Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer
The answers on this page are general information about Mississippi law, not legal advice. Every case is different, and reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with The Beasley Law Group, PLLC. For advice about your own situation, contact us directly.
Working With Us
Call 601-927-2401 or use the contact form on this site. Tell us briefly what happened and the best way to reach you, and we will set a time to talk by phone or in person.
Personal injury consultations are free, and you owe nothing unless we recover for you. For criminal matters, call us and we will discuss the consultation when we set it up.
Anything connected to your case: court papers, tickets, the accident report, photos, insurance letters, medical records or bills, and the names of witnesses. Do not worry if you do not have everything. Bring what you have and we will help you gather the rest.
The Beasley Law Group is based in Brookhaven, MS and represents clients in Lincoln County and across southwest Mississippi. If you are not sure whether we can take your case, call. If we cannot help, we will try to point you to someone who can.
Criminal Defense
Stay calm and be polite, but do not answer questions about the case. Tell the officers you want a lawyer, then stop talking. Anything you say can be used against you, even statements that seem harmless. Call us as soon as you can, and do not discuss your case on the jail phone. Those calls are recorded.
Yes. Innocent people get convicted, and they often hurt their own cases by talking to police without counsel. The state has trained prosecutors and investigators building its case from day one. You need someone on your side who knows the system and can protect your rights from the start.
No, not without a lawyer, even if you did nothing wrong. Police are allowed to lie to you during questioning, and “just clearing things up” is how people talk themselves into charges. Be polite, give your name, and say you want an attorney present. Then call us.
Sometimes. There are exceptions to the warrant requirement, including consent, items in plain view, and searches after a lawful arrest. You never have to consent to a search, and refusing cannot be used against you. If police searched without a warrant, tell your lawyer everything about how it happened. An illegal search can get evidence thrown out of your case.
Arraignment is a short court appearance where the judge formally reads the charges and you enter a plea, usually not guilty. The judge may also address bond and set deadlines for the case. It is not the time to argue the facts. Having a lawyer there matters, because decisions made at arraignment can shape everything that follows.
You have options. A bail bondsman can post the bond for a percentage of the face amount. If the bond is set too high, we can file a motion asking the judge to reduce it. Mississippi judges weigh factors like your ties to the community, your record, and the nature of the charge. We make sure the judge hears your side of that.
A first offense is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $250 to $1,000, up to 48 hours in jail, a required alcohol safety course (MASEP), and a 120-day driver’s license suspension unless you obtain an ignition-interlock-restricted license that lets you keep driving. Some first offenders qualify for nonadjudication, which keeps a conviction off their record if they complete the court’s conditions. Nonadjudication is available only once in a lifetime, so it is worth using carefully. Penalties climb sharply for second and third offenses, and a third offense within five years is a felony. Do not plead guilty before talking to a lawyer.
If your license was suspended after an arrest, act quickly. Deadlines for challenging a suspension are short, and missing one can cost you driving privileges you could have kept.
A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in county jail. A felony carries more than a year, served in state custody. A felony conviction also costs you rights a misdemeanor does not, including the right to own a firearm. Both deserve a serious defense, because even a misdemeanor conviction follows you.
A plea bargain is an agreement to plead guilty, usually in exchange for a reduced charge or a recommended sentence. Sometimes it is the right call. Sometimes it is a bad deal dressed up as a favor. You cannot judge which one you are looking at until a lawyer has reviewed the state’s evidence. Never accept a plea just to get it over with.
Sometimes. Prosecutors can reduce charges in negotiation, especially where the evidence is weak or the facts sit close to the line between the two offenses. Mississippi also offers options like nonadjudication and pretrial intervention for some first offenders. The honest answer starts with a review of your case.
Probably not. Most criminal cases in Mississippi resolve without a trial, through dismissal, reduced charges, or a negotiated plea. But the best offers go to defendants who are prepared to try the case. We prepare every case as if it is going to trial, and that preparation drives good outcomes either way.
