Examining Federal Sentencing Memos
Posted on Nov 6, 2015 9:30am PST
When it comes to criminal law, state crimes and federal crimes are almost
completely separate. Federal crimes require assistance from an
experienced federal criminal lawyer near Columbus who is well-versed in the differences between the laws and
has experience in both kinds of court. One of the most important distinguishing
features of federal criminal law is the sentencing memo.
A sentencing memo is an important step taken by a top criminal firm. Sentencing
memos are pieces of writing where federal criminal lawyers advocate for
their clients to have less severe punishments. In the memo, a criminal
defense attorney must identify issues that would give a judge the discretion
to depart downward from federal sentencing guidelines. For example, a
criminal law attorney can argue that his client has assisted officials
in investigating and prosecuting criminals, or that his client’s
criminal history is improperly exaggerated. By tailoring each sentencing
memo to the unique facts of a case, a federal law attorney can ensure
that his client has the lowest possible sentence available in criminal law.