Denver Criminal Appeal Lawyer

There are a lot of things right with our criminal justice system, namely that every person is innocent until proven guilty. However, there are a lot of wrong things with our criminal justice system as well, namely that countless innocent people get sent to prison or convicted of crimes that they did not commit. If you were wrongly convicted or the court made serious errors handling your case, you have a right to appeal the court’s or the jury’s decision. Here at DeChant Law, we represent victims caught up in the failings of the criminal justice system in their attempts to clear their name. We never stop fighting for the rights of our clients, and Denver criminal appeal lawyer Reid DeChant has a sterling reputation when it comes to preparing briefs and creating victorious legal arguments in appellate court.

When Should I Appeal?

There are generally two scenarios in which you should appeal the court’s decision. The first is if you were wrongly convicted of a crime that you did not commit. The second is if the judge misinterpreted the law and improperly denied or granted a motion. It is important to appeal your criminal case as soon as possible, because in Colorado you only have 35 days after judgment to file a Notice of Appeal and Designation of Record with the court.

How Long is The Criminal Appeals Process?

Once you have filed the initial Notice of Appeal, your attorney has 21 days to submit an opening brief to the district court. The district court lawyer then has 21 days to respond with an answer brief. You and your attorney then have 14 days to submit your response to the answer brief. However, the Attorney General’s Office often asks the court for more time to respond, as there is just one appellate court in the state of Colorado, and there are hundreds of appeals that judges have to consider. As such, the criminal appeals process takes months, if not years.

What Are My Chances of Success?

There are certainly no guarantees when it comes to appealing a court’s ruling. However, the more glaring the mistakes in the initial trial, the better your chances are of having the ruling overturned. If you do not succeed in appellate court, you may be able to appeal to a higher court, such as the Court of Appeals or even the Colorado Supreme Court. If you have a case worthy of pushing to that level, we are more than willing to continue fighting for justice and your freedom all the way to the Supreme Court.

Call a Denver Criminal Appeal Lawyer Today

Sadly, juries and courts get things wrong more often than we would like to admit. Both are made of humans, after all. Fortunately, the appellate courts serve as a safety net for wrongly convicted individuals. If you were convicted of a crime that you did not commit, call Reid DeChant at DeChant Law today at 720-634-6789 for a free case evaluation.