Worked in a court until recently and learned a few helpful things.
1. Listen carefully to your brief - he/she wants to keep you out of prison. Do as he/she tells you.

2. In court, dress as well as you possibly can. You need a suit, new or freshly pressed shirt/tie, polished shoes.* Borrow or Oxfam if necessary, it's worth it.
Your brief will draw the court's attention to your appearance and I promise you it'll help. (See example below!)

3. Your brief will present your recent rehab/employment history to the court, possibly including a letter of support from your employers.
Rehab and employment are major factors in keeping people out of prison.

*I've seen young men who were definitely going down - for breach of probation, say - turn up in scruffy trackies.
I've personally advised them to ask a mate to lend them a suit. They've laughed at me but rung a mate anyway, who's then sped round in his weddin' suit.

They've swapped togs with minutes to spare and the offender's gone into court looking smart, and come out with another few months' probation and a big grin.

I've even got security guards to lend offenders their ties - it all helps.

SO...
Fraud's serious but if you make a good impression on the day and your brief presents lots of mitigation you're more likely to get a community sentence, like a fine, probation, unpaid work, curfew etc. There's even the possibility of a suspended sentence if you're of previous good character. Your brief will know the score and will level with you on sentencing.

Oh, and pleading guilty at the first opportunity cuts down the sentence too.

It may surprise you to learn that nobody in the court actually wants you to go down. Everyone wants you to go home and live a happy, quiet life. Good luck!
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Mon 22 Dec 2008, 9:24, Reply)