No other area of our legal system has as much mystique and misunderstanding as Criminal Defense.

Your concern over an arrest and the filing of criminal charges against you is well founded. Done right, a successful defense provides immense satisfaction and a sense of freedom rarely experienced. A bad defense will have disastrous life-long consequences.

Regardless of what some may think “having a record” is not cool, and it will have an ever-lasting negative impact on your life. Too many people, usually the young ones, believe it is a status enhancer to have been arrested and charged with a crime. Too often these citizens believe that first offenders will skate through the court with meaningless probation and without permanent marks against them. The reality is that it does not work that way.

You can not get out of encounters with our criminal justice system unscathed.

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” – John Adams, December 1770

A criminal record, whether an arrest or a conviction, is a fact that will follow you for the rest of your life. Often unrecognized is the fact that a dirty record will always rear it’s ugly face at the most inopportune time – job applications, job advancements, security clearances, social encounters, explaining your behaviors to your friends and family (especially to your kids), etc.

It is important to try to keep your record as unblemished by criminal encounters as possible. That is why it is important to choose the right lawyer to represent your interests before the court in criminal matters.

The only way to find the right lawyer is to talk to them and ask them what they can provide to your cause. Set up face-to-face meetings with your prospects. While many of their answers to your questions will be similar, you will know when you have found the right one.