A bail bondsman’s job is to release the defendant from custody and ensure that they appear in court. On the other hand an Attorneys job is to navigate the defendant those the complicated legal system ensure that they have the best possible legal outcome. The prospect of hiring a professional that will play a significant role in your fate can be daunting. However do not get discouraged because there are many qualified attorneys out there. Here are some suggestions and tips to follow when considering a criminal defense attorney.

Referrals are a great way to find a successful criminal attorney, especially if the referral is coming from someone you trust.  For example, if you regularly work with a lawyer or law firm, that lawyer may be able to suggest a competent criminal defense lawyer in your area.

Courtroom Observation may also be a good way to scope out an attorney. Observing attorneys while criminal cases are being argued in a courtroom provides the public a firsthand opportunity to see how some attorneys perform.

There are also a number of online directories, for example; Lawyers.com and FindLaw, which you can use as a good resource for obtaining information on criminal defense lawyers in your area. Additionally, on January 1, 2011 an online database will be available to you on the Connecticut Judicial Website where you will be able to locate by attorney name any and all grievances filed against that specific person. Here http://www.jud.ct.gov/sgc/ you will find answers to many unanswered questions you may or may not have, such as Rules of Professional Conduct, What happens after a complaint is filed against an attorney?, Information on how to obtain information regarding complaints against a specific attorney.

After you have found a few attorneys whom you consider to be good candidates for your specific case, call them to schedule appointments. It’s important to find out while making the appointment over the phone, if they offer a free initial consultation. This may make the first meeting you have with your prospective attorney less stressful and leaves the pressure that money sometimes can inflict when making an important decision. Trust your instincts - if you aren’t comfortable with an attorney you confer with, try a different office. You do not have any obligation to hire a lawyer merely because you consulted with that lawyer.

There are many different methods in which an attorney may approach the defense of your case. Some things to take into consideration.

Take into consideration the evidence against you? Do you need an attorney to simply negotiate the best “deal” for you or do you need to go to trial?

If there is significant evidence then have a attorney which is well know in the court may be a great asset.

However if you feel you have a case that can win in trail and have the resources to go to trial you’ll need an attorney with a strong trial background.  Surprising few attorneys have trial experience and the ones that do tend to be the most expensive. So be sure to do your homework before hiring.

 

As many of you know The Surety Bail Industry in Connecticut can be a great way to make some extra money during this tough economic times. Tell you friends and family to sign up for this Novembers Connecticut Surety Bondman Pre-license Course.

Course Overview

Bail 102 is a 24 hour pre-license course approved by the CT State Department of Insurance for those wishing to become licensed as surety bail bond agents. The course covers a number of topics including history of bail, insurance regulations, criminal procedure, rights of the accused, underwriting, forfeiture management, and ethics.

Sign up by following this link: http://www.connecticutbailacademy.com/courses/surety-bondsman-pre-license

The BAC is going on its second year since its inception! Time passes so fast, having the fortune of being one of the founders of the association I have first hand knowledge of the challenges we had to overcome and the accomplishments we have made with very little resources.

Unfortunately our industry in Connecticut has many issues the economy, state agencies, and ourselves. Most of you know this all to well. The BAC is a forum for all of you to be heard and gives you the ability to fight for the greater good of our industry.

We will be holding our elections and discussing topics of concern at the November 16th meeting. One of the topics will be about to the Insurance Departments Bulletin IC-25.

http://www.ct.gov/cid/lib/cid/Bulletin_IC_25_Data_Breach_Notification.pdf

This Bulletin is in regard to the safe keeping of our clients information and significant fines that can be imposed on you and your company if the information is mismanaged, lost or stolen.

I would love to see all 500 licensed Connecticut Surety Bondsman participate in the meeting, join the association become part of the solution so our industry in Connecticut may prosper once again.

Date of Meeting:

November 16, 2010

Location:

Comfort Inn and Suites
900 East Main Street
Meriden CT

Highlights
• 6:30pm to 7:00pm * Registration
• 6:30pm to 7:15pm Nominations for office accepted
• 7:15pm Election to be held
• 7:45pm Regular meeting

Bail Association of Connecticut
E-mail:
abloom@snet.net
amarocchini@msn.com
kagoulart@yahoo.com
hlavaty4@comcast.net

Contact person: Drew Bloom Andrew Marocchini
860-883-6819 860-604-9545

I can’t begin to tell you how many times a day I am asked this question. Normally, this question can be answered quite simply and quickly. For example if you were to ask a teacher, why they became a teacher? that would be easy; “I went to college, received my masters, and BAM! I became a teacher.”

However this is an extremely loaded question for me considering I am 5’6”, blonde, 24 year old female bondsman with a bachelor’s degree in English. Go figure. I was hired by Andrew Marocchini, owner of BAILCO as a “part-time” office assistant back in 2007 graduated college in 2008 and my career path with BAILCO moved fast. I played a part in creating Connecticut Bail Academy; (www.ctbailacademy.com) the first state approved surety bail bond pre-licensing course. Three years later I’m STILL here; but for good reason, so check out the company I work for here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdGzvC_zYmo and keep reading.

I remember meeting one guy at Manchester Police Department at 1:00 in the morning to post bond for his girlfriend, and he asked me while filling out his paperwork; “so how long you’ve been doing this?” and my response was, “close to three years” and he replied with “oh so you must enjoy it then.” At that moment I thought to myself “ya know what, he’s right”. Who in their right mind would be in a profession where you could work or be on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week without enjoying it?

The thing that makes being a bondsman so enjoyable, for me at least, is the unpredictability that it offers. Every morning when I wake up I NEVER know what my day is going to entail at work. I could spend it all day in the office pushing paperwork, or I could be out all over the state bonding people out. Don’t get me wrong, at times the days can be long and tiring, but I wouldn’t change my job for a “9-5 office cubicle” position any day. Not to mention, the collection of crazy yet quite intriguing stories that I have heard over the past three years from the defendants themselves, the cosigners, and other bondsman/bail enforcement agents are enough to write a book never mind a blog post.

Most of all I love the expressions on the faces of my family and friends when they ask what I do for work. I recently moved and when I met my new neighbor and after a some small talk, he asked what I did for work, and after I told him I was a bondsman he responded with “WOW I’ve never met one of those before!!”. I didn’t really know how to interpret that response, but thought well he can check that off his list J.

It’s an interesting job to stay the LEAST but it’s exciting, it keeps me moving, and it’s obviously a great conversation starter. I now have my pistol permit and a license to carry, all of which I never would have had, had I been in a different occupation. I’ll leave you with a video staring the man I bought my first gun from; Mr. Douglas White, who is currently a bondsman and bail enforcement agent in Florida. http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Hunt?i=shlk …more stories from the bail bond world to come. Stay tuned.   

Bail Association of Connecticut is looking for members and nominees for the board. Some of the licensed Connecticut Surety Bondsman have shown skepticism in regard to the necessity of an association.  Quite simply, “United we Stand, Divided we Fall.”- The Three Musketeers. If not for any other reason and there is many, the BAC is needed for our self preservation. It is necessary for bail agents across the state of Connecticut to come together in mutual support. There are too many groups, both private and public, who seek to limit and/or destroy us and ending the services we provide. So in order to not aide them in their efforts we must ban together in self defense. We must join together to protect our profession. Those of you that are interested in joining please email me; amarocchini@msn.com To learn more about what an effective bail association can do follow this link; www.bailtruth.com