How much would an attorney be for a shoplifting case?

Question

About how much would a attorney be for a shoplifting case? Would one be better than a public defender?

Philip Hache · Answer

It really depends on your situation.  Is it a first time offense?  Or are there priors?  Assuming it is a first time offense, I would charge around $1,500-2,500.  What court is your matter in?   Having a privately retained attorney has many benefits, including getting personal attention that most public defenders simply don't have time to give to your case.

Elizabeth Zwiebel · Answer

It will depend on what court it is in.

Jules N. Fiani · Answer

That would be $500.00.

Jacob P. Sartz · Answer

Market rates and service varies depending on your location, the court, and other factors. Most attorneys provide free initial consultations. It is certainly worth a few phone calls.   Retaining a lawyer or using a court-appointed lawyer may ultimately get you similar results; however, if you retain a lawyer, you have a choice in whom you hire. Personalities and service vary. It is important to find a person who you can work with. Usually, with most court-appointed systems, it's random draw or there is only one or a small number of attorneys available. A judge may not even make a court-appointed attorney available if they believe that would not sentence a party guilty of the offense to jail time.

Kiran Nair · Answer

If you are a non-citizen then you need an attorney because depending on your immigration status and history, petty theft offense is grounds to deny admission or legal status or cause for removal.  Moreover, depending on why the crime was committed, it may be plausible to obtain dismissal whereby you may forego having any criminal record because petty theft is a misdemeanor offense.

Michael J. Breczinski · Answer

Depends on where you live but the average is about $1000. Public Defenders ARE attorneys.

Michael L. Aaronson · Answer

A private attorney would charge you according to the seriousness of the offense. Theft cases depend on the value of the stolen merchandise, the more expensive the more serious the category. You can probably consult with several lawyers free of charge to give yourself a better understanding of the procedure, consequences and potential outcomes.

Timothy Klisz · Answer

The fee certainly varies.

Craig Elhart · Answer

Attorneys in criminal matters usually charge a hourly fee.  How much it would cost would depend on the time spent on the matter.  Different attorneys will charge different hourly rates.  You are hiring the attorney so you should inquire as to cost before hiring the attorney.

Matthew Murillo · Answer

Depends on the attorney you hire. Fees  vary by attorney. A private attorney may or may not be better than a public defender. It kind of depends on the public defender you are assigned. Many of them are excellent attorneys, just severely overworked.

Cynthia Henley · Answer

The fees attorney charge varies widely from county to county and lawyer to lawyer. You will need to contact lawyer individually.  You can get a court appointed attorney only if you are indigent - own no property, disabled, full time student, etc.

Jared Altman · Answer

I think that the fee would range from $1,500 to $2,500 assuming no motions, hearings or trial. I cannot express an opinion about which lawyer would be better except that you choose a retained lawyer and the other kind is assigned.

Jeff Yeh · Answer

You need to contact the attorney directly, because it depends on what type(s) of service(s) you want, such as trial, etc. A PD has hundreds of cases to deal with every month and you are just one file on top of a big pile. Don't expect personal and detailed representation.

Mark R. Thiessen · Answer

Public attorneys are great attorneys but a lawyer you paid will care for you.  However, the quality of the lawyer is directly proportional to how much you spend.  i.e. you want a really good attorney, you got to pay for it.  You want to be sold down the river, go cheap.

Dennis Roberts · Answer

If you can't afford an attorney you get the Public Defender. Depending on what city you are in the fee would be $2500 and up.

Stephen Freeborn · Answer

Attorneys charge differing amounts. There is no set charge.  A lot depends upon what ends up happening with the case and whether or not the case ultimately goes to trial.  Generally speaking, a private attorney will probably cost you at minimum $1000 -$1500.   A private attorney may be better in some regards, primarily, a private attorney has more control over the number of clients he/she represents, and therefore can devote more time to your case.  Public defenders often have huge case loads because their clients are unable to afford private attorneys.  To qualify for a public defender, you must be screened by the court to determine the extent of your finances.

