First off, although your appearance notice, undertaking to an officer, undertaking to a court, or recognizance of bail might say 9:30am, it usually takes all day to address your matter. The lists are long and senior counsel gets to go first. You should get your initial disclosure package from the crown along with the crown screening form. These 2 documents are basically the case against you and the sentence or punishment the crown is looking to give you. Most of the documents now are digital and require a dvd drive to read. Hiring a lawyer before your court appearance is very important for a few reasons. It lets you go to work instead of taking the whole day off and it saves your from the potential embarrassment of showing up to criminal court. Also, it allows your defence lawyer to protect your 11(b) Charter right to have a trial within a reasonable amount of time. A defence lawyer will then be able to read your disclosure and request important missing disclosure. But an experienced lawyer knows when to stop asking because sometimes too much disclosure can actually be inculpatory or make the case against you stronger. A defence lawyer will also setup a crown per-trial and try to address a lot of preliminary issues before your next court date. Hiring a lawyer before your first court date is always in your best legal interest. Accepting sentences like conditional or absolute discharges will still appear on your criminal record or C.P.I.C. It is always wise to speak to an experienced lawyer to explain these consequences to you for travel and employment. Sometimes there can also be family law consequences or conditions against using the internet. If you cannot afford lawyer privately, sometimes Legal Aid Ontario will pay for your lawyer. However, if you make more than $23,000 annually, you will be expected to pay for your own lawyer.
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