The judge can revoke your probation and order you to serve some or all of your suspended sentence. But revocation is not automatic. The state has to prove the violation at a hearing, and you have the right to a lawyer there. Judges often have discretion to continue or modify probation instead. Call us before your hearing, not after.
Often, yes. Mississippi lets first offenders expunge most non-traffic misdemeanor convictions, and one nonviolent felony can be expunged five years after you complete your sentence. Charges that were dismissed or dropped can usually be cleared as well. Certain offenses, including crimes of violence, are not eligible. Expungement is generally a one-time opportunity, so it is worth getting right. Call us and we will tell you whether your record qualifies.
It depends on the charge. A misdemeanor costs less to defend than a felony headed toward trial. We quote most criminal cases as a flat fee, so you know the full cost before we start. Call us and we will give you a straight answer on price.
Personal Injury
Three things make a case: someone else was at fault, you were hurt, and there is a source of recovery, usually insurance. If a careless driver, property owner, or business caused your injury, it is worth a phone call. We will review the facts at no charge and tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth pursuing.
Get medical care first, even if you feel fine. Some injuries take days to show up, and gaps in treatment hurt your claim. Call the police so there is a report, photograph the scene and your injuries if you can, and get names and numbers for witnesses. Then talk to a lawyer before you talk to any insurance adjuster.
In most Mississippi injury cases, three years from the date of the injury. Some cases have shorter deadlines. Medical malpractice claims generally run two years. Claims against a city, county, or the state fall under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, which carries a one-year deadline and requires written notice to the government at least 90 days before you file suit. Miss a deadline and the claim is gone, no matter how strong it was. If a child was injured, different timing rules may apply. Call early, and call us the same week if a government entity is involved.
You can still recover. Mississippi follows pure comparative fault, which means your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame but not eliminated. If you were 30 percent at fault, you can still recover 70 percent of your damages. Do not let an adjuster talk you out of a claim by blaming you for the wreck.
Not to the other driver’s insurer, and not before talking to a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that shrink your claim, and your recorded words will be used against you later. You are generally not required to give the other side’s insurance company a statement at all. Your own policy may require your cooperation, which is another reason to talk to us first. Let us handle those conversations.
Do not sign anything yet. A quick offer usually means the insurer knows the claim is worth more and wants it closed before you find out. Once you sign a release, the case is over for good, even if your injuries turn out worse than you thought. Let us review the offer first. That review costs you nothing.
Usually your own health insurance, medical payments coverage on your auto policy if you carry it, or arrangements with your providers. The at-fault driver’s insurer typically pays once, in a lump sum at the end, not bill by bill. We help clients manage bills and liens during the case so unpaid-bill pressure does not force a cheap settlement.
You may still have a claim through the uninsured motorist coverage on your own auto policy. Many Mississippi drivers carry no insurance or only the state minimum, which is often far less than serious injuries cost. Bring us your policy and we will look for every available source of coverage.
Trucking cases are different. Federal safety rules apply, more than one company may be responsible, and the trucking company’s response team is often working the scene within hours of the wreck. Evidence like driver logs and black box data can disappear fast. Call a lawyer immediately so preservation demands go out before that happens.
It depends on your medical bills, lost wages, the seriousness and permanence of your injuries, and how the accident happened. Anyone who quotes you a number before reviewing your medical records is guessing. We will give you an honest assessment once we have seen the evidence, and we will not inflate it to get your signature.
Most injury cases settle. But insurance companies pay fair value to claimants they believe are ready to try the case. We prepare every case for trial. That preparation is usually what produces a fair settlement, and if the insurer will not be fair, we are ready for a courtroom.
No. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee. You pay nothing up front, and our fee is a percentage of what we recover for you. If we recover nothing, you owe us no fee.
Your medical treatment drives the timeline more than anything else. A case should not settle until we know the full extent of your injuries. Straightforward claims can resolve in a few months, while cases that go into litigation can run a year or more. We will keep you informed at every stage, and we will not rush your case or let it sit.
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