Phoenix Criminal Defense Lawyer

Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney

A criminal conviction can affect the rest of your life, resulting in fines, imprisonment, a criminal record, and collateral consequences that harm your employment and educational opportunities. Many individuals facing criminal charges are unfamiliar with the criminal justice system, and this can make a difficult situation even more stressful. You have the right to legal support, so you need to find an experienced Phoenix criminal defense lawyer if you have been charged with an offense.

The earlier you begin working with an attorney, the sooner they can begin investigating your case and building your defense. Finding the right legal representation is crucial to securing the most ideal outcome for your case, whether that is minimizing the charges against you or having the charges dropped.

Dworman Law: A Criminal Defense Firm Serving the Phoenix Metro Area

Criminal charges, particularly felony offenses, put your entire future and some of your rights at risk. At Dworman Law, we have years of experience in providing strong and effective legal representation to our communities throughout Phoenix, AZ. We understand the effect that criminal convictions can have on an individual’s life and family. Our team works to pursue every legal option and defense, fighting to limit or avoid the penalties of a conviction.

Howard Dworman strives to protect the rights of those accused of crimes. With prior experience in law enforcement, he has exceptional insight into how law enforcement and the prosecution operate. He uses his years of experience and honed skills to aggressively fight for you.

When you or a loved one is facing criminal charges, you need the steadfast legal team at Dworman Law.

Areas of Criminal Defense Law We Handle at Dworman Law

When you are faced with a criminal charge in the Phoenix metro area, finding the right criminal defense lawyer is crucial. One of the most important things you should review is an attorney’s experience and success rate, especially their experience in the charges you’re facing. When an attorney has years of work and is familiar with the process of investigation and potential defenses of your charges, your case may go more smoothly.

At Dworman Law, we have experience in some of the following areas of criminal defense law:

Drug Offenses

Drug crimes include possession, possession with intent to sell, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and trafficking. Drug offenses can become felony charges if:

• There is a significant amount of a substance.
• The offense involves a more dangerous type of controlled substance.
• There are aggravating factors, such as weapons offenses.

Controlled substances include:

• Marijuana beyond certain amounts
• Cocaine
• Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
• Methamphetamine
• Ketamine
• Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy)
• Opioids

Drug offenses can also be charged on the federal level, particularly when they involve organized trafficking and/or the offense crosses state lines.

Driving Under the Influence

Driving under the influence (DUI) is penalized very seriously in Arizona, with some of the most aggressive laws and enforcement. When you drive your vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you put yourself, others in your vehicle, and everyone on the road in danger. However, good people can make mistakes, and it is crucial to have a skilled defense attorney to potentially prevent your life from being affected by one mistake.

You can be charged for a DUI in Maricopa County for:

• Having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit
• Being impaired by a substance
• Having any illegal drugs in your system, regardless of impairment

Because of these laws, you do not have to have a BAC over the legal limit to be charged or even convicted of a DUI.

In Arizona, the BAC legal limit for most drivers is 0.08%, but it is 0.04% for commercially licensed drivers. This BAC limit applies within two hours of driving, meaning you can still be charged, even if you have not been driving for some time.

Aggravating factors can worsen sentencing, such as an especially high BAC, the presence of a minor under the age of 15 in the vehicle, prior offenses, or driving on a suspended license. If you are facing charges for a DUI, it is essential that you secure the support of a trained and knowledgeable DUI defense attorney.

Robbery

Robbery is the crime of theft, but the taking is considered robbery when the victim of the crime is present and is threatened by the offender to give up their property. The offender may also use force to take the property against the victim’s will. All robbery charges are felonies. Robbery is aggravated when there are multiple accomplices aiding in the commission of the crime.

Armed robbery is a more serious offense, and it is committed:

1. While the offender is armed with a deadly or simulated deadly weapon
2. With the use of or threat of using a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument
3. With the possession or attempted possession of a deadly weapon during the offense

Robbery is a violent crime because of the presence of a victim and the use of force and fear.

