Montgomery County 38-1-23 Magisterial District Court

You, or a loved one, are preparing to appear in a Montgomery County Magisterial District Court. You have a ton of questions, but struggle to find answers for them. You’re confused about the entire thing and don’t know how to proceed.

What do you do? The smart choice is to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney. The Law Offices of Amato Sanita has the expertise to answer your questions. We provide caring guidance and a tenacious defense.

Take a look at your summons. You’ve been called to appear at Montgomery County 38-1-23 Magisterial District Court in Lafayette Hill. When you go to court, you will appear before Magisterial District Judge Deborah Lukens. The summons outlines the charges against you. It might be for a traffic citation, a bench warrant, a non-jury trial, a preliminary arraignment, or a preliminary hearing.

The Montgomery County 38-1-23 Magisterial District Court is in Lafayette Hills. It covers election districts for Whitemarsh Towship and Voting Districts 2, 3, 5 and 7 in Conshohocken Borough.

Magisterial District Court is the minor court in the Pennsylvania justice system. This court decides traffic and non-traffic citations. Montgomery County Magisterial District Courts also handle the preliminary arraignment and preliminary hearings for criminal charges. They settle landlord-tenant disputes, as well as deciding civil cases for damages up to $12,000.

Montgomery County Magisterial District Courts

In the Pennsylvania court system, a summary offense is the least serious charge. Magisterial District Courts in Montgomery County decide all summary offenses. A partial list of summary offenses seen by the court include harassment, criminal mischief, underage drinking, driving with a suspended license, and first shoplifting (retail theft) of things less than $150.

Magisterial judges preside over Magisterial District Courts in Pennsylvania. Besides hearing and deciding summary offenses, they have the duty to administer oaths and to perform marriages.

Montgomery County has 33 different Magisterial District Courts. It’s important to know which court has summoned you. All criminal matters start at the Magisterial District Court, where the judge hears preliminary arraignments and hearings. Misdemeanor and felony cases then move to the next level, the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

If you are charged with a traffic offense or a criminal charge in Montgomery County, get an experienced defense attorney to help. You will find a skilled attorney can provide many defense strategies to help your case.

Why an Experienced Defense Attorney Is So Important in Montgomery Magisterial District Court

Summary offenses sound like a minor thing to anyone outside the legal system. If you, or a loved one, are going to trail on a summary offense, you need to know the potential consequences. A single summary offense can bring up to 90 days in jail for a first offense. If it’s your second offense, that could double to 180 days in jail. Plus, you could get fined up to $300.

Facing a summary offense charge can be stressful. It may be tempting to plead guilty and get it over with. That could be a mistake with long-lasting consequences. If you go to jail, you could lose your job. That means your family may not have a means to live. If you don’t have money coming in, you might lose your home. A criminal offense on your record could make finding a job or an apartment next to impossible

Experienced criminal defense attorneys can help you defend against the charges and achieve a positive outcome. These attorneys know how the Magisterial District Courts work. They can offer sound advice. In some cases, they can even get charges lessened or even dropped.

Driving with a suspended license is a common charge seen in the Montgomery County 38-1-23 Magisterial District Court. Your attorney will look to see if you were properly notified of the suspension or if you were driving in emergency situation.

Call The Law Offices of Amato Sanita today if you have been summoned to Montgomery County Magisterial District Court.