Aurora Law Firms

A brief guide to Aurora law firms

There are many different reasons a person may decide they need to seek out private legal representation. Aurora law firms vary in size and the specialized services they offer, offering a variety of alternatives for different circumstances. Though no two cases are the same, here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when finding an attorney.

How Aurora law firms work

Some attorneys work by themselves as “solo practitioners,” but more frequently they are part of larger organizations. Aurora law firms are owned by “partners,” attorneys who own a share of the business and divide profits among themselves after their salaried employees. Also on staff are “associates,” or lawyers who were for a fixed salary.

There are two types of attorneys. Aurora law firms generally employ both:

• Litigation lawyers appear in the courtroom to represent their clients.

• Transactional lawyers review and maintain paperwork.

Criminal court

When the police or a government agency decide to press charges of a misdemeanor or felony offense against a person, the defendant is entitled to free legal representation at all times. If you cannot afford to pay for the services of an Aurora law firm, a judge will appoint an attorney to represent you for free. Throughout the legal process, this lawyer will serve many functions:

• At an arraignment hearing, the prosecution will formally present the charges with you. Additionally, they may also offer a plea bargain in exchange for a response of “guilty” or “no contest.” An Aurora law firm attorney can help you decide whether to accept any such offers and argue that any bail that has been set should be lessened.

• If you plead “not guilty,” a trial date will be set. At regular intervals leading up to your court appearance, the prosecution and defence are required to regularly exchange all evidence they plan on presenting in court. After evaluating the prosecution’s case, an Aurora law firm may determine some evidence is based on procedural errors and file a motion to dismiss the case.

• During jury selection, your attorney will be present to veto any jurors who may be potentially biased.

• At any time before a verdict is issued, an Aurora law firm and the prosecution may present a plea bargain to a judge for approval.

• Throughout your trial, an attorney will present the strongest possible case on your behalf.

• If you are found guilty, a member of an Aurora law firm will attend your sentencing hearing to request a less severe sentence than demanded by the prosecution.

No one of sound mental health is required to accept legal representation. You can disregard the advice of an Aurora law firm at any time. However, it is important to at least consult with an attorney without making any decisions that may be harmful to your case.

Civil court

When two private parties are involved in a dispute and one seeks some form of financial compensation, they will often go to civil court to resolve their differences. Unlike the criminal court process, someone who is facing civil litigation is entitled to free representation from an Aurora law firm. Some common grounds for these lawsuits include:

• Underpayment of wages

• Unlawful firing

• An injury caused by another person or a defective product

• Workplace sexual harassment

Whatever the cause, the vast majority of civil lawsuits are resolved outside the courtroom. Unless explicitly directed by their clients to pursue a day in court, Aurora law firms representing both parties will conduct extensive pretrial negotiations to arrive at a mutually acceptable financial settlement.

Preventive litigation

To avoid exposing themselves to the future threat of a civil lawsuit, large businesses will commonly choose to employ a lawyer to review their paperwork and workspace on a regular business. Aurora law firms offer this kind of “preventive litigation” in the form of such services as:

• Inspecting the workspace to make sure it is in compliance with all applicable safety laws

• Reviewing all employee handbooks and manuals

• Drafting and maintaining employee contracts

• Maintaining all tax paperwork

• Ensuring the workspace has taken all reasonable steps to accommodate disabled employees

People who are involved in real estate transactions can also benefit from having their paperwork reviewed by an Aurora law firm.

Divorce law

If two spouses can cooperate in drafting a written separation agreement detailing how they plan to handle every aspect of their divorce, they will be able to avoid the expense of paying an Aurora law firm. A legally binding document must be prepared for a judge to approval covering such potential areas of dispute as:

• Alimony payments

• Child custody arrangements

• Child support payments

• Visitation rights for the non-custodial parent

• Division of jointly acquired property

If no agreement can be reached, the couple may decide to obtain mediation from a neutral third party, who may be a non-lawyer specialist or a member of an Aurora law firm. Should these negotiations to resolve differences over separation fail to yield results, one or both spouses may decide to obtain private legal representation. In this case, neither spouse may be represented by a member of an Aurora law firm who helped with mediation.

Finding an attorney

It is important to never rush through the process of deciding who can best represent you in court. If you decide to seek out legal help, ask friends, family and co-workers for referrals to Aurora law firms they have successfully worked with. Prior to scheduling a meeting at any of these places, be sure to look up the disciplinary record of any lawyer you will be talking to.

Get the most out of your initial consultation at all Aurora law firms by arriving with all the documents that are pertinent to your case for an attorney to examine. Any attorney should be as candid and even-handed in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your case as you are in explaining your problem.