Hi there, my friend have been caught shoplifting a watch $95 in Burlington, ontarion. This is the first time he has done something stupid like this. He has to appear in court in 2 weeks. What step should he take? Does he need a lawyer? Thank you.

No, he doesn't have to - no one ever has to have a lawyer, no matter what the crime is. If he can afford one, it certainly helps. The store decides what they want the court to do. If you want to name the store, or Google shoplifting from that store, you may find out what they usually do. Often it's restitution plus legal fees, which might be several hundred dollars. The whole process might take about 4 minutes.

Thank you so much for the response. The store is HBC. One more question, if charged, is there a possibility that he would go to jail right from the court? Sorry no idea about these legal proceedings. Thanks a lot again.

If this is a first time offense he can and should request a diversion. This is a specific program in Canadian courts that will allow him to do community service and restitution in exchange for no record after probation. The court should appoint an attorney to help him through this.