Q: Facing 5 felony charges from false accusations by husband's ex-wife in custody battle. Seeking advice on plea deal vs. t

A: This isn’t the forum for legal advice. None of the attorneys on here have access to the discovery in your cases. If you have any attorney, you should listen to your attorney. You definitely need an attorney if you do not have one. But advice like this requires a detailed discussion of the facts of each case, the likelihood of success or failure, and the strategic benefits of either accepting the plea offer or going to trial.

A: You shouldn't accept or expect legal advice for a complex situation on a free online Q and A.

I am sorry, but neither the police nor prosecutor will ignore her history of making unfounded claims, including allegations of harassment and stalking, which are untrue and over 30 false reports to the police against you, which you can substantiate with documentation.

A: A lawyer cannot give legal advice about a plea agreement vs. trial, without being the attorney of record, after thorough review and time spent with the known facts, discovery from the prosecution and other facts and evidence; as well as research into laws that could relate to those. As a general matter, in any litigation whether civil or criminal, parties should compare their reasonable expectation (based on the evidence and law) for the trial outcome, against any proposed settlement agreement. If one meets the party's goal better than the other, then the rational choice would be that option. Which of the two options appear most favorable? My view is that we should go to trial more often than most do. And if a client swears innocence-in-fact, I urge them to refuse to plead guilty and instead go to trial. But sometimes they make a contrary choice out of pragmatism. These can be tough choices. But the only lawyer in a position to give advice is the lawyer who has been working the case.