Be mindful when visiting an attorney’s office in Belize of how the staff treats you – it can provide an accurate indicator of how they will treat you once you become their client.
Kia is deeply committed to human rights issues and has defended clients before the Belizean Courts on their behalf. Her particular area of expertise lies within Maya land rights issues; she has successfully advocated on their behalf multiple times.
The Role of Defense Attorneys in the Belizean Criminal Justice System
Kia Marie has been practicing law in Belize since 2021 and joined the Bar Association as a member. Kia possesses extensive litigation experience and can confidently represent clients from various backgrounds. Her legal practice covers both criminal and civil law. Kia has worked on high profile cases pertaining to land, contracts, employment property family’s law.
When selecting a criminal defense attorney to represent you in Belize, it is crucial that you conduct extensive research. Finding an experienced and suitable attorney could make all of the difference for your case – be it murder, robbery or sexual assault charges against an individual, crimes against property offenses or drug related allegations.
Criminal defense attorneys typically help their clients reduce or dismiss charges against them. Furthermore, they can assist with plea bargains or pardons to get you out of trouble quickly and affordably.
One of the key issues facing prosecutions in Belize is eyewitnesses not coming forward to testify due to fear. I have lost numerous cases due to this factor: when witnesses either do not appear or testify inadequately due to fear, usually, their defendant gets away scot-free.
As part of your interview process for criminal defense attorneys, pay attention to how they treat you during this initial encounter. How they treat you here could be indicative of how they will treat you once they have your money in hand.
As part of your evaluation of any criminal defense attorney, it is also crucial that you assess how well they listen. You should be able to tell whether the attorney truly cares about your case and addresses your concerns in a straightforward manner, answering all questions clearly and concisely.
Note the appearance and atmosphere of a criminal defense attorney’s office. Is the space clean and organized or disorganized? How does their staff treat both you and each other? This will be important since these will likely be members who work on your case at key moments down the road.
Once you have selected an attorney to interview, be sure to reach out via phone or email and request an appointment. By seeing how they handle a simple task such as scheduling an appointment for you, you can learn a great deal about their approach to criminal defense cases. Generally speaking, attorneys who cannot respond promptly when someone shows interest should not be retained when money becomes available for paying their fees.
Ellis Arnold
If you were arrested in Belize for crimes such as assault and battery or murder, or shoplifting, it is crucial that you find a competent criminal defense attorney to represent your rights and help defend them. Criminal attorneys in Belize can help make your experience of the justice system as stress-free and hassle-free as possible. Their expertise will get you the results that are in your favor while offering advice and support that could prevent additional charges being levied against you. Step one in selecting a criminal attorney is conducting a comprehensive interview process with them. Pay close attention to how they treat and conduct themselves within their office – this will give an indication of how they’ll treat you once retained as your counsel.
One of the key characteristics to look out for when hiring a criminal defense attorney is their focus and specialization. While most attorneys may offer other areas of practice, if they specialize solely in representing people facing criminal charges then this should be seen as an indicator that they will dedicate themselves fully to your case.
As part of your due diligence, observe how clean and organized an attorney’s office is. This will give an indication of their ability to effectively manage your case once it falls in their hands; if their office is disorganized it will make managing documents much more challenging for them and all filing will likely take much longer than anticipated.
Finally, it is also crucial that you observe how an attorney and their staff treat one another. This is crucial because how an attorney and his or her employees treat one another will have an effect on how they treat you as their client; if rude, obnoxious, or condescending behaviour is observed between themselves during an interview process it is unlikely they will act any differently once you become one of their clients.
One of the most frequent mistakes people make when hiring a criminal attorney is failing to consider how long it will take for them to complete your case. A good criminal attorney should provide an accurate estimation and adhere to that timeline regardless of any unforeseen issues; if however an attorney overestimates and fails to complete on time this can have far reaching repercussions for you personally; in such a scenario it would be prudent to consult another legal practitioner regarding possible solutions so you can choose an ideal one and avoid unnecessary delays within justice systems.
Anthony Sylvestre
Prime Minister John Briceo announced Anthony Sylvestre’s appointment as Belize’s Attorney General on June 28. Sylvestre succeeds Senior Counsel Magali Marin Young, SC who left to return to private practice and is confident he can manage and excel in his position with systems put into place by Magali Young SC as Attorney General of Belize. In an interview with Love News Sylvestre expresses confidence that he will succeed despite facing difficulties transitioning to his new position based on predecessor Magali Marin YoungSC’s legacy systems set by his predecessor Magali YoungSC.
Sylvestre brings 19 years of drafting experience to both public and private practice, having worked as both a career public servant and serving in private law practice for some time. A graduate from both University College of Belize and the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, as well as holding both a Bachelor of Laws with Honors Degree as well as Certificate in Legal Education from Jamaica’s Norman Manley Law School, Sylvestre is fluent in many legal writing styles and practices.
Sylvestre’s time as attorney general has been dedicated to prosecuting an ongoing criminal case before the Supreme Court of Belize against one of his former Cabinet colleagues, Andre Perez – former Minister for Blue Economy and Civil Aviation who is being charged with fraud and breach of trust for misappropriating funds from his ministry to fund personal expenses. Perez asked Prime Minister Briceo for leave from Cabinet membership so an in-depth investigation can take place into his actions.
Sylvester raised awareness about Belize’s crime rate today during his opening address at a press conference. If his PUP prevails in the next general election, they will disband the Gang Suppression Unit – thus saving lives by clearing away dangerous criminals from streets.
Another pressing concern he raised was witness intimidation by criminal elements who wish to keep witnesses from testifying in court. He noted this is one of the greatest challenges prosecutors faces as it not only damages their careers but has adverse repercussions for victims’ lives and justice administration as a whole.
He addressed the current state of the economy and pointed out that while growth is encouraging, unemployment remains high due to global financial turmoil and government efforts to provide jobs; unfortunately, revenue streams haven’t been sufficient enough. He encouraged media outlets to keep reporting on issues relevant to today’s society such as increasing revenue streams or reporting economic challenges and need for increased jobs; also taking time out to express his pride at having been appointed Attorney General and thanked Prime Minister and Cabinet for placing their faith in him.
