Arizona Criminal Laws

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

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

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

Aggravated assault is a serious felony offense. It involves an assault under special circumstances are involving a particular person or party. Example would be, using a dangerous weapon or dangerous instrument during an assault, such as a knife or a firearm, can subject you to aggravated assault charges. Causing any sort of serious physical injury to another during an assault, such as broken bones or other disfigurement can also result in felony aggravated assault charges. In addition, simple assaults against a particular person, such as a police officer, or a firefighter, or an EMT can result in aggravated assault felony charges. Felony charges are serious business. It can impact your ability to get a job. It can impact your ability to have a firearm. It can also impact your ability to vote. If you or a family member have been charged with a serious felony aggravated assault, you need legal help today. Feel free to give me a call at (480) 994-8824 or you can contact me at my email.

If you’ve been charged with aggravated assault in Arizona, view a profile and complete a contact form.

By: Attorney Max Hanson

Field sobriety tests refer to those tests the officers do during the course of a DUI investigation or driving under the influence investigation. They usually take place outside the suspect’s car. They involve the classic walk and turn while walking heel to toe, the one legged stand where you stand on one leg for a period of time, the touching your nose while your eyes are closed and those type of classic tests that we all have heard about before, as far as testing for sobriety or not. These tests are designed to give the officer evidence of your impairment by reason of alcohol of your ability to drive. These tests can be biased depending on your physical capabilities. You might not be able to perform certain parts of this test, like the one leg stand, depending on what your physical condition is. If you’re older or have back problems or something else that may impact your ability to actually complete the test whether or not you were impaired or you were completely sober. They’re not good indicators. You are not required to take these tests. The courts have held you are not required to take these tests. You could refuse and can refuse to take these tests with no ramifications either to your driver’s license or to your court case if you are charged with DUI. If you or a loved one have been charged with DUI, please give me a call at (480) 994-8824 or email me.

By: Attorney Max Hanson

What made you decide to switch from being a prosecutor to becoming a defense attorney?

When I left the prosecutor’s office, I had been a prosecutor for almost (6) six years and during that time I had handled every type of case from a low-level misdemeanor offense all the way up to very serious high-level felony offenses. And during my time as a prosecutor, I found myself to be interested in the practice of criminal defense law from the standpoint of working with defendants. Really getting a chance to advocate for the person who stands before the court accused of that crime and I was fortunate enough to work with some excellent criminal defense attorneys during that time, who really demonstrated for me at least the amount you can accomplish for a client who’s facing such a tough situation. So when the opportunity presented itself to begin our firm, it was just natural for both of us to move into the area of criminal defense, since it allowed us to utilize all of the skills, techniques that we had learned as prosecutors, however, to put them to use for individuals who have been charged for these crimes and really deal with the personal aspect of the criminal justice system.

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 or not that you’ll be eligible for probation for a drug offense is going to be dependent on three factors. The type of drugs involved, the amount of drugs involved, and also whether there were any indicators that you had intent to sell the drugs involved. When were dealing with smaller amounts and certain drugs, such as marijuana, you may have a statutory right to probation for a first offense. If we’re dealing with a drug, such as methamphetamine, you’re likely going to be facing a jail term and not be eligible for probation, depending on the circumstances of the offense. Anytime that there’s an indication that there’s an intent to sell, you will not be eligible for probation for that type of offense. That’s why it’s important to have a strong, experienced attorney that has handled these types of cases. If you or a loved one have been charged with a drug offense and you have these questions, feel free to give me a call at (480) 994-8824 or email me.

To find out if you’re eligible for probation on a drug charge in Arizona, please contact an Arizona criminal attorney.

By: Attorney Max Hanson