St. Petersburg Criminal Defense Attorney

A criminal conviction will affect the rest of your life.

That’s why our St. Petersburg Criminal Defense firm treats every case as if it is the most serious case ever.

Every client is led by a criminal defense attorney who is a former prosecutor. And every case is reviewed by a team of attorneys to make sure the best possible theory of defense is used to maximize the chance of victory.

How We Help

We fight all criminal charges in St. Petersburg from traffic to murder.

The success of any legal matter depends on the unique circumstances of each case, therefore, we cannot guarantee particular results for future clients.

We fight every criminal charge in Pinellas County, St. Petersburg Courthouses including:

Drug Charges

Sherriff Gualtieri and the Pinellas State Attorney continues to aggressively prosecute St. Petersburg citizens for drug-related offenses. A first-time misdemeanor charge carries a possible penalty of 12 months in jail or on probation. Our criminal defense lawyers in St. Petersburg are members of NORML and utilize cutting-edge defenses to minimize penalties for drug crimes.

DUI Charges

The Pinellas County State Attorney refuses to allow any diversionary program for even a first-time DUI arrest and charge. What is worse, the State Attorney does not like to reduce DUI charges to a reckless driving. Our St. Petersburg criminal law lawyers know this. That’s why we fight every DUI charge no matter how small from the very first moment of criminal defense representation. We are able to greatly increase the chances of reducing the DUI to reckless driving or getting an outright dismissal because we outwork the State Attorney’s office.

Robbery and Burglary Charges

Our St. Petersburg burglary Attorneys represent individuals throughout Saint Petersburg FL with a particular emphasis on Southside residents and drug-related robbery and burglary charges. The St. Petersburg Police Department has been too aggressive in arresting its citizens for robbery and burglary charges in the community, resulting in false arrests and overcharged individuals.

Warrants With the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office

Our criminal defense team can help withdraw warrants for your arrest that are issued by the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office, the State Attorney, or St. Petersburg Police Department. This is usually accomplished with a Motion to Withdraw a Warrant or Capias filed at the Criminal Justice Center and heard in front of your assigned Judge.

Probation Violations

While probation can be an excellent alternative to jail for resolving an underlying charge, probation violations can lead to bigger jail sentences and tougher penalties than the original charge may warrant. St. Petersburg Court has its own probation violation court for misdemeanors and for technical violations of felony charges. For violation of felony probation with a new law, charge expects to have to appear in front of the Judge who put you on probation.

Domestic Violence Charges

If you’ve been wrongfully accused of domestic violence and need help shaping a self-defense case, our St. Petersburg domestic violence attorneys are ready to listen. Domestic violence charges are not a joke. Don’t allow yourself to be wrongly charged with a crime you didn’t commit. Bring your case to our St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys and allow us to take care of your charges. One of our experienced criminal defense attorneys will defend your right to protect yourself.

Arrest Warrants

Thinking that a warrant is outstanding for your arrest and knowing that the police might bang on your door at any moment is trying and stressful. In an overcrowded criminal justice system where people are trying to move through long lists of criminal defense cases as quickly as possible, criminal defendants do not always have a chance to explain their situation. But our experienced St. Petersburg Arrest Warrant Attorneys are here and ready to help. If you are unsure if you have an active warrant, the State of Florida has a Public Access Warrant Search Online that is provided as a courtesy by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Simply go to the State-run website, enter the relevant data, and you can see if you have an active warrant.

We also provide aggressive legal representation for all criminal offenses from minor traffic offenses, aggravated assault, white collar crimes to arson to violent crimes such as murder.

We Know Pinellas County Courts

With six former Pinellas Prosecutors on our team, we know the State Attorneys office from the inside.

We have six former Pinellas County Prosecutors working on our legal team. So we know the State Attorneys office from the inside. Everything from your initial bond hearing to your arraignment to how the State Attorney decides what criminal cases to file on, we know the game.

Knowing how to look at your criminal case from the eyes of the person trying to convict you makes all the difference in the world. And having six of us allows us to review your case from all angles when building a defense.

Of course, we don’t just rely on our past history with the State Attorneys office or our knowledge of how the Judges operate. We continue to hone our craft and lead the criminal defense bar in Pinellas County. We are members of the Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Four of our lawyers are rated perfect by AVVO. Three of our St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers are Superlawyers. We know how to do this.

Why A Criminal Defense Lawyer Matters When Dealing With St. Petersburg Criminal Charges

Of course, you don’t want your case to go to trial. You want this to be behind you. So why does it matter if you have a criminal trial lawyer?

Simply put, you want to be sure that if your case must go to trial you have the best in your corner. A trial is just like you see on TV, complete with a jury of your peers deciding your guilt or innocence. We do not hire lawyers without significant trial experience. Period. So if you have to fight your case in state and federal courts you will get the best representation possible.

Of course, the unintended side effect is that we resolve more cases for better deals precisely because we know how to use the courtroom to make your case better for you. The more experience our St. Petersburg criminal lawyers have in court, the less likely your case will need to to see the courtroom.

We Represent Individuals In All Three Pinellas County Locations

Pinellas County’s main criminal justice center is a location on 49th Street North, next to the Pinellas County Jail.

If you have been arrested and booked on anything from a misdemeanor to a felony, then you have been transported to the Pinellas County Jail and booked. Afterward, you were either released on your own recognizance or bonded out by a bondsman.

The Pinellas County Jail is attached to the criminal justice center. So when you go back to Court for any non-traffic related criminal charge you will go to the Criminal Justice Center.

However, or certain traffic-related offenses, Pinellas provides more convenient traffic courts. The St. Petersburg traffic court is located on 66th Street by the Tyrone Mall. This is known as “South County” traffic court.

South County Traffic Court provides your St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyer potentially two forums to fight your charge. In most cases, our South County Traffic Court Criminal Defense Lawyers will fight your charge in the traffic court first either through plea negotiation or filing and argue motions to suppress or dismiss. If the lawyer can get a successful result in traffic court then the case is over. If our knowledgeable criminal defense lawyer is having a difficult time getting a favorable result in traffic court we can require the court to transfer the case to the criminal justice center and have another chance to fight the case at the Courthouse on 49th Street.