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A good criminal defense attorney should be the number one advocate in your case and the protector of your legal rights. Many people that are facing criminal charges are unaware of how crucial it is to have a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney with a strong awareness and understanding of the criminal justice system.
An effective criminal defense attorney is often the difference between a not-guilty verdict and a serious criminal conviction with harsh penalties. If you are facing criminal charges in St. Charles, you should hire a lawyer with the requisite experience and skills to win your case.
At Hirsch Law Group, we have a team of criminal defense attorneys with extensive experience in criminal defense law. Our law firm in Saint Charles is home to a team of outstanding lawyers who have experience not only as defense attorneys but also as former prosecutors. Our lawyers have been ranked among America’s Top 100 Attorneys and have gained a high degree of professional achievement and peer recognition due to their hard work representing clients.
Our passion is protecting the rights of defendants and ensuring that all those criminally accused in Illinois get the most favorable outcome in their cases. You can organize a free consultation with an experienced Illinois criminal defense lawyer from our law office to discuss your case.
When you hire a criminal defense lawyer, you want to ensure that you have the highest standard of representation possible. Criminal defense attorneys in St. Charles are responsible for taking over your case, building a strong criminal defense, and doing everything in their power to prevent you from going to prison or facing harsh penalties. Because of this, you want to ensure that the Saint Charles criminal defense lawyer that you hire has the skills necessary to win your case.
At Hirsch Law Group, our criminal defense lawyers are highly skilled at what they do. We prioritize protecting the rights of the criminally accused and ensuring that all of our clients have a fair and just trial. Our law office is client-focused, and we want to do everything to ensure that you win your case. If you hire us as your legal representatives, we will carry out all the investigating, researching, communicating, and fighting on your behalf.
In our law firm, we value attorneys who have a wide range of experience in criminal law and related practice areas. Our managing attorney, Gordon H. Hirsch, has worked as a former prosecutor and in related practice areas such as civil law and personal injury. He has a score of 10.0 on the AVVO rating service, which is based on peer evaluations and independent reviews from clients. In our firm, our IL lawyers have worked in the Supreme Court, have years of experience litigating cases, and know what it takes to win a criminal case.
Our Saint Charles law office offers a free consultation, so you can speak with one of our criminal defense lawyers about your case.
The criminal legal system in Illinois is governed by certain laws and statutes that criminalize certain acts. These laws also offer guidelines on sentences and penalties that should be imposed upon a criminal conviction for a crime. For more serious crimes, such as violent crimes and serious drug charges, the penalties imposed on those convicted are much harsher than those for minor crimes, such as traffic violations.
Criminal law divides criminal acts into two main categories of charges: misdemeanor charges and felony charges.
Generally, less serious criminal offenses are charged as misdemeanors. As such, the penalties attached to misdemeanor convictions are lighter than those attached to felony charges. However, this does not mean that a misdemeanor charge is not serious. If convicted, you can face time in prison, fines, community service, probation, and future, more serious criminal charges.
If you are convicted of more than one misdemeanor, you are more likely to be convicted of a felony offense afterward for the same crime. Some examples of common misdemeanors are in Saint Charles, IL. Include:
Non-payment of traffic tickets.
Traffic offenses, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI case) and aggravated speeding.
Assault.
Petty theft.
Domestic battery.
Minor drug offenses, such as possession of small amounts of a controlled substance.
Trespassing.
Even if you are facing a minor misdemeanor charge, criminal defense lawyers can help prevent you from receiving a criminal record, having to spend time in county jail, doing community service, or paying fines. Your timely consultation with our skilled lawyers will help you find and brainstorm better options and ways to reach your desired outcome while keeping your rights protected.
In Illinois, more serious crimes are typically charged as felonies. Depending on the circumstances of the case, felony charges can be brought at the state or federal level, including whether the crime was committed across state borders, whether it was committed on federal property, whether there was a serious threat of violence, or whether it was too serious to be tried at the state level.
As felonies are generally more serious than misdemeanors, the penalties for a felony conviction are much higher. Those accused of a felony can face up to life imprisonment, huge fines, a permanent criminal record, and many years of probation. With felony charges, the stakes are extremely high, which is why it is essential to have legal representation from an experienced criminal defense attorney in St. Charles when facing felony charges.
Examples of felony crimes include:
Serious drug crimes such as trafficking, manufacturing, and possession of large quantities of drugs.
Crimes involving weapons.
Aggravated assault and battery.
Sex crimes such as rape, aggravated sexual assault, and abusive sexual conduct.
Serious theft crimes.
Financial crimes such as racketeering, money laundering, fraud, embezzlement, and Ponzi schemes.
Violent crimes.
Schedule a free consultation with our IL federal criminal defense lawyers today if you are facing felony charges in Saint Charles. A felony conviction can majorly impact your future job and education prospects, voting rights, ability to get a loan from a bank, and much more.
Being arrested or charged with a criminal offense is a scary thing to happen to anyone. Many people who are arrested in Saint Charles have never been in trouble with law enforcement before and are unsure how to behave and what legal rights they are protected by.
To prevent facing any additional criminal charges and to ensure the best possible outcome in your criminal case, there are certain things you need to do upon being arrested:
Comply with law enforcement – Although it is, for some people, a natural response to argue against being brought into custody or jail, failing to comply with law enforcement can result in extra penalties being added to your case. It is important that you listen and obey the orders of the police officer arresting you and request a criminal defense lawyer as soon as you get the opportunity.