Jeffrey Pollock · Answer

There is no way to compare a hypothetical private attorney with a hypothetical P.D.  Each one has different experience levels and hourly/flat fees.  If you have something to lose by getting a criminal record, then hire a good lawyer a.s.a.p.

Michael Morgan · Answer

Depends on the court but $2500 to $3500 is probably in the ballpark.

Geoffrey MacLaren Yaryan · Answer

Attorney fees vary depending on the experience of the attorney, the geographical area where they practice, and the seriousness of the crime (in this case the value of the property taken, and the criminal record of the  accused).  If you can afford a private attorney you are not eligible for the public defender.

Thomas Tomko · Answer

Shoplifting is called Retail Fraud.  There are different degrees of Retail Fraud, with 3rd degree being the lowest.  To participate in discovery, Pre-Trial and negotiate a plea and sentence, a fee in the range of $950 to $1500 is common.  If charged with Retail Fraud 2nd or 1st, the fees increase.  Should you have a trial or several adjournments not the fault of the attorney, then the fees can also increase.  The advantage of retaining you own attorney is that you get to meet the attorney prior to court, understand the experience of the attorney, typically get more attention to questions and sometimes to the case, and you get to select the skill level of the attorney.  Not so with Court Appointed, as you could get a very new/inexperienced  attorney, who you did not choose, who may or may not spend much time consulting with you, (after all, they do not get paid for consulting), or get one who is not so familiar with your sort of case.    The choice is yours.  Remember, while you may get Court Appointed Counsel, it is not free.  You are billed at a rate which is lower, but you are still billed.

Daniel Kieth Martin · Answer

About $1,500 - $2,000. A private attorney will be able to spend more time on your case than a public defender. You may be able to get theft diversion.

Eric Sterkenburg · Answer

How much an attorney would charge for shop lifting depends on the attorney and the facts of the case. Most attorneys will give you a free consultation where you supply more facts and they can then evaluate the fee. Public Defenders can be great lawyers or not so great. With Public Defenders though you have to take the one assigned to you. With some offices you may get a new public defender at each stage of the case. Public Defenders have lots of open cases on their case load. For this reason they may not give your case as much attention as a good private attorney may. If you plan on entering a plea in the first or second court appearance you should be ok with a Public defender.

Jared Austin · Answer

The price will depend and vary. You may find one as cheap as $500 for a plea with the average being around $1,000 and probably $1,500 or so on the upper end. You probably won't get a court appointed lawyer because the judge would only give you one if he thought there was a chance you could go to jail and with shoplifting that is almost never going to be the case. You may be eligible for a diversion program which could keep the charge off of your public record. Court appointed attorneys are in private practice as well so there really is no difference in terms of quality. At least have an attorney review the case file before you agree to anything of plea to anything. If nothing else, an attorney should help give you a peace of mind and help you navigate through a system that you are unfamiliar with.

Michael Palumbo · Answer

Class "A" misdemeanor any attorney worth retaining is going to charge at least $2,500.00 flat fee for all work done pre-trial and than $1,000.00 a day on trial if a trial is needed.

Keeley D. Heath · Answer

You can find attorneys for a wide range of prices.  The saying "you get what you pay for" often holds true with attorneys.  You can pay lots of attorneys $500 to handle your case, but they aren't going to spend very much time on your case or get you a very good result.  The cost of handling your case will general depend further on what your defenses are, whether there are any pretrial motions to suppress evidence or to dismiss that may be required to be filed, whether you will be taking the case to trial, and other factors. I would recommend contacting an attorney to discuss your case.  Many attorneys will provide you with a free consultation regarding the case, and then you can decide whether or not to go forward with hiring them.

Eric Rothstein · Answer

I doubt attorneys will quote prices on an open forum such as this.  Feel free to contact me if your case is in NYC. I am a former federal and State prosecutor and have been handling criminal defense for over 15 years.  Like any other profession, some public defenders are good and some are not. However, they all are forced to carry way too many cases - some times as many as 700 at once.  As in life, you get what you pay for.

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