There are many reasons why you may want to withdraw your guilty plea in a California state or federal court, but they all essentially lead to the same conclusion – you may be able to obtain a more favorable outcome by withdrawing your plea and restarting your criminal case. A skilled California attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm can get you started with that process by thoroughly evaluating your case and determining whether it may be possible to withdraw your guilty plea and seek justice.

 Withdrawing your guilty plea in your California criminal case can be of tremendous benefit in certain cases. Most defendants plead guilty to their California criminal charges as part of plea bargains that provide them with rewards for pleading guilty during an early stage of the proceedings. If you did not receive sufficient consideration in the form of reduced charges and/or punishment, you may benefit from withdrawing your plea and seeking justice a second time.

 There may be specific consequences of your guilty plea that you wish to avoid, such as professional licensing issues associated with certain criminal convictions. For example, you may have pleaded guilty to California DUI / DWI and now find that the conviction threatens your professional license, so withdrawing your guilty plea and seeking to negotiate a plea bargain involving a lesser charge would be of great benefit.

Withdrawing a guilty plea in a California criminal case may be possible if you and your defense lawyer can demonstrate good cause.  For example, if you were not represented by an attorney or your counsel was ineffective, the court will allow you to withdraw your plea. Similarly, f your attorney can establish that you weren’t advised of the consequences of pleading guilty or that your constitutional rights were violated, the judge must allow you to withdraw your plea.

 Although there can be great benefits to withdrawing your guilty plea, there are also consequences. If you are allowed to withdraw your guilty plea to your California criminal charge, your case will essentially start over. This means that any charges that were dropped as the result of an original plea bargain will be reinstated. At this point, your defense attorney can negotiate a more favorable plea bargain or prepare to take your case to trial.

 If you pled guilty to a California criminal charge and now regret your decision, it may be possible to withdraw your plea and begin your quest for justice again. A knowledgeable California defense lawyer from The Kavinoky Law Firm is prepared to review your case and determine whether it may be possible to withdraw your guilty plea. Please contact us today at 1.877.4NO.CUFFS for a free consultation.