Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
By: Atlanta Criminal Defense Attorney Cory Yager, Atlanta DUI Lawyer and Former Cop
Being charged with a crime, for many, is an out-of-body experience. Others talk about thinking they are about to awaken from a nightmare. Many who feel the handcuffs being cinched closed around their wrists envision themselves being sentenced to years in prison.
Because the metro Atlanta area is an extremely high population area, there are many good lawyers in Atlanta GA, in all practice areas. As a percentage, though, those Atlanta lawyers are rated to be the great Atlanta defense attorneys at handling a criminal case are far less than 1/10 of one percent of all these top lawyers in Atlanta GA who hold themselves out to be criminal defense lawyers.
The Path to Becoming a Best criminal lawyer in Georgia. No shortcuts exist to achieving a reputation of top credentials for criminal litigation. This is because the formula for such excellence only comes with extensive training, vast prior courtroom experience and having undertaken multiple difficult trials and winning these difficult cases.
Our three-person Legal Team ranks among the top criminal defense law firms in all of Georgia. Our great criminal lawyers at Georgia Criminal Defense are seasoned and assertive defenders, who relentlessly strive to secure the most favorable outcomes for our clients.
What sets us Apart. First, our three law partners are co-authors of Georgia’s leading book on DUI defense, which is over 1400 pages in length. In addition The Georgia DUI Trial Practice Manual, Mr. Kohn and Mr. Yager have co-authored segments in nationally published legal guides on other criminal defense topics for a publication owned by Thomson-Reuters, the world’s largest legal book publisher.
Next, our law team brings NINE DECADES of Experience to the table. Plus, over 99% of these NINETY YEARS of Experience has been spent handling criminal defense in excess of 10,000 cases. Therefore, our attorneys are not fazed by being threatened about the Prosecutor taking a case to trial if the client is unwilling to plead guilty and take a lengthy jail sentence.
If you’re facing criminal charges and your liberty is in jeopardy due to potential jail time, you need an Atlanta Georgia attorney from our Legal Firm on your team. This average of 30 years per partner far outstrips the experience of the average prosecutor.
Mr. Yager’s near decade of law enforcement training (including being a field training officer and an accident reconstruction trained officer) provided him with invaluable credentials and experience that other lawyers lack. Knowing the other side’s “playbook” gives him an extreme advantage in court.
The three criminal lawyers Georgia at our office are deeply committed to protecting individuals’ rights, ensuring our clients are never coerced into an unfair settlement. As Atlanta criminal attorneys led by the recognized best criminal defense lawyer Atlanta, Bubba Head, our Atlanta criminal defense firm’s legal advocates have garnered 35 Super Lawyers recognitions for being criminal justice attorneys since these peer-reviewed attorney ratings first began in Georgia in 2004.
Why would you not want top rated criminal defense lawyers standing between you and a potential prison sentence? Plus, if you settled for an average or good criminal lawyer in Atlanta GA, and your result ended up unfavorably, would you ever forgive yourself for not opting to reach out to a best criminal lawyer in Atlanta GA?
Criminal Law Topics Our Criminal Lawyers in Atlanta GA Handle Statewide
Family Violence (also called Domestic Violence) which can require an immediate jail visit to our client and setting up a court hearing to have a TRO (temporary restraining order) or TPO (temporary protective order) hearing and establish conditions for bail with a Superior Court Judge
Drug-Related and Narcotics Offenses, such as Simple Possession of Illegal Drugs (also called “controlled substances”), Possession with the Intent to Distribute, Drug Trafficking or Manufacturing and more.
Serious Traffic Crimes such as Hit and Run, Attempting to Elude a Law Enforcement Officer, Reckless Driving causing Death, and Driving Under Influence of Alcohol, Drugs, or other impairing substances.
With arrests for D.U.I., a related Administrative Law Case is almost always filed, too. The refusal to submit to the requested implied consent forensic testing can suspend a person for a FULL YEAR. Our attorneys all have litigated these administrative license suspension hearings (known as ALS Hearings) as part of the DUI Defense package in these cases. WARNING: You only have 30 days after the arrest date to APPEAL the Administrative Loss of your License.
