Why Choose the Law Offices of John C. Carlson for your Criminal Defense Case?
Extensive Experience in Criminal Law
John has been practicing criminal law for several years and has resolved hundreds of cases, whether through plea deals or trials.
Competitive Fees
After being arrested for a criminal offense, you typically face substantial fees and fines, even without a lawyer. Adding a lawyer to the mix can easily double or triple the total cost to you to resolve your case. At our firm, we recognize the financial hardship that criminal proceedings impose on most individuals. Our rates are competitive with all other criminal law firms in the state.
Commitment to an Efficient Resolution of Every Case
The first in-court proceeding in a criminal case is the arraignment. At the arraignment, you will typically enter a plea of not guilty and set another court date between one month and two months in the future. If the individual is charged with a misdemeanor, the case can often be resolved at this next hearing date, as about 90% of misdemeanor cases resolve without a trial. Many attorneys delay resolution unnecessarily and ask that the proceedings be continued multiple times. Sometimes these delays are necessary, but usually they are not. Our approach is to set realistic timelines for each case after arraignment and to discuss these timelines with every client to ensure they know they are a top priority of our firm.
Commitment to Helping Clients with Out of Court Case Proceedings
With some offenses, there are both in-court and out-of-court proceedings you must attend. For example, if you are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your license will likely be suspended by the Department of Motot Vehicles (DMV) for a certain amount of time. The DMV proceedings are not legal proceedings – because of this, many attorneys have limited knowledge about DMV procedures and policies. You need an attorney who can represent you in front of this agency and ensure you will get your driving privileges back as soon as possible.
Commitment to Helping Clients After the Plea or Trial
In a typical case, the court proceedings up to the time of resolution are the easy part for the client. Should the case result in a plea, the client will have numerous tasks to complete, such as pay fines, serve time in jail, do community service, apply for an ankle monitor and complete a remedial class. Many firms provide minimal, often inadequate post-plea assistance, sometimes due to being unfamiliar with the particular counties post-plea procedures, or else because the attorney feels his job is over after the plea is entered.
There can also be more complicated post-plea court proceedings, such as a probation violation or restitution hearing. If you are charged with a new offense after your old one is resolved, you may have violated probation. This can have serious consequences if not addressed properly. Some criminal cases involve damage to another person’s property. For example, if you are driving under the influence and hit a pole, you will be responsible for the cost to repair the pole. Sometimes what is demanded that you pay in restitution is unreasonable and excessive. Your only recourse is to fight the amount in court. A good lawyer will reduce the amount of you owe as much as possible.
Should you enter a plea of no contest/guilty, you will be placed on probation. After successful completion of probation, you can apply for expungement. If granted, details of your plea or conviction will no longer be available to the public. You need an experienced attorney to both prepare and file the expungement petition as well as counsel you on what you must do and not do during the probationary period to ensure the petition is granted.
At our firm, we commit ourselves to handling every aspect of your case from the start to the very finish, guaranteed!
