Arizona Criminal Laws

Domestic Violence in Phoenix

What are some consequences for a person convicted of a domestic violence offense? Well, that’s a good question as well. At AM law, we found that some of the consequences that our clients have been facing, aside from just the conviction in itself, which can make life very difficult when you’re talking about applying for a job, even applying for loans and credit, that type of thing can come up and be a hindrance to people.

Right to Bear Arms

Specifically with domestic violence, the right to bear arms, to own a firearm or some type of weapon after having been convicted of that offense is going to be restricted. You’re not going to be able to do that and that’s obviously a concern for individuals who are concerned about their own safety in their homes and the defense of themself and their family members, if they were someone that felt a firearm was one of the ways they felt protected.

Monetary Consequences

So, that can be one of the more significant consequences for an individual in a domestic violence situation. And again, the consequences of being incarcerated, whether it be in jail or prison, depending on the level of offense are obviously very serious and there’s monetary consequences as well. Typically, domestic violence offenses come with mandatory fines; sometimes the cost of probation can be a burden for individuals.

So, these are all the things that when we are trying to negotiate a resolution in a domestic violence offense we’re trying to be considerate and conscious of those potential issues for our clients before entering into a resolution.

By: Jared Allen

Criminal assault in Arizona means that you’ve been charged with either physically injuring someone or even threatening to physically injure someone if they feel their in imminent danger of harm, which means you come up to someone and you draw back with your fist or something else and they think they’re going to be punched, that’s assault under Arizona law. Additionally, you can be charged with assault if you just simply push someone, goat them, insult them, provoke them into action or provoke them into a fight, you can be charged with assault in Arizona. It’s a criminal misdemeanor offense. Maximum penalty, probation is usually available, but maximum penalty can be up to 6 months in jail, so it’s a serious offense that you need serious help with. If you’ve been charged with assault, give my office a call. Talk to one of our experienced criminal law attorneys. Our number is (480) 994-8824. Or you can contact me by my email address.

By: Attorney Max Hanson

DUI Litigation Expertise

Steve, at AM Law, what is your experience in handling DUI cases? DUI cases are some of the most common cases that come up in the world of criminal defense. For me personally, while I was a prosecutor I handled hundreds of misdemeanor DUIs as a trial attorney and I finished my career at the Maricopa County attorneys office as a member of their vehicular crimes bureau, where my practice was dedicated solely to cases involving DUIs, or manslaughters, or homicides that involved an impaired driver. So, for me personally, I’ve handled thousands of cases involving DUIs and have focused my training and my practice as a prosecutor in handling those types of cases.

By: Steven Meyerand

Trial Cooperation

If witnesses refuse to cooperate with the police, will the case be dismissed? That’s a good question. I’d say it’s an urban legend that if a witness doesn’t want to prosecute, or doesn’t want to testify in a trial setting, then that case is going to be dismissed and we hear that at AM Law from clients in not just domestic violence cases, but cases in general.

We try to educate our clients based on our experience as prosecutors having had those difficulties in getting witnesses to trial, or getting witnesses to the interview prior to a trial. If you’re counting on that as your 100% sure fire way to get your case handled, then your most likely going to be disappointed with the result. We talk about the experience we had as prosecutors, because the power of the state is significant.

Court Subpoena

They can subpoena and compel witnesses to appear in court and that can be as aggressive as going out and arresting the individual that has said that they don’t want to come and testify or that they don’t want to prosecute the case and bring them before the court to testify more or less against their will. So, we try to explain to our clients that we want to build a defense that isn’t dependent on luck, or circumstances that are outside of our control.

Allen & Meyerand

We want to do what we can control here within these four walls. That involves using our experience to talk with prosecutors about potential results that would be beneficial for both parties and we see in domestic violence a lot of times that it is beneficial to have a counseling, or an anger management, or even a familial type of counseling resolution in lieu of having a conviction. That, often times, is enough for the behavior to not be repeated. And then obviously if the behavior is repeated, then there are more serious consequences down the line for those types of offenders.

