Legal Services

One nonrefundable legal fee is charged for representation that includes representation from the first appearance, which may include a bail motion, through sentencing. The amount of the fee varies depending upon the type of crime involved, the level of crime (misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or felony) and the complexity in handling the case. Other charges may include investigation costs, expert witness costs, and the costs of securing police reports. These costs are in addition to the legal fees.
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Mistakes can and do happen in the trial court. When we believe a mistake was made, an appeal to another independent group of judges is sought. Usually an appeal is made after the final judgment is made in the case by a different lawyer than the lawyer who tried the case.

An appeal is typically made to the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court hears only first degree murder appeals and other discretionary appeals (or appeals that it decides to hear after the Court of Appeals has heard the matter).

An appeal must be filed within 90 days of the judgment or sentencing in felony and gross misdemeanor cases and within 10 days of a judgment or sentencing in a misdemeanor case. It is important that the appeal is filed with the appellate court before the time is up or the defendant may lose the right to appeal.

One legal fee is charged for the attorney's representation in reviewing the trial court transcript, writing the appellate brief or briefs, and arguing the case before the appellate court. This is a nonrefundable fee. Other costs include those of securing the transcript, the filing fee, and the costs of copying and binding the briefs. These estimated costs must be paid before the attorney begins work on the appeal.
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Law enforcement officers will often approach a suspect to investigate a crime even though that person has neither been charged nor arrested. This is a critical time and our firm will represent our client’s best interests by protecting against admissions, promoting a lesser charge, or if possible, preventing charging all together. A flat fee is charged.
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You are entitled to a hearing when you are charged with violating probation. Before a judge can revoke your probation and execute your suspended sentence, it must be proven that you intentionally violated a condition of your probation and that the violation warrants execution of the sentence. This is similar to a mini-trial and a nonrefundable legal fee is required. Other costs may include expert witness fees.
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Juveniles can be charged with the same types of crimes that adults can face. Juveniles can also be charged with offenses that adults cannot be charged, such as underage drinking, truancy, etc. Juveniles usually have hearings in juvenile court and if they are found to have committed the offense, they may be adjudicated. However, some offenses are considered so egregious that they are handled in adult court. Although a public defender may be provided for a child, many parents decide to hire a private attorney to handle their child's case.
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Expungement is a process by which the record of a criminal conviction is sealed after some expiration of time. An expungement can also be done to seal the arrest record of someone who is not convicted of a crime.

Other than a nonrefundable legal fee for the attorney to prepare the petition and argue it before the sentencing judge, there are costs involved in securing the records as well as a filing fee of $132. The filing fee is waived in instances where someone was acquitted of the crime. These costs need to be paid prior to the time the attorney begins work on the expungement.
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