Prosecutor’s Notes – Liberty Law

Your Salt Lake City DUI defense lawyer can learn a lot by observing whether the prosecutor takes a lot of notes during the pretrial conference. It’s likely that the prosecutor works for a large governmental agency (such as the district attorney’s office) and is not going to be handling every aspect of your case. Therefore, the prosecutor working the case at any particular stage has to keep good notes to keep the next prosecutor who may be working on the case fully informed. Prosecutors often take notes in court within view of defense attorneys.

If the prosecutor is furiously scribbling notes, it may be because there’s something unique about your case. Your attorney will probably be able to figure out whether it’s good or bad news for your case at the next pretrial hearing. The prosecutor’s attitude and the character of his or her comments at the next hearing will often be based on the notes from the previous proceeding. If the prosecutor takes an aggressive stand, it’s possible that the notes indicate that the prosecution believes it has a strong case. A more mild approach may indicate that the prosecution feels it has some weaknesses.

Take Advantage of New Prosecutors Still Under Probation

If you’re up against a new DUI prosecutor who is still on probation, you may have a special chance to settle your case. New prosecutors still on probation are often assessed based on how many trials they win and lose. If a new prosecutor “needs” to win a few cases, and your case is not a prosecution slam dunk, the prosecutor may be very motivated to settle your case.

If you’ve been arrested, contact Salt Lake City DUI defense lawyer James Lee for a free evaluation of your case.