Do I need a lawyer for a first offence? I think I am being charged with assault.

00:00 So do you need a lawyer for a first-time offense? My answer to this would be yes. If your first-time

00:07 offense is anything criminal, meaning if you are cited for a misdemeanor or a felony,

00:12 I would always 100% recommend you going in to, you know, to your court date with an attorney.

00:21 First-time offenses still can carry fines and fees, probation,

00:25 impacts on your immigration, impacts on your, you know, criminal history, which can then impact your

00:32 employment. So you definitely want to have an experienced criminal defense attorney that can

00:36 help mitigate all of those outcomes. If you are getting something like an infraction, meaning like

00:43 a ticket, generally you don't need an attorney for those. But if you are cited with a misdemeanor

00:50 citation, so like a misdemeanor assault, as you mentioned in your question, I would definitely

00:55 recommend consulting an attorney and going in with an attorney. And remember, in California,

01:01 as in many other states, if not all of them, you are able to be provided with an attorney if you

01:09 can't afford one privately. So definitely utilize that. So yes, definitely you need an attorney if

01:14 you have any criminal offense.