Remain silent – Until you can speak with your St. Charles criminal defense attorney, you should refrain from disclosing any information to police officers about the reason you have been arrested. Refrain from declaring your innocence and trying to explain the situation, as this information may be used against you at a later date. Be aware that you reserve the right to remain silent in Saint Charles, and you can not face extra penalties for executing this right.
Know your rights – Police officers and members of law enforcement have to respect your legal rights at all times. This means that they must read you your rights upon arresting you, they must allow you access to legal services, and they can only hold you in custody without a charge for 72 hours. Ensure to contact your criminal defense attorney as soon as you are arrested so that they can ensure the protection of your rights and try to get you bail as soon as possible.
Many costly mistakes are made by those accused during the arrest process. Often, people want to try and demonstrate their innocence to law enforcement or try to explain the reason why they were arrested. In many cases, these statements have been used against our Saint Charles clients during their criminal trials. As such, you should always be aware that police officers are rarely ever on your side as they want to try and ensure a conviction. Always contact your criminal defense lawyer upon arrest in St. Charles.
Criminal cases vary a huge amount depending on the circumstances of each case and the alleged crime. As such, the defenses that a criminal lawyer can use in your case depend entirely on your circumstances. Some examples of defenses commonly used by our Saint Charles criminal defense lawyers include:
Innocence – If you did not commit the crime you are accused of, your lawyer will argue for your innocence. They will need to prove to the judge or jury that the accused did not do the crime using evidence, witnesses, and by building a strong criminal defense. They must plant a seed of doubt into the jury’s mind.
Affirmative defense – Common affirmative defenses include self-defense or defense of property. These defenses essentially argue that although you did commit the crime in question, you are less culpable because you had a valid legal reason to commit the crime.
Alibi – If you were working or out of town at the time of the crime, for example, your lawyer will demonstrate that you could not have committed the crime because you were not present. The criminal defense needs sufficient proof of your alibi in order to be successful.
Statute of limitations – Criminal charges must be brought against defendants within the statute of limitations set out under law in Saint Charles. If a prosecutor brings charges outside of this time frame, the charges are invalid.
These are just some examples of defenses that could be used in your case. However, your lawyer can raise many different legal issues and present arguments. You need to be prepared for those charges before going to trial and work with your attorney to find better solutions. Schedule a free consultation with our criminal defense law firm today to see what defense we can use in your case.
As a criminal defendant, you have a constitutional right to legal representation when facing criminal charges. If you do not hire your own criminal defense lawyer in Illinois, the state will appoint you a public defender, who is most likely working on lots of criminal cases. Public defenders are, in many cases, overworked and can only dedicate a certain amount of time to your case.
As such, if you want to ensure that you are acquitted of the charges or that your penalties are minor, you should always hire an experienced St. Charles criminal defense attorney from a reputable criminal law firm. Some things a lawyer can do to meet your criminal defense needs include:
Investigate – The first thing an experienced attorney will do is investigate your case. This should include conducting independent research, speaking with witnesses, examining the evidence presented by the prosecution, and going through police reports to check for errors or gaps in the evidence.
Communicate – Your criminal defense lawyer should effectively communicate with you throughout all stages of your case. They should listen to your story, approach it with compassion, understand your needs, and inform you about upcoming motions or trial dates.
Defense strategy – Once your lawyer has spoken with you about the case and conducted an investigation, they should then come up with an effective defense strategy. Attorneys who are experienced with criminal defense lawyers will know how to create a unique defense that will prove your innocence to a judge or jury. Criminal defense attorneys who have experience with both sides of the criminal law, such as working as a former prosecutor, will be able to predict arguments made by prosecutors in your case.
Negotiate a plea agreement – If you are happy to plead guilty to a lower charge, your criminal defense lawyer will negotiate a fair plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney. A skilled attorney will be able to lower the charges significantly to ensure that your penalty is as minor as possible.
Argue your case at trial – If you and your attorney decide to bring the case to trial, they will aggressively defend your case to ensure that you are found innocent. At trial, criminal defense lawyers must present the evidence they have gathered for your case, cross-examine witnesses, bring forward motions, address legal issues, and ensure to introduce doubt into the jury’s mind about your innocence.
Criminal defense lawyers can either make or break your case. When choosing the right criminal defense attorney in St. Charles, you should always ensure that they have the requisite experience and skills to adequately defend your case. Whether it is negotiating a legal issue or plea bargain or offering aggressive representation in court, your criminal defense lawyer should have experience in it all.
If you are facing criminal charges in Saint Charles, IL, you need a criminal defense lawyer who can fight aggressively on your behalf. A criminal conviction can have serious consequences on your life and can result in a permanent criminal record. If convicted, you could have to spend time in prison, pay huge fines, and go on probation for a prolonged period of time.
An experienced criminal defense lawyer can do everything in their power to ensure that you do not get criminally convicted in Saint Charles, IL. An attorney who is experienced with criminal law will take over your case, offer you legal advice, guide you on how to proceed, build a strong criminal defense, and fight aggressively for your rights.
The St. Charles criminal defense attorneys at Hirsch Law Group are the lawyers that you need to win your Saint Charles criminal case. Our attorneys are highly experienced with criminal defense cases and have helped thousands of clients in Illinois avoid criminal convictions. We have built up a strong attorney-client relationship due to our dedication to our client’s cases and our aggressive representation.
Schedule a free consultation with our Saint Charles criminal defense lawyers today by calling 815-880-1134. We will review your case and help you understand the legal defenses that are available to you. Our criminal defense lawyers are not afraid to go up against prosecutors in court, and we will always fight for your rights and freedom. Contact us now for a free consultation.