Financial and Theft Crimes like embezzlement, credit card fraud, forging or altering a check and cashing it, committing wire fraud, theft by taking or shoplifting charges.
Homicide and Lesser Crimes where a Death has Occurred – The range of homicide cases runs from premeditated murder, felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, and voluntary manslaughter accusations. In some cases, your legal team can assert one of these types of defenses:
- Self-Defense
- Alibi, and cases involving the mistaken identity of the perpetrator.
- The actions were triggered by mental illness.
Sexual Crimes, like Rape, Statutory Rape or Child Molestation Offenses
Sexual assault case or aggravated sexual battery, or sexual harassment, stalking, peeping Tom, or seeking removal for the Sex Offender Registry, and more.
Aggressive Felonies or Crimes of Violence, like Armed Robbery
Assault, Aggravated Assault, Illegal Gang Activity, RICO charges or Armed Robbery
Expungement of prior convictions for many felony or misdemeanor crimes, in order to clear a person’s record of offenses that make obtaining employment very difficult. This process is more aptly called “record restriction.”
Our Lawyers at Georgia Criminal Defense Will Travel Statewide When Our Expertise is Needed
The author of this article, Bubba Head, started his legal practice in Athens GA in 1976. In 1990, he relocated to Atlanta GA to become a criminal attorney in Atlanta GA. His firm handled everything from violent crimes to misdemeanor traffic violations, and all things in between these two extremes.
With the high volume of cases handled, and being a published legal book author since 1991, the criminal defense lawyer Atlanta GA became very well known, nationally. In July of 2003, the criminal defense attorney Atlanta Georgia was voted (by the NCDD.com members) to be the nation’s best DUI lawyer.
In many of his seminar lectures on DUI defense to other criminal law lawyers, he advised that fighting cases would make you famous because the client can plead guilty himself or herself, with no legal professional by your side. No former client brags about a lawyer who took their money only to walk them into court to enter a guilty plea that she or he could have done alone.
Cory Yager enjoys going to distant courts in the Peach State, because the police and prosecutors at these locations have not seen him before. Being able to use the experience of fighting thousands of prior metro Atlanta criminal cases provides an edge that usually results in an outstanding outcome.
Our Criminal Law Attorneys Have Been Rated by Super Lawyers 35 Separate Times
Our Firm’s attorneys are experienced criminal defense lawyers in Atlanta, Georgia. With a FREE consultation, our legal professionals carefully review each case, discuss all options with our clients, and are prepared to go to trial if necessary. The partners ate Georgia Criminal Defense always prioritize our clients’ best interests.
Georgia Criminal Defense’s Law Partners have extensive trial experience is what sets us apart from the most other Firms. Georgia Criminal Defense is committed to achieving the most favorable outcome for each client, because that client’s battle is our top priority.
The majority of lawyers are not litigators and are daunted by the mere idea of preparing to try to win a trial. Consequently, they often advise their clients to avoid a trial and concentrate on the fastest method to resolve their case. Unfortunately, these strategies can adversely affect their clients when the outcome of their case means jail time or a criminal history that will drag them down from their future pursuits.
Georgia Criminal Defense has been recognized and awarded for our exceptional results and client-centered representation in criminal defense. Our firm has received recognition and awards for our outstanding performance in the field of criminal defense.
Our criminal law attorneys are known for our exceptional results and client-focused representation in criminal defense. Our firm’s attorneys have been recognized and awarded for our outstanding performance and client-centered representation in criminal defense.
If you’re accused of a crime, your liberty is on the line. Don’t compromise on hiring a criminal defense lawyer because you need the finest representation you can get.
Georgia Criminal Defense is a dedicated criminal defense firm boasting two of Atlanta’s most fervent defense attorneys. You know that you need top-notch representation, and that’s why you need legal warriors from the Georgia Criminal Defense advocating for you.
