After a person has been found guilty, has been sentenced, and lost an appeal, he or she may still be freed by writ of habeas corpus. The habeas petition allows the attorney to re-investigate the case and bring up new information that was not presented to the trial court. Often habeas corpus petitions revolve around the lack of work that was done by the previous attorney.

If your previously attorney did not represent you adequately, you may be able to receive a new trial and eventually be freed or have your criminal record erased. There are strict and complicated deadlines regarding habeas petitions that are best handled by a very experienced attorney. Many criminal attorneys have no experience doing work on habeas corpus cases.