Criminal Defense Lawyer

I like to refer to it as “Criminal justice”. Not only does it sound better, but justice, even more than defense, is more accurate for what I do, and what I strive for when representing someone being charged with a violation of the law. The truth is, it’s a rigged system. The defenses are limited and often require a showing of proof at trial, and the people charging you can make it so that to keep your life going (out of custody) you must spend a lot of money just on that… they call it bail. And if you can’t afford bail, well then you are staying in until your trial has concluded (assuming you are found not guilty), or until they offer you your eventual freedom in exchange for an admission of guilt to something. So many people never get any justice… in fact, many innocent people (or people with defenses) who find themselves being charged with a crime, plead “guilty” or “no contest” every single day just because it is in their immediate best interest. They get injustice.

When I represent someone in a criminal matter, I go into it knowing that. I do what I would want done for me. I play chess. By that, I mean that I know the system. I know the rules and how the courts often act. I know the game, and what pieces will be on the table, when. What moves work when presented with certain moves, and when the game clock should be stopped or started. I strategize with my clients from the very beginning, in an effort to level the playing field and guarantee that we don’t have to admit guilt just to stop the pain. But more than anything, I work with my clients on a human-to-human level. I try and explain why things happen in the way that they do, and what to expect coming up. I work with my clients so that they feel heard and represented through the entire process.