In a court of law, a defendant is found innocent or guilty. Unfortunately, before you can take your case further, you might need an appeals bond first.
Merely because they happen to lose their trial does not mean that they are always to be considered a guilty party. If your legal team believes that you are getting sentenced unfairly, you may attempt to appeal your case to a higher court.
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Unfortunately, appeals take a long time, and you’re going to begin spending your sentence behind bars in the meantime. And while you may have used a bail bond to leave jail before your first trial, you are unable to do so now that you have been found guilty.
However, there are specialty bail bonds that one can use while they are awaiting their trial’s appeal. Appeals bonds work similarly to standard bail bonds, albeit they tend to remain riskier.
Why Aren’t They Better-Known?
The reason why more people don’t turn to appeals bond for their legal needs is that you must pay the entire amount ordered by the court upfront. That can include any physical assets as well, like real estate, vehicles, and equipment items.
However, in some situations, waiting for your appeal can get equally risky. You may wind up going bankrupt by the time you can appeal your case, making it even more challenging.
Instead, paying for an appeals bond may be the better financial investment, especially if you know that you remain in the right. Because your appeal bond gets set based off of the judgment amount, you don’t want to wait until the trial ends.
Each state assigns bond amounts differently, and some regions have capped costs. Living in specific areas may make it too much of a financial risk to attempt taking an appeals bond.
Why Is An Appeals Bond Necessary?
An appellate bond not only keeps you out of jail until your trial, but it secures a judge for you, guaranteeing a court date. However, not everyone qualifies for an appeals bond, which is how it differs from standard bail bonds.
In general, you must have no other prior convictions, and the court recognizes that there is merit to your appeal to obtain one. However, even if you meet these requirements, it is still up to the judge to approve your bond.