Assault

An assault charge does not require harm or injury to another person, and you can be charged or convicted for any of the following:

1. Causing injury intentionally or recklessly
2. Intentionally putting someone in reasonable fear of imminent injury
3. Touching someone intentionally to cause an injury, insult them, or provoke a reaction

Assault becomes a felony when it is aggravated. Aggravated assault is assault involving some of the following:

1. Serious physical injuries to the victim
2. The use of a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon
3. A victim who was under the age of 15 when the offender was 18 years or older
4. Disfigurement
5. The loss or impairment of an organ or body part of the victim
6. Physical restraint of the victim
7. Knowledge that the victim was a healthcare worker, teacher, police officer, firefighter, or other state and legal employee

A felony assault offense can result in years of imprisonment and significant fines. Defenses can include self-defense, false accusations, mutual violation, or violations of rights. An attorney can determine the strongest defense for your situation.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence covers several violent crimes when they are committed by an individual against someone they are related to by blood or marriage or in a relationship with. These offenses can include assault, sexual assault, criminal damage, and homicide. When these crimes are considered domestic violence offenses, they can be enhanced.

Domestic violence crimes are surrounded by serious social stigmas. Unfortunately, these very serious situations are not always accurately reported. There may be domestic violence charges filed due to misunderstandings or mutual violence. There may even be a charge filed by an abuser against their victim. If you are facing charges for a domestic violence offense, you need an experienced attorney.

Sex Crimes

Sex offenses include a range of crimes, including:

• Indecent exposure
• Public sexual indecency
• Prostitution
• Voyeurism
• Sexual extortion
• Child pornography
• Sexual conduct with a minor
• Sexual assault
• Sexual abuse

Many of these offenses are felonies. In addition to the significant criminal penalties, a conviction for a sex crime can result in:

1. Severe social, personal, and professional reputational consequences
2. Limitations on the fields of employment you can work in
3. Required registration as a sex offender
4. Collateral consequences on your life due to having a criminal record

Registration as a sex offender can limit where you can live, work, or volunteer. It can also require you to list sensitive information in publicly accessible locations. Depending on the offender, you may have to register annually for the rest of your life. Avoiding a conviction or minimizing the charges are the most effective ways to prevent these consequences.

Weapons Crimes

Weapons offenses can involve firearms and other deadly or prohibited weapons. The use and sale of these weapons is regulated. Offenses involving firearms include:

1. Disorderly conduct with a weapon, such as the reckless display of a firearm to disturb the peace
2. Misconduct involving weapons, including concealed carry without a permit, possessing a sawed-off shotgun, and carrying a firearm during the commission of a violent offense or drug crime
3. Illegal discharge of a firearm, which is when a firearm is fired in locations where one cannot legally do so
4. Drive-by shootings, which occur when a weapon is discharged from a vehicle into another vehicle or location

Aggravated assault is also a weapons offense. Assault is aggravated when it is committed with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, which does not have to be a firearm.

Weapons offenses can also involve prohibited weapons other than firearms. These include:

• Explosive mines
• Silencers for firearms
• Rockets
• Bombs
• Grenades
• Nunchucks
• Certain chemicals

It is crucial that you work with an experienced weapons defense attorney if you are charged with these offenses in Maricopa County.

Homicide

Homicide offenses include several scenarios wherein someone takes another person’s life. These include:

1. Negligent homicide. This occurs when someone causes the death of someone else, even if it was unintentional, due to recklessness or extreme negligence. This also includes vehicular homicide.
2. Manslaughter. This is when the reckless action of the offender causes someone’s death.
3. Second-degree murder. This is the intentional and knowing killing of another person or otherwise causing another’s death, although without premeditation.
4. First-degree murder. This is the premeditated and intentional killing of another person.

Homicide is an incredibly serious offense, and first- and second-degree murder are the only two offenses in Arizona that are Class 1 felonies.

Any homicide offense is an incredibly serious charge to face. It is crucial to work with a skilled attorney to craft your defense. These charges can be false, based on unreliable witnesses, or the result of self-defense. Your attorney can review your situation to determine the ideal legal approach.

FAQs

These are the presumptive sentence lengths, and the actual sentence in a case can be longer. A Class 1 felony applies only to first- and second-degree murder offenses. All felonies may also have a fixed fine determined by the court that cannot exceed $150,000.

Contact a Maricopa County Criminal Defense Attorney Today

Whether you committed the crime or not, you need legal guidance. Even if you did not commit the crime, you could still find yourself convicted, and you cannot risk your future. You need a legal team that can work tirelessly to build your defense and fight for the ideal outcome in your case. When you are facing criminal charges in Phoenix, contact the team at Dworman Law today. We can work to combat the prosecution’s argument, finding ways to weaken their case while building yours.