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Jury Acquittals = Proven Criminal Defense Track Record
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SPD Trial Certified - Member, Federal Defender Panel
of Wisconsin. Payment plans available! BBB Accredited Business (A+)
DON'T BE AFRAID TO CALL AND LEAVE ME A MESSAGE OR TO
EMAIL
ME ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS - JUST LIKE REGULAR WEEK DAYS, I WILL
LIKELY GET BACK TO YOU THE SAME
DAY!
If somebody you love is arrested . . .
He
or she should not make any statements about what he or she is being
accused of, with whom he or she has been speaking, about any of his or
her activities, friends, business associates or anything other than the
personal identification info needed to process him or her. He or she
should be polite and courteous to law-enforcement officers, he or she
should give them his or her full name, date of birth, address, etc.,
but he or she should not not tell them what he or she was doing before
the arrest or anything else. If one is arrested for OWI / BAC
(Operating While Intoxicated and/or driving with a Prohibited
Blood-Alcohol Content), one should not refuse the test or one can be
charged separately for that, too! But one should be assertive in
demanding an attorney immediately and frequently. A person who has been
arrested should make sure to tell them "I WANT A LAWYER!" - don't ask
them if they think a lawyer is needed, and don't say something weak and
ambiguous like, "I think I need a lawyer" or "I'd like an attorney."
Make it crystal clear that you want a lawyer NOW.
Call or email
me right away for a free consultation if you ever find yourself or a
loved one even accused of committing any crime in this state. It is
vitally important, even at what is referred to as the "pre-charging"
phase, that you retain competent legal counsel as soon as humanly
possible so that you have the invaluable edge in protecting all of your
legal rights that only comes with being able to start laying the
groundwork for your defense at the earliest possible point in the
development of your case. If you have a loved one in police custody,
then he or she should make a collect call at the first opportunity to
you, a trusted friend or family member to contact and retain me on his
or her behalf. Don't waste time and let great opportunities to take
fuller control of the situation early on in a criminal prosecution slip
away from you!
Qualified State & Federal Case Experience
My criminal-defense trial experience has earned me a place on both the State Public Defender's private-bar appointment
list for top felonies and the state's highly-selective CJA Federal Defender Panel (the latter appoints federal-level
criminal cases in both the Eastern and Western Federal Districts of Wisconsin). I am trial certified by the Wisconsin
SPD's office to handle all felonies (attempted Class-A), all misdemeanors, paternity, Chapter 980 cases, Chapter
51 & 55 psychiatric commitments (dormant certification), all juvenile, including termination of parental rights,
and probation/parole revocations. My unique and lengthy experience encompasses familiarity with practically every
level of litigation within nearly every municipal, state and/or federal court, hearing board and judicial governmental
agency in southeast Wisconsin. I have built an extensive personal and professional network with other lawyers,
judges, law clerks, other legal professionals and forensic experts in many areas of the law, especially in the
criminal-defense sector.
Take it to Trial!
I have been winning jury trials for many years. I have a proven track record readily evidenced by doing an advanced
search with my bar number (1020925) in Wisconsin's CCAP Internet
docket system in both the adult- and juvenile-court systems successfully defending people accused of felonies and
misdemeanors. My approach to criminal cases is simple: So long as it's not a matter of litigation strategy traditionally
reserved to the sole discretion and judgment of the attorney, and if it's not illegal or unethical, I do what the
client wants. If a client wants to take a case all the way to a jury trial and my experience tells me that it's
imprudent or unreasonable under all of the facts and circumstances, I tell him or her what I think, but I abide
by his or her decision because I insure that he or she has all the information required for him or her to make
a fully-informed decision. So, though it may be a bad decision with which I disagree, I will not impede a client's
desire to take risks and gamble on his or her future (it's his or her future, after all). Similarly, if I think
a client is crazy for not taking his or her case to a jury, I'll make my opinion crystal clear, but I will not
push a client to go to trial if he or she is too scared to roll the dice on a jury's verdict. The bottom line is
that, if a client wants to settle or go to trial, it's the client's decision (not mine). I give my clients the
best legal representation that their money can buy, regardless of whether they decide to plea bargain or to fight
- I've consistently gotten great results over the years doing both.
So, though my skills as a negotiator lead to over 90% of my cases resolving short of trial to my clients' satisfaction,
sometimes all they understand and respect on the other side is a good fight! I am always ready, willing and able
to stand a client's ground and fight the good fight if that's what we're forced to do by a prosecutor's stubborn
unreasonableness or bullying tactics. I've gone up against the very worst of them in my years of practice, often
times having an unfair judge strip my client's case of all defensive advantages, and I've still won many of those
kinds of cases.
In 1998, I was one of the very first defense attorneys in the state to take a case to a jury under a new law
then making it a felony to fail to prevent sexual contact between a child and another person. Though the jury was
misled by unfair prosecutor antics and convicted my client, the unjust conviction was later overturned on appeal
for reasons that had everything to do with how I conducted my client's case in chief at the trial (click "Press"
in the button bar above to read some newspaper clippings about that case and others). Since then, I have won jury
acquittals for serious drug charges (trafficking, manufacturing, keeping a drug house), sexual assault of children,
weapons and other offenses. I have won many dismissals simply by sticking to my guns and pushing forward with a
client's wish to try a case until the prosecution breaks due to witness or other evidentiary problems that force
them to drop the charges altogether. I've also been successful with motions to suppress drugs and to dismiss deficient
criminal complaints. Prosecutors know those of us in the defense bar who will not hesitate to fully - but wisely
- assert all of our client's rights to challenge evidence and put a weak case in the hands of a jury. Make sure
you do your homework if you're criminally charged and be smart enough to pick one of us to defend you so you have
the best chance of success and at least get your money's worth.
