Types of Criminal Cases

Being arrested and investigated for a crime is an experience that no one wants to endure due to both the present and future uncertainties one is faced with. Therefore, it is unwise to place your future, reputation, and liberties in the hands of an attorney that does not practice in criminal law. We pride ourselves on providing our clients with the peace of mind of knowing that we will be prepared with the appropriate response to every possible issue that may arise during the course of your case. We take decisive, proactive measures at every phase of the criminal process to defend you against charges such as:

DUI

Whether you are charged with a felony or misdemeanor drunk driving charge, we will thoroughly review the discovery of your case, beginning with the arrest, to examine whether any of the evidence could be suppressed due to either an unlawful arrest or violation of your search and seizure protections. We will also represent you in the DMV Administrative hearing and will subpoena the arresting officer to cross-examine them on possible procedural mistakes. It is important to note that this cross-examination takes place outside of the prosecutor’s presence, making the hearing an important and critical opportunity to impeach the credibility of the arresting officer by causing them to testify to the details that conflict with what they wrote in the police report.

Drug and Controlled Substance Cases

Drug arrests have led to stiff penalties for nonviolent offenders and unfair punishment of people who suffer from substance addiction and mental illness. It has also unfairly resulted in felony criminal records for many others. Even possessing a small amount of a controlled substance could result in felony charges. After an arrest for a felony or even misdemeanor drug possession, your first concern will likely be the possibility of jail time. During your initial consultation, that issue would be addressed, however, we would not be satisfied with simply keeping you out of jail. Your assessment would also include reviewing your eligibility for deferred entry into diversion programs, which can result in not only avoiding jail, but also avoiding a criminal record. It is also important to note that before engaging in any plea negotiations, we will first examine whether law enforcement lawfully searched you to determine whether the evidence against you can be suppressed.

Juvenile crimes

When defending clients in juvenile court, it is recognized that youth and immaturity can result in poor decision-making. While we acknowledge the importance of holding juvenile offenders accountable for their poor decisions, we firmly believe that a consequence of a youthful and immature mistake should not be a juvenile criminal record, which can affect college acceptance and future employment. For that reason, we will aggressively pursue and non criminal adjudication or diversion for our juvenile clients to insure that they not only learn from their mistakes, but also that they are not further punished in the future for mistakes they made as a juvenile. Some of the most common juvenile offenses are trespass, criminal mischief, shoplifting, joy riding, assault or battery, and possession of controlled substances, which can be dismissed after successful completion of a juvenile diversion program.

Sex crimes

Defending individuals in the area of sex crimes it is very important to hire an attorney that has experience with these types of cases. Our experience provides us with an insight that many other firms lack. It is paramount to be represented by an experienced sex crime lawyer due to the consequences of a sex crime conviction. Sentences such as long-term imprisonment, a criminal record for a sex crime, and worst of all, lifetime registration as a sex offender can sometimes be avoided depending on the facts of the case. Whether it be for the purposes of negotiating a plea agreement with the State of Florida or raising a trial defense, we will utilize experts in the areas of forensic science and psychology, as well perform our own independent investigation to insure that we achieve the best possible outcomes for your case, especially an outcome that would avoid being a registered sex offender.

Violent Crimes

There are many offenses that fall into this category such as assault and/or battery, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery, criminal threats, mayhem, and murder to name a few. These offenses are prosecuted aggressively by the State Attorney’s Office, and the sentences are usually harshly because they involve victim(s) who was physically harmed. In some cases such as those involving allegations of domestic violence, the cooperation of the victim is not needed in order for the prosecution to continue with their case. Whether it be raising a solid self-defense argument, attacking the forensic evidence, we have the experience to insure that our clients receive the most aggressive defense that we can offer. We further recognize the collateral consequences of a violent conviction and therefore, are not satisfied with simply avoiding jail time. A violent conviction, even at a misdemeanor level, can disqualify a person from certain professions that involve responsibilities for childcare (teachers and educators) or medical patients (medical care professionals). Therefore, we strive to negotiate reductions in charges to non-violent offenses to prevent our clients from suffering many of the unforeseen consequences a violent crime conviction carries.