Why The Pritchard Firm?
"To be the kind of lawyer that i would want to hire."
Having spent more than two decades as a prosecutor, John Pritchard has long observed criminal defense attorneys and had the opportunity to reflect on what kind of defense lawyer he would want to be. That starts with recognizing that every case is different and every client is different. Two people facing the exact same charges may have very different expectations, experiences, fears, risk tolerance, etc.
Many attorneys will prominently claim that they will “fight” or are “aggressive” in their criminal defense practice. Perhaps that is sometimes true, although most wise people know that it is not the loudmouth one fears in combat. It’s the quiet, confident, secure man.
If it comes to battling it out in a courtroom, almost no one in western North Carolina has more trial experience than John Pritchard. Of the thousands of cases he’s handled in his career he argued more than 200 of them in a trial by jury. At least 22 trials were either murder cases or in federal court. You want an attorney comfortable in the field of battle and unafraid of the challenges of convincing a judge and jury when the stakes are at their highest.
But not every case calls for a trial, nor will every client want one. Sometimes you will want to negotiate for the best deal. Some clients will want to move as fast as possible while others will want to drag things out. Sometimes you will want to negotiate, focusing on weaknesses in the prosecution’s case or positive changes you have made in your life since criminal charges were issued. Sometimes you may want to sit down with the police and your attorney (always with your attorney) to see if you can help yourself, and sometimes it is best not to cooperate at all. Sometimes the best focus is not on the case itself but challenging the validity of a traffic stop or a search warrant. Sometimes what is best for you and your mental health is just to plead guilty and let your lawyer make the best plea for leniency possible.
And sometimes, it’s best to fight.
At the Pritchard Firm, no one will promise to tell you exactly what you want to hear, because if what you want to hear isn’t reality, that’s just a way of lying to you. But you will be respected, listened to, and defended to the fullest of our ability. It’s your life, your freedom, your reputation. You deserve the best defense.
