Fighting Drug Crime Allegations | Building a Defense. A Washington Criminal Defense Lawyer | Attorney’s Perspective on Fighting Drug Cases. Fighting Drug Crime Allegations | Building a Defense.
As a team of criminal defense lawyers who can and do think outside the box, we know that there is no one way to fight a criminal charge. That being said, there are some truths.
Defending Drug Crimes Often Means Arguing Constitutional Law and Motions.
Drug crimes and charges generally come out of a warrant, a search, a seizure, an informant, a plain view or a tip. This means that the “how and why” a Washington State Agent | Federal Agent | Law Enforcement Agent was searching and seizing something, or, why and how they were engaging an informant or tipster, will raise constitutional issues. State and Federal Agents must act within Washington State and Federal law. Lawyers involved in fighting drug allegations must be interested in aggressively articulating, briefing, understanding and arguing drug law and how it interacts with our state and federal constitutions as well as understand how to argue other statutory affirmative defenses like Unwitting Possession. Our legal team, with over 50 years of combined criminal defense experience, has the courtroom experience, expertise and drive to aggressively litigate these kinds of issues. We can and do win.
Defending Drug Crimes Means Being Familiar with the System.
In general, criminal drug cases, whether they involve simple possession, distribution, manufacturing, or conspiracy can be guided towards a favorable resolution if your criminal defense lawyers are familiar with how these kinds of cases get resolved and what options are out there based on a particular set of circumstances and facts. Our attorneys | lawyers have been applying the law, litigating and defending clients throughout the state of Washington in Municipal, District, Superior and Federal Courts. This broad geographic and knowledge base means our understanding of the individual court systems is an invaluable asset in defending particular cases. Being able to reference other county’s policies and procedures means we are able to think outside the box and means we are not limited by local viewpoints in negotiating solutions or litigating cases.
Our experience provides us with the knowledge and tools necessary to be able to propose solutions that take advantage of what the system has to offer or weigh the benefit of taking a deal vs. proceeding by a legal motion. We know the intricacies of suppression motions, motions to dismiss as well as Drug Court and Mental Health Court and other alternatives such as First Time Felony Waivers, Deferred Sentences, Stipulated Orders of Continuances, DOSAs and how to prepare the client and get the steps in place to present them to the prosecutors at the appropriate time. We will sit down with our clients and critically analyze the evidence/discovery with them and then decide what path they want to choose. We will provide our clients with the big picture related to their case as well as all the pathways leading to different resolutions.
Defending Drug Crimes Often Means Understanding Addiction
Although there are those in the drug trade who possess and sell purely for profit, they are few and far between. The vast majority of people who are charged for possessing or selling illegal drugs are using illegal drugs due to their addiction issues. As defense lawyers, we have an enormous amount of experience handling a wide variety of drug cases from simple possession to conspiracy to distribute to manufacturing. Often, these individuals engage in these activities to support their own habits. Once charged, if they are willing to accept help and get control of their addiction and get the “monkey off their back,” we can help them find an alternative that will lead to less jail time. If the individual is serious about taking back control of their life Drug Court may be an option to help them out and keep their record clear of the current drug charge.
Although the war on drugs/mentally ill is still firmly entrenched in our national psyche, there have been some inroads. Being familiar with the different types of treatments and programs available as well as having real hands on experience with treatment providers and programs, like Drug Court, Parent Sentence Alternative, Mental Health Court, or DOSA, sentences is essential knowledge for any criminal defense attorney who wishes to be involved with drug cases. We not only have this knowledge, we know these programs, have helped 100s of clients navigate through the process, and have a very high success rate of our clients successfully completing the programs and experiencing a much brighter future than they would have otherwise.
Defending Drug Crimes Means Understanding how Convictions Effect Jobs and Licenses
If your lawyer has handled enough privately retained criminal cases, it is inevitable that they are involved in the real world fall out of convictions. If convicted, one may spend time in jail or be put on probation, but long term education and employment is often the most real consequence that our clients and their families worry about. Understanding how a conviction will: play out in an administrative hearing or affect a health care license or immigration status or firearm license is part of the knowledge base that most people are looking for in a criminal defense attorney. Preserving the right to vacate a conviction may be one of the most important issues for a client, but if their lawyer does not explore this possibility, they will never know. For example, one of our clients chose to plead to multiple charges instead of one charge although the multiple charges looked worse on paper because she was able to vacate them. She eventually did vacate them and that paperwork/conviction mess is now gone. Choosing and using experienced private counsel means you will have a knowledgeable legal team who will take the time to discuss how the law interacts with the case and our clients’ goals.
The attorneys in our firm have spent a great deal of time and have an exceptional amount of experience in handling drug crimes in Washington State. Our primary focus is to handle your case in the best possible manner in accordance with your wishes but ultimately our goal is to help and serve. The vast majority of drug crimes arise from addiction issues and individuals who are in need of help generally do far better in rehabilitation than in prison. We have an approach that is focused on helping clients and their families move forward towards a positive future. That being said, if you have been charged with a drug crime, you are going to need an aggressive defense team who can critically analyze all the evidence and help you structure a defense that will best serve your interests, take advantage of any loopholes or mistakes and keep the prosecution at arm’s length. We are that law firm.
Knowing how to navigate the legal system and criminal justice process is the most important skill you can possess when defending yourself against a drug offense. Whether our role is as legal counsel, negotiator, or litigator, we have years of experience fighting and resolving cases with our clients’ best interests in mind. Choosing the right counsel for your case is essential. Consultations are free but a poor choice in counsel is not. Call us at 206-708-7852 to set up an appointment to discuss your situation.
