Pennsylvania has special rules for filing a criminal appeal or Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) petition. With these rules, you have a limited amount of time to act before you lose your right to appeal. All post-sentencing actions have a time limit, so if you don’t bring your appeal before the court, you may not be able to appeal later. To make sure that you don’t lose your rights when you appeal a conviction, it is important to have an experienced appellate attorney.
If you are interested in appealing your case, contact Bickerton Law at (412) 596-8124 for a case evaluation.
Types of Post Conviction Actions
- Post Sentencing Motions
After you have been sentenced, you have 10 days to ask the trial court to reconsider its decision. In a post sentencing motion, you can raise an argument that the prosecutor failed to present enough evidence to prove that you are guilty, an argument alleging that the sentence you were given was unjust, that errors were made during the trial, etc. If you believe that something went wrong with your trial, you should contact an attorney to determine whether any post-sentencing motions can or should be filed in your case.
- Direct Appeals
In some circumstances (constitutional issues, improperly admitted evidence, weak evidence, unfair sentence, etc.), you can file a direct appeal. In a direct appeal, you are trying to overturn your conviction. Whether you entered a guilty plea or went to trial, it is possible to file a direct appeal to try to get the right result in your case. An experienced criminal appeals lawyer will help you determine whether a direct appeal is appropriate for you.
- Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA) Appeals
Under limited circumstances, you can file a PCRA petition to get relief for certain conditions that happened during your trial. You can use a PCRA to get relief when your previous attorneys gave you ineffective assistance and to fight the conviction when new evidence comes to light. For more information on what claims you can raise in a Post-Conviction Relief Act Petition, contact Bickerton Law at (412) 596-8124 to discuss your options for a Post Conviction Action.
