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When does it make sense to appeal your conviction?

When someone is convicted of a crime they have a great deal of emotions. They are angry. They are scared. They feel that the system may not have treated them fairly.  In our system, there is a mechanism for over turning a conviction and/or sentence. An appeal is filed within thirty days of the sentencing entry being filed and time stamped with the county clerk of courts. In most cases you must include a docketing statement. You must also make sure you serve the court reporter and have all of the exhibits together to be transported to the court of appeals.

Some cases do not make good appeals. If you plead guilty and the judge followed the recommendation, that’s not a good time to appeal. In fact, you are prohibited by law from appealing a joint recommendation that is followed by the judge.

When you feel that your rights were violation. When you feel the judge sentenced you unfairly.  When you feel that there were lies and half truths in your case. When you feel your lawyer was not effective.  When you feel that the prosecutor committed misconduct. Those are all good reasons to appeal your sentence and or conviction.