Clients’ Frequently Asked Questions Answered
Our team works hard to protect people’s rights and make sure our clients don’t have to accept unfair results. Our team is dedicated to protecting people’s rights and ensuring our clients do not have to accept unfair outcomes. If you are facing criminal accusations and your freedom is in jeopardy, it is crucial to have our assistance and support.
Based on the seriousness of the crime under scrutiny, police officers might also obtain search warrants for your blood or DNA during the inquiry stage. The Georgia Criminal Defense team is one of the top criminal defense firms in Atlanta and Georgia. Our lawyers are skilled and work hard to get the best results for our clients.
If the police make you feel like you can’t leave, they must tell you your Miranda Rights before asking you questions. The famous case for which this expression was spawned is Miranda v Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). This applies to any situation where a detainee feels restricted from leaving police interrogation, not just after being formally arrested or put in jail.
For example, should law enforcement arrive at your residence, ask to converse with you in your lounge, and tell you that you cannot depart, you are deemed to be under police detention. In these circumstances, it is mandatory for the police to recite the Miranda Warning prior to initiating any form of interrogation.
- If you are suspected of a crime and arrested, the police must read the arrested person’s Miranda admonishment before asking any questions. You have the right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself, known as “pleading the 5th” which is an expression derived from the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. It is recommended to stay quiet when questioned by the police until you can talk to a lawyer. Miranda rights in Georgia (and all of America) include several specific rights that must be explained to you.
- You can stay quiet. You’re told that what you say can be used against you in court. You are advised that you can have a lawyer with you when the police are asking you questions, even if you can’t pay for one.
- In assessing when Miranda rights are required, being in police custody means you are not free to leave, even if you are not officially arrested. Police will sometimes just ask a person, though, if he or she is willing to go with them to the precinct to give a statement.
If this is how it was phrased, then you have not been MANDATED to go with them. A court would interpret this language as not meaning that you HAD TO GO.
For example, if they come to your house, ask to come inside (and not demand to be let it) and then talk to you in the living room, this is not custody, most likely. They have not announced that you cannot leave.
However, when in custody, the police must tell you your Miranda advisements prior to asking you questions, even if you are not physically stopped from leaving. Some experience cops know that people in a panic mode will tend to “negotiate” with the cops by trying to explain their side of the case, and this blathering is not protected by the Fifth Amendment or your 6th Amendment right to legal counsel, because you were not being questioned.
Do police need a warrant to search your home? In most cases, yes. However, some exceptions to this rule exist. Below are a few common exceptions, but other fact patterns may apply, too.
- If the police are arresting someone at your house, they can search for that person and weapons for safety reasons. This is a legal procedure.
- If you let the police search your house without a warrant, it is legal. It’s legal to give permission for the police to search your house without a warrant.
- Sometimes, police can search without a warrant if there is an urgent situation that makes it impossible to get one.
- If the police believe a crime is happening in a house, they can enter without a warrant. This is because they have good reason to stop that crime from being completed.
- Another situation is when police have good reason to believe that evidence is being tampered with in a home. They can enter the home without a search warrant to prevent the tampering. In all three cases, these searches would be considered legal even without a search warrant.
- Law enforcement can enter a private residence without a warrant to locate a person of interest and seize illegal items if police can show a legitimate basis for claiming that urgent need.
Meet the Partners at Georgia Criminal Defense
While our Law Partners do collaborate with each other on many complex cases, only one partner typically handles each client’s cases. In lengthy trials, however, it is not always a two-lawyer trial, but sometimes may be.
When you hire Georgia Criminal Defense, you get the benefit of the collective knowledge of three top rated criminal defense lawyers in Atlanta, Georgia. They will skillfully defend you from the beginning to the end of your case.
Our criminal attorneys will work hard to get the best outcome for your case. Our criminal lawyers near me focus on providing top-notch legal representation to all our clients.
If you’re dealing with criminal charges, it’s important to have skilled defense lawyers on your team. That’s why you should choose our highly rated criminal defense attorneys.
Call now for your FREE lawyer consultation. Very few people have a “rainy day” account set up for hiring a criminal lawyer, but we do offer payment plans. Dial 404-567-5515 to get started on your defense!
