I Was Stopped By The Police, They Searched My Car and Found Something Illegal. Is it Over for Me?

Oftentimes when I hear from a potential client who's sitting in my office that, "Well, I was pulled over by the police. They searched my car. They found something illegal. I was arrested for it, charged for it. Now I have to go to court.

Isn't it over for me? Is this going to be the end?" And the response to that is, Not necessarily. It's important to understand that the prosecutor is required to prove these charges against you beyond a reasonable doubt. But before even getting to that, the police had to have done their job correctly. And what I mean by correctly is they have to follow both the Constitution of New Jersey and the Constitution of the United States.

So the first avenue is, did they stop your car for a legitimate reason? The second issue is, did they have a reason either one, to apply for a search warrant or to request your consent to search? And number three, can they prove that whatever it was in that car was actually yours? So, if you've been charged for having something illegal, find an attorney who can handle these types of matters.