If you’ve been caught shoplifting make no mistake, you need a Shoplifting Lawyer.

That’s not to say you need a lawyer that’s shoplifted, but you do need a lawyer that specializes in defending people that have been accused of shoplifting.

Act quickly to retain a Shoplifting lawyer, the quicker you act the more legal options will be available to your lawyer. Ideally, you want a Shoplifting Lawyer with you at the time you are arraigned or summonsed to court. As an experienced Shoplifting Lawyer, I’ve defended lots of these cases, and frankly, I’ve seen a lot of other lawyers make the mistake of not immediately challenging the facts and circumstances of the case. Don’t wait to act in your own defense.

Why You Should Hire a Shoplifting Lawyer

You may be asking yourself why you need a criminal lawyer for a “minor” shoplifting offense. First of all, having a criminal record can affect your job, housing, student loan, and immigration status, besides your reputation. Not only that, a good defense lawyer who knows the shoplifting laws in Massachusetts forwards and backwards is critical to protect your legal rights, and your best chance to beat the charges or walk away with a minimal penalty. Whether you’ve already been arrested, or you have received a summons to appear in court at a Clerk’s Hearing, your lawyer will work through your case to get the best possible outcome.

There are a number of different defense strategies that can be employed to defend against a shoplifting charge. For example, your Shoplifting Lawyer can try to get the entire case knocked out at a Clerk’s Hearing or “Show Cause” hearing. If successful, the charge will not even appear on your record. If your lawyer is present at the arraignment, and it is in your best interest to have one there if possible, he/she may be able to get the case dismissed without a record. In other cases, your lawyer can use a variety of motions to suppress the evidence against you on constitutional grounds. The specifics really depend on the facts of you case, but to an experienced Shoplifting Lawyer, it’s all in a day’s work to try to get the charges dropped entirely.

Consequences of Shoplifting

A shoplifting charge can have serious legal consequences if not dealt with properly, and any criminal conviction on your record can be damaging to your future. If you are not a citizen, you could even end up getting deported. A conviction for shoplifting can also affect your student loans and damage your future job prospects. In addition, for goods valued at less than $100, you could be facing fines of up to $250 for a first offense and double that for a second offense. Worse still, you could be sent to jail for a third offense. For goods valued at more than $100, you could be facing up to 2½ years in jail and a $1,000 fine.