If you are facing a felony charge, it is not just the punishments from the state, like fines and jail time, you need to worry about. A felony conviction often has professional consequences as well. This is why such a charge needs to be taken seriously from the beginning. Instead of trying to rebuild your life after a conviction, talk to a Monmouth County criminal defense attorney who can help you fight this felony charge right now.
Can I Be Fired for Committing a Felony?
It is very possible that a felony conviction will get you fired from your current job. Most employment agreements are at-will, so an employer does not really need much of a reason to fire you anyway. If a business believes that employing a felon will hurt its reputation, it would not be surprising for them to let said employee go.
Even if you are not fired for the felony conviction, other factors could interfere with your work and job performance. If you keep having to take time off to go to court or if you need time away from the job to serve a prison sentence, that is probably going to be an issue for most employers.
Can a Felony Conviction Affect My Professional License?
Some fields have their own high standards to meet, and a felony conviction could jeopardize your career path. The professional licensing board in your field could level their own punishments at you. You may have your license suspended or even revoked.
Will a Felony Conviction Mean I Cannot Get Certain Jobs?
If you do lose your job or license, you may find that there are other fields that do not exactly rush to hire someone with a felony conviction. If your felony involved drugs or alcohol, you may be unable to get a job that would put you around either type of substance. You may not be trusted to operate heavy machinery as a result of your history. If you are on a sex offender registry, you certainly would not be able to work at or near a school.
No matter what kind of felony you are convicted for, you are going to find that your job options are now far more limited.
Should I Get a Lawyer?
Fighting back against a felony charge on your own can be risky. A criminal defense attorney can help you with your case in a variety of ways. They can:
- Get evidence against you thrown out
- Protect your constitutional rights
- Negotiate a plea for a lesser crime or sentence
- Handle all communications on your behalf
- Try to prevent you from saying anything incriminating
- Prepare you for testimony
Your lawyer will be there for you every step of the way.
Contact Our Law Firm
It is difficult to defend yourself from a criminal charge, so let us help you. Contact the Law Offices of George J. Mardinly and schedule a consultation. We can go over your case with you and tell you more about how we can be of assistance.