The unfortunate reality of the modern criminal justice system is that a significant number of people charged with a crime will get convicted of SOMETHING. Despite the best efforts of defense attorneys otherwise, the police actually are reasonably good at their job, especially with lower-level offenses. If the evidence against a defendant is strong enough […]

One of the more exciting things to see in television dramas about the legal system is the tense courtroom moment when either the prosecution or the defense (depending on which side is the viewpoint for the show) confronts a witness with a surprise piece of evidence or a surprise witness. The testifying witness breaks down […]

A question we’re frequently asked is whether the police are allowed to lie to suspects during the investigation of a crime. The short answer is “yes”, the police are under no obligation to be truthful with a person that they’re investigating. Remember, the job of the police is to gather evidence that can be used […]

Confidential Informants are civilians who work with police agencies to gather evidence used to arrest and prosecute suspected criminals. There’s a significant difference between a Confidential Informant and an Anonymous Tipster. Tipsters are usually people who are calling the police either because they see a crime in progress, such as with a DUI, or are […]

When you and your attorney have decided that the best course of option for resolving your case is to proceed to trial, you have two options: a Bench Trial or a Jury Trial. Bench Trials are trials where JUST a judge hears the evidence, and JUST a judge makes the determination of whether the State […]

Consequences of a conviction Despite the best efforts of you and your defense attorney, sometimes it is impossible to completely avoid being convicted of criminal charges. The modern criminal justice system is, sadly, designed to push defendants towards accepting plea agreements rather than proceeding to trial. This is not to say that all plea agreements […]

When an officer suspects a driver of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, one of the first thing that the officer will do is ask the driver to perform a series of tests designed to evaluate the person’s coordination and motor skills. These tests are referred to as “standardized field sobriety tests.” These tests were originally […]

Most people are generally familiar with the concept of a search warrant. A search warrant is an order signed by a judge authorizing an officer to take possession of a location and search it for specifically designated items that might be evidence of a crime. Search warrants are generally controlled by the 4th Amendment to […]

A common thing that we hear from people that call our office is that they aren’t happy with the work that the public defender has done on their case, and they want to hire a “real” attorney. They think that by hiring a private attorney, they’re somehow magically going to get a better result than […]

A lot of us have heard stories about how a friend or a friend of a friend who was charged with the exact same crime that you might be charged with, but THEIR case got dismissed, or got a better plea, or some sort of less serious consequence than you’re looking at. So, what causes […]