Assault and battery are considered serious, violent crimes. Ironically, however, you do not need to even touch your accuser to be charged with assault. Under the law, an assault is a threat of violence from someone who seems to be able to carry out that threat, plus any act that puts the victim in reasonable fear for his or her life. Battery is any intentional touching against the other person's will, or intentionally causing harm to someone. That means that, at their simplest, assault and battery do not require acts that most people would consider violence. People can be, and have been, charged with assault or battery for acts they thought were harmless and forgettable.

That isn't to say that the penalties are necessarily light. Depending on the exact charge, assault and battery can be penalized with probation, jail time or up to 15 years in prison. The charges can be enhanced to aggravated assault, aggravated battery or felony battery if you are accused of:

• Using a deadly weapon
• Causing great bodily harm, disability or disfigurement
• Committing the assault as part of committing a felony
• Assaulting or battering a law enforcement officer, or someone you knew to be pregnant
• Domestic violence by strangulation

If you're accused of assault, battery or both, you need smart, experienced representation as soon as possible to protect you from the serious consequences of a conviction. The West Palm Beach assault and battery defense lawyers at Balliro P.A. can help. Because assault requires a "present ability" to carry out a threat and "reasonable fear" from the victim, we can often fight cases on those grounds alone. We look thoroughly at each new case we take to make sure that prosecutors are meeting the legal requirements of the charge and can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, as the law requires. If necessary, our Fort Lauderdale assault defense attorneys are not afraid to go to court to protect your rights.

Formed by a group of former prosecutors and public defenders, Balliro P.A. has tried hundreds of cases and successfully represented numerous Floridians accused of serious crimes. Thanks to our long experience, we understand that a criminal charge can be a life-shattering experience, which is why we will work our hardest to minimize the effects of a charge on your family, your job and your reputation. We also know that arrests and charges happen at all times, not just when we're in the office, which is why we make our Miami-Dade battery defense lawyers available to clients and potential clients at all times -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week and every day of the year.

To set up a free, confidential consultation with an experienced Miami assault and battery defense lawyer, you can call Balliro P.A. anytime, toll-free, at 1-866-ARRESTED or contact us online.