What Are The Disadvantages To Pleading Guilty In My Criminal Case?

A: The disadvantages are that you lose whatever possibility you had of winning at trial, or of negotiating a better plea, or disposing of the case some other way, such as through a motion to dismiss or a motion to suppress evidence. You will obviously have to serve whatever sentence your plea carries. In addition, if you plead guilty or are convicted at trial, you will have a record that will follow you around for a lot of different purposes—immigration, employment, housing, etc. If you take a CWOF, you will have a more limited record but it will still follow your around in some situations—immigration, security clearance, etc.