Avoiding Wasting Time; Avoiding Warrants
One of the problems with the Florida criminal justice system, is the amount of a client's time that is wasted attending hearings, in which nothing is accomplished, othe than the setting of another hearing. This could be for a felony, misdemeanor or even a criminal trafficcase, like a DUI. There is no reason you should have to take off work, to find out your case is not over, and you have to come back in a month. Fortunately, the Florida Supreme Court provided a way for attorneys to keep their clients at work or at home, while the lawyers attend these fruitless pretrial proceedings. It is as simple as a Waiver of Pretrial Appearance, and we have our clients sign one in every criminal case. A properly drafted and filed Waiver of Pretrial Appearance, will even keep an arrest warrant from being issued, for failing to appear at a pretrial hearing.
And for those judges who insist on every defendant appearing at every pretrial hearing--the apparent policy of Judge Pat Siracusa at the Criminal Justice Center in Clearater? Each files contains a copy of the case of Jiminez v. State, to remind these certain judges that their own appellate court, the Second District Court of Appeal, requires them to accept a written waiver of appearance. In other words, put that warrant back into your pocket, Your Honor. My client needs to be at work.
