Criminal Defense

A criminal charge is the government asserting something about you that it has to prove. Everything that follows — the plea offer, the suppression motion, the trial — turns on how well that assertion holds up under pressure, and on whether anyone applies the pressure.

The first, cheapest, and most commonly wasted advantage in a criminal case is silence. If you have been contacted by an officer or an investigator and have not yet spoken to a lawyer, that is the call to make first.

What this includes

• Felony and misdemeanor defense in Utah district and justice courts
• DUI and impaired driving, including the separate Driver License Division hearing
• Drug possession and distribution charges
• Theft, fraud, and property offenses
• Assault and domestic violence charges, including the related protective order
• Weapons offenses and restoration of firearm rights
• Probation violations and orders to show cause
• Pretrial motions — suppression, dismissal, and evidentiary challenges
• Plea negotiation, plea in abeyance, and diversion agreements
• Sentencing advocacy and alternatives to incarceration
• Expungement and reduction under Utah Code sections 76-3-402 and 77-40a
• Appeals and post-conviction relief

The sequence of a Utah criminal case

1. Arrest or citation, and — critically — the window before charges are filed, when the case can sometimes be shaped.
2. Initial appearance and bail, where release conditions are set.
3. Discovery review, including body camera footage, reports, and lab results.
4. Preliminary hearing in felony matters; pretrial motions where the stop, search, or statement is vulnerable.
5. Negotiation, and trial where the offer does not reflect the strength of the case.
6. Sentencing, and afterward the expungement timeline, which is worth planning from day one.