By: Jared Allen

Whether you go to jail or face a prison term for a possession of drugs charge really depends on three different questions. One, what type of drug are we talking about? Are we talking about marijuana, are we talking about methamphetamine, are we talking about prescription medications? Two, how much of the drug are we talking about? How much have they alleged that you possessed at the time of your arrest? If we’re talking about a small amount, as opposed to a large amount, that’s going to have an impact on whether probation is available or how long a jail or prison term that you may face. The third question we need to find out is, was there any indications or anything that pointed toward you having an intent to sell the drug? Did they recover scales, did they recover grinders, did they recover the drugs from you in individual pre-packaged amounts, which would all indicate that you had these drugs for the purpose of selling them. Obviously, if you had the drugs for sale, you face larger penalties and more significant penalties than you would if it was just a simple possession. Until we answer all three of these questions, the penalties could range anywhere from probation or even having the charges dismissed after a diversion program for a simple possession of marijuana charge, to ten years in prison for selling methamphetamine. If you or a loved one is facing a drug possession charge, whether it’s simple possession or a possession for sale, feel free to give me a call at (480) 994-8824 or email me.

If you’ve received a possession charge in Arizona, contact a criminal defense attorney in your area.

By: Attorney Max Hanson

Advantages of Criminal Law Practice

With that said, what in your view is the most rewarding thing about practicing criminal law. For me personally and I think for our firm, anytime you can get a client the result they want and for every case that’s going to be different. For some clients that means an acquittal after trial, for other clients it simply means the best deal they can get given their circumstances. But, when you get to that point in a case where you’ve been able to accomplish what the client wants and the client is not only happy with the result, but their relieved, their thankful, that as a criminal defense attorney is the most rewarding aspect, is knowing you’ve been able to walk hand in hand with someone through a process that is for many of our clients, something they’re experiencing for the first time and something that may be the most difficult thing they’ve ever faced. And to come through it on the other side with an outcome that they wanted, there is nothing more rewarding in the practice of law at all.

And speaking of cases, what kind of cases do you handle? At our firm, we handle a full range of criminal defense cases. Everything from speeding tickets all the way up to some of the most serious offenses you hear about on the news and everything in between. One of the areas we specialize in is DUI defense, but we also cover many other types of misdemeanors, such domestic violence offenses, violent crimes, drug offenses and all manner of felony offenses. So, we pride ourselves in being a full service criminal defense firm that can handle any type of criminal defense case that any of our clients might be facing.

By: Steven Meyerand

The range of penalties for intent to sell marijuana can range from everything down to probation, all the way up to 12-1/2 years in prison, plus up to $150,000 in fines, plus the special assessment on selling marijuana cases, which is $750, or three times the value of the drugs. Which if were talking about a large amount of marijuana, could be substantial, as opposed to what you’re already paying in fines and assessments. Additionally, you’re looking at at least 240 hours of community service for a conviction of this charge and the impact it can have to your future employment. If you or a loved one have been charged with a possession of marijuana with intent to sell, please give me a call at (480) 994-8824 or email me.

If you would like to discuss an intent to sell marijuana charge with a Scottsdale criminal attorney, please visit a profile page and complete a contact form.

By: Max Hanson

Choosing a Phoenix Criminal Attorney

Jared, why should a client consider AM Law? I think that at AM Law, we obviously offer the payment plans that we’ve discussed earlier and we’re flexible with those, but when it comes down to choosing a defense attorney, we’re a firm that provides personal service and that’s what we really pride ourselves on. While we have a support staff that may take calls and may provide us with some assistance in handling cases, they are not the individuals that our clients are going to be talking to about their case.

Allen & Meyerand

So, we feel at AM Law the primary difference that we provide is two attorneys with tons of experience, but those same two attorneys are the people that talk to you, talk to you about your cases, talk to you about what’s going to happen at court, meet you at court and then ultimately, prepare and get the case ready for trial, if necessary. So, I think that what sets us apart is that we’ll be there for every step of the way, not just the steps at the end.

By: Jared Allen

Free Case Evaluation in Phoenix

Jared, at AM Law, what is a free case evaluation? That’s a good question. We have people ask that all the time when they call in to talk to us. They want to know, “Is free really free?” and the answer is absolutely yes.

At AM Law, we will talk to any individual, any prospective client that calls us about a criminal matter, or some type of legal matter that we’re able to help them with. We’ll sit down with them, or we’ll talk to them over the phone, whatever’s convenient for them and we’ve met whether it be at our office, or a Starbucks, or a potential client’s home, we’re willing to do that and talk to you about your case and look at any information you may have already been given, whether it’s a police report, or a citation and try to give you an idea of how the case is going to proceed from that point and the type of work that we can do in a case like that and especially the type of experience we may have in a case like that and talk a little bit about the value and the benefits of having an attorney on your case at various stages of a pending matter. So, when we talk about a free case evaluation at AM Law, we are absolutely talking about time that you do not have to pay for.

By: Jared Allen