Clients have a lot of questions for their attorneys—especially when it comes to criminal cases. That is part of the game. One of the most common questions at the Marc Lopez Law Firm, however, isn’t related to the law at all. The question is: Why did my court date get moved?
The answers are varied, but usually pretty simple. As your case progresses, we’re working on investigations and performing depositions. If we’re waiting on a report or a particular bit of evidence, that’s one possible reason for continuing a hearing.
Another thing to consider is calendar congestion. Sometimes the firm needs to continue a hearing because it has too many things scheduled on the same day. The same goes for the prosecution, or even the court. Sometimes a hearing gets bumped for reasons that have nothing to do with the case itself.
Perhaps most importantly, we also have to consider the inconvenience to you, the client. If there’s a pre-trial conference on the calendar, but there have been no new developments in the case, it might not be worth you taking a day (or even half a day) off work for a 10-minute hearing that doesn’t change anything.
As defense attorneys, we don’t want our clients to be forced to attend meaningless court hearings. Appearing in front of a judge typically adds stress to your life, and we’re aiming to reduce it.
Yes, it’s true that schedule changes can be stressful, but they’re usually less stressful that court appearances. Try to keep in mind that when your court date gets rescheduled, it’s likely the result of an effort to save you some time and anxiety. If you’re confused or frustrated about your case’s timeline, give us a call at 317-632-3642 and remember—always plead the 5th!
