defense attorney Miami

Misdemeanors are criminal charges that categorized as less serious than felony charges, with lesser penalties and lower fines. For this reason, many people choose to forego hiring a defense lawyer and take their chances. However, there are many reasons this is inadvisable. Hiring a defense lawyer for a Miami misdemeanor can often help to significantly reduce the lasting consequences of a permanent criminal record.

Our goal as your lawyer is to work toward a resolution that is going to leave you with as few longstanding ramifications as possible. What we will first do is look for any way to have the charges dismissed outright. If that isn’t likely, our strategy is to minimize the damage, possibly negotiating a plea to lesser charges and arguing for the minimum incarceration and fines.

Examples of misdemeanor crimes in Florida include:

Shoplifting.
Trespassing.
DUI.
Solicitation for prostitution.
Disorderly conduct.
Reckless driving.
Criminal mischief.
Simple battery.
Underage possession of alcohol.

What many people don’t understand is that just because a charge is a misdemeanor doesn’t mean a conviction will have a minor impact on your life. Never assume that this will be a “slap on the wrist” that you can easily move past. Continue reading

Some are crediting the presence of ride share companies like Uber and Lyft (also referred to as transportation network companies, or TNCs) with driving down the number of DUI arrests and crashes in Miami. The City of Miami reported Miami DUI arrests dropped by nearly one-third over the last four years. Miami-Dade Police report DUI arrests are down a stunning 65 percent in the same period. While roughly 1,500 DUI arrests made annually between 2013 and 2015, The Miami Herald reports DUI arrests clocked in just shy of 600 last year.

Miami DUI arrest lawyers know that while it’s true many are increasingly relying on ride share services, we nonetheless see a spike of DUI collisions and traffic stops on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, long noted to be one of the booziest of the year. Annually at the end-of-year holidays, the Florida Highway Patrol steps up its, “Drive sober or get pulled over,” campaign, specifically aiming at drivers under the influence of alcohol and/ or drugs.

Even if it’s your first drunk driving arrest in Florida – or your first arrest ever – you can expect it will cause you grief personally, professionally and, of course, legally. Limiting your statements to investigating officers is wise until you have spoken with a Miami criminal defense lawyer – a fact you will want to state calmly but firmly to police who try to question you about where you have been, where you’re headed, what alcohol you have consumed or even whether you have. Blood-alcohol or breath-alcohol tests are compulsory under Florida’s implied consent law, and if you do refuse, it will mean an automatic one-year license suspension. Continue reading

Articles Tagged with defense attorney Miami

Do I Need a Lawyer for a Miami Misdemeanor?

Miami DUI Arrests Down Overall, But Defense Lawyers Expect a Spike on New Year’s Eve