Need legal advice about shoplifting?

A few weeks ago i was picked up by LP for shoplifting, i was wondering my court date is in about two weeks, i haven't really talked to any lawyers, just one, i cant afford a lawyer, on my court date, i dunno if i should plead guilty or no contest. I am what did was wrong and they caught me with the stuff, but what does pleading ';no contest'; mean, i heard it is not saying your are guilty or not, but it just says that you except what ever charges are being filed against you, you i plead guilty or no contest. i heard no contest has better benefits, what benefits are those.Need legal advice about shoplifting?
We love paying extra for all of our items to cover the shops losses due to parasites like you. How about you develop a conscience and do the right thing. You know you are guilty so plead guilty and stop trying to think of ways to manipulate the system, that's what got you into this trouble in the first place. You never know, acting with integrity here could be the start of a whole new life for you.Need legal advice about shoplifting?
Here's my advice, you do the crime, you do the time!
You should have Legal Counsel when court time comes around. If you are looking for an Attorney that you can afford, please contact me. Hope to be of service to you.
Pleading no contest is the same as pleading guilty. Find a public defender to help you. Good luck.
yes it mean your not saying you done anything wrong but you did . you can only make this no contest plea once
If its your first ever offense you will probably get probation regardless of your plea.


Dress nice, be respectable and put this behind you. Ask about deferred prosecution. Theft does not look good when a potential employer background checks you.
You should seek the advise of a lawyer in your area. Laws vary by jurisdiction.





In criminal trials in the United States, a plea of ';nolo contendere'; means that the defendant neither admits nor disputes the charge, and is an alternative to pleading guilty or not guilty. This is also called a plea of no contest or, more informally, a ';nolo'; plea. ';Nolo contendere'; is Latin and literally means ';I do not want to contend it.'; While not technically a guilty plea, it is made as a part of plea bargains and has the same effect as a guilty plea.





While it is used in the United States, it is not a right, and different jurisdictions have restrictions on its use. In other common law countries it is prohibited altogether.





Effect of a plea of nolo contendere:





Defendants are still subject to all the penalties arising from that conviction, and if such defendants are later convicted of another offense, it can be considered as an aggravating factor.





A defendant will not, however, be made to allocute to the charges. Also, this plea (unlike a guilty plea) may not be used against them to establish negligence per se, malice, or even that they actually did the acts which resulted in the conviction, in later civil proceedings related to the same set of facts as the criminal prosecution.





In other words, if you plead no contest, you won't have to tell the judge want you did and the store won't be able to use the conviction against you if they try to pursue you in civil court.





Good luck!
I was really nervous my one and only time I had to go to court. So I got a lawyer to go with me. It will probably cost you $500. At least you will have someone there to speak in your behalf. Probably you will get a fine and some probation. The way I understand it no contest is the same as a guilty plea.
Pleading no contest means you aren't contesting the charges against you. The judge will look at the evidence and determine if you are guilty or not.
Either plea will result in you having to answer ';YES'; on certain types of forms for job or colleges where they ask about charges you faced, were convicted of or plead no contest to, NOT a good thing.





The answer before mine stated the store cant sue you in civil court and use the no contest plea against you; this is not quite true, they can bring it up in most jurisdictions I am aware of, and as a practical matter you will loose once it is mentioned.





NOT a good thing to plead to, if you have access to a public defender (look up legal aid - not all places offer this for shoplifting and minor charges) they should be able to get a 1st offense plea baragined to something like SIS (suspended - wont be on your record or in court records if you stay out of trouble for a certain amount of time) which would be much better for you. May even get it dropped and help you avoid civil court (or bill collectors) for the item and ';expenses';.





Your best bet is to hire a private atty, wouldnt cost very much and would get best results.





In the real world you have as many rights as your atty gets for you; representing yourself is foolish and you will be abused in most courts. It doesnt matter if you are guilty or not, what matters is that you are treated fairly and the same as those w/ lawyers, which you will not be representing yourself!
If on a job application they ask have you ever been convicted of a crime you can say no. But many have changed the wording. Supposidly it means they can't then file a seperate civil suit as well. Bottom line it still shows up guilty though.