CRIMINAL APPEALS LAWYER PENNSYLVANIA

Being found guilty or pleading guilty to a charge, does not limit a convict’s ability to appeal.  Being able to appeal to a higher court is a right given to ensure fairness in any wrongful conviction.  There are several grounds for an appeal, including but not limited to:

•  Tainted evidence
•  Judicial mistakes
•  Sentencing errors
•  Prosecution / jury misconduct

In general, an appeal can be brought about if some aspect of a criminal case is mishandled by the prosecution or the court or there are any errors of law that prevented a fair trial from occurring.

In Pennsylvania, if you are convicted of a crime, you have rights to file post-sentence motions on:

• The sufficiency of the evidence
• The right to be represented by Counsel (during the appeal process)
• The right to file an appeal to the Pennsylvania Superioir Court
• The right to challenge a previous guilty plea or a no-contest

These motions are guaranteed under the Pennsylvania Constitution but must be exercised within a specific time period.  It is important, if you are filing an appeal,  to immediate retain council in order to make sure no deadlines are missed.

The normal process for filing an appeal in Pennsylvania, in order, is: persevering the issue for appeal (gathering relevant documents to verify legal grounds for the appeal); filing post-sentence motions with the Court of Common Please; filing a notice of appeal within 30 days of the sentence; filling out the criminal docketing statement; filling out a petition for reconsideration if you lose the appeal.  Also in that time, there are several documents that need to be delivered from your attorney within specific timeframes for the appeal continue to be entertained.