you get through security, walk down stairs to the Traffic and Misdemeanor Courts. The Court assignments are indicated on t.v. screens in front of each court room.

Where to meet your lawyer: You and your DUI / DWI or Reckless Driving Lawyer Loudoun VA should know how to meet up. In Loudoun it is easy because there is rarely more than one court going on at any given time and never more than two operating. So, meeting in the hallway outside the court room is the best.

What your expectations should be on your court date: In Loudoun, it is rare that a Prosecutor will have looked at your case prior to the day of Court. Most Prosecutors go the Court and begin discussing cases with the Deputy Sheriffs. (Note: Loudoun does not have a County Police Force, so all local offenses are done by Deputy Sheriffs or State Troopers.) If you do not have an attorney, it is rare that you can speak to a Prosecutor. Prosecutors do, however, converse with attorneys, usually after they hear from the Sheriff. Often, the Loudoun Prosecutors will let the Defense Attorney sit in on the meeting where the Sheriff gives the facts to the Prosecutor. After the Prosecutor gets the facts from the Sheriff or the Trooper, he will discuss with the Defense Attorney and see if there is any plea agreement that can be reached. If an agreement is reached, your attorney will discuss it with you to see if you want to take it. It is your decision. You do not have to accept any Plea Agreement. A good DUI / DWI or Reckless Driving Lawyer Loudoun VA will go over all of your rights so you know what you are giving up in exchange for accepting a Plea Agreement. If you do not accept the Plea Agreement or the Prosecutor does not offer one (we can’t make a Prosecutor do anything), then you will have a trial that morning. If there is a Plea Agreement and you accept it, the Prosecutor will write it up into a form. Your Defense attorney will present that form to the Judge. In 99% of the cases, the Judge accepts the deal. If he does not, then the deal is off and your attorney and the Prosecutor have to come up with another, or you go to trial.

An excellent Loudoun County criminal and traffic will handle one case a day. Some cheap lawyers do three to five a day. Be careful of attorneys with very low fees. They charge you a little, but have a bunch of other people they are charging. That way they make the money they need to stay in business, but they have to be in two to four other court rooms and often have to travel to another county that morning! To be able to get in and out of Court, they will usually just take any deal the Prosecutor offers because they need to get your case done and move on.

The Loudoun Court process seems efficient. You can expect to be out by noon. But, if there is a trial, it can take longer.

Conclusion: Loudoun Court is growing. Right now it is a simple process and the Prosecutors openly talk to attorneys that morning. But to have access to a Prosecutor, you need an experienced DUI / DWI or Reckless Driving Lawyer in Loudoun VA from Dave Albo. I have been practicing law for 29 years and am very familiar with the Loudoun Court.