At the trial, you are not required to prove your innocence because you are presumed to be innocent. It is up to the City Prosecuting Attorney to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that you are guilty. At the trial, you will have all of the rights of any defendant in any criminal trial in the State of Missouri. Among those rights are:
Every defendant has the right to be represented by a lawyer of his/her choice at his/her own expense. If you want an attorney, the Court will continue your case for a reasonable time for you to hire an attorney.
The Court may appoint you a lawyer if 1) you are indigent and cannot afford an attorney, 2) the City Prosecuting Attorney is requesting jail time if you are convicted, or 3) if there is a practical possibility of a jail sentence. Otherwise, the Court has no authority to appoint a lawyer and there is not reason to request the appointment of an attorney.
If you choose to represent yourself, the Court will hold you to the same standards as any attorney who appears in Court.
Unless you received a ticket for an ordinance violation listed on the Schedule of Fines, your plea will require an actual appearance in Court. If you are requesting to have the charges of your case amended, you will be required to have a defense attorney.
Defense attorneys will be required to provide an Entry of Appearance. The City Prosecuting Attorney will be available one hour prior to court to discuss any pending cases with defense attorneys. Guilty pleas, with defense attorneys, will be taken before the Judge as preliminary matters prior to the calling of the remaining Court Docket. The order will be determined by the arrival of the defense attorneys. Upon completion of the discussions with the defense attorneys, the City Prosecuting Attorney will then be available to discuss any pending cases with individual defendants.