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Affordable, Experienced Criminal Defense Counsel
I
make my services affordable for people by offering various payment
arrangements to those who qualify. Note that "affordable" does not
necessarily equal "cheap" because experience like mine, especially in
this part of the state, does come at a high price charged by most
practitioners who have been handling criminal-defense cases as
successfully as I have for as long as I have. Based in Milwaukee, I
have many years of experience as trial-litigation, defense counsel
(since 1995) in both the adult- and juvenile-court systems in both
state and federal courts all over southeastern and south-central
Wisconsin successfully defending good people accused of committing top
criminal offenses, either directly or as a party to the crime (PTAC),
such as: Assault and Battery, Bank Fraud and Bank Robbery, Bankruptcy
Fraud, Blackmail, Bouncing/Floating Checks (felony uttering), Burglary,
Capital Offenses, Carrying Concealed Weapons, Corporate Criminal Law
Offenses, Conspiracy, Computer Crimes, Contributing to the Delinquency
of Minors, Fraud, Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence Charges (DV),
Drug Trafficking, Possession and other Drug Offenses, Embezzlement,
Extortion, Failure to Prevent inappropriate physical contact with a
Child, Felony Failure to Pay Child Support, Federal Criminal Law
Violations, Felonies, Felon in Possession of Weapons, Possession of
Child Porn (pornography), Forgery, Forging Drug Prescriptions,
Homicide, Illegal Reentry, Interfering with Parental Rights/Placement,
Kidnapping, Mail Fraud, Mayhem, Misdemeanors, Odometer Tampering,
Operating after Revocation, OWI/DUI, Parole and Probation Violations,
Postal Fraud, Prostitution, Reckless Endangerment, Real Estate Fraud,
Retail Theft (shoplifting), Robbery, both adult and juvenile "Romeo
& Juliet" offenses, Child Assault/Abuse of Children, Theft, Theft
by Contractor, Theft by Fraud, Underage Drinking/Possession of
Alcoholic Beverages by a minor, Weapons Charges, Wire Fraud, White
Collar Crimes, and much more.
True or False? "A criminal-defense attorney who is a former
prosecutor has the best experience to defend you if you're ever charged."
I have never been, nor will I ever be a prosecutor! Former prosecutors may have more jury-trial experience
than most career defense attorneys, but keep in mind that most of their experience is from trying cases against people accused
of committing crimes. It's a very different experience that comes from the same number of years defending people in
front of juries against the prosecutors (and sometimes even against the judges who often side with the prosecutors,
especially if the judge is also a former prosecutor), and that's the edge that best serves a person accused of
criminal conduct. We career defense attorneys pick up every little trick the prosecutors try to pull, and we get
to know the inner workings and policies of the prosecutors' offices after defending people for a long time. Every
former prosecutor I know against whom I at one time had to defend clients who has since jumped the fence to defend
the criminally accused was relentlessly, unreasonably heavy-handed as a prosecutor. What would make anybody think
that someone who chose to start his or her career prosecuting people would be able to simply flip a switch in his
or her brain such that he or she could then thoroughly and sincerely advocate for the best interests of people
charged with committing the same crimes he or she once zealously prosecuted? Once
a prosecutor, always the prosecutor's mentality!
If you're thinking about hiring a former prosecutor to defend you in a criminal case, instead of a career defense
attorney, like me, then ask him or her a few questions first: Why is the attorney now defending the criminally
accused when he or she started out prosecuting them? What's your guarantee that he or she will really be looking
out for your best interests and will not let old instincts inadvertently take over to the point that you get "sold
down the river"? If he or she says it's because the money is better, run (don't walk) out of his or her office,
then call me. Some
former prosecutors I know who are now defense attorneys have themselves been busted for drunk driving and shoplifting
(can you believe that?),
so they had no choice but to leave the prosecutor's office. Without practice experience in other areas of the law,
they are forced to resort to doing criminal-defense work (it's not hard to imagine that they really don't want
to be doing what they do now). So do you want one of them defending you? |
Monthly payment plans available. Free, confidential e-mail
and telephone consultations. I accept both state and federal criminal cases throughout southeast Wisconsin,
including (but not limited to) the following counties/cities: Milwaukee (South & West Milwaukee, West
Allis, Franklin, Oak Creek, Glendale, Greendale, Greenfield, Saint Francis, Brown Deer, Hales Corners, Bay View,
Bay Side, Cudahy, River Hills, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Wauwatosa), Waukesha (Brookfield, Elm Grove, New
Berlin, Hartland, Oconomowoc, Muskego, Mukwonago, Menomonee Falls, Pewaukee, Sussex), Washington County
(West Bend, Germantown), Racine (Sturtevant, Burlington), Kenosha (Pleasant Praire), Ozaukee County
(Cedarburg, Mequon, Port Washington, Fredonia), Outagamie County (Appleton), Walworth County
(Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, Walworth), Jefferson (Fort Atkinson), Rock County (Janesville, Beloit), Fond
du Lac (Ripon), Winnebago County (Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha), Sheboygan (Sheboygan Falls, Oostburg,
Plymouth), Dodge County (Juneau, Waupun, Watertown), Calumet County (Chilton) and Dane County
(Madison, Monona, Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona).
I am a full-service practitioner.
Click here to read about my other services.
I speak, read and write the Spanish and French languages.
Click
here to view my series of helpful YouTube criminal-law videos!
Also click below to read my latest feature article published
in Wisconsin Defender,
the official publication of the Office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender,
The
Alternate Defense Pre-Sentence Investigation Report: Tempering Harsh State Sentencing Recommendations.
Click
here to see my answers to criminal-law questions at LawGuru.
BBB Accredited Business
(Click BBB seal below to verify my A+ rating)
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