Student Defense Lawyer: High School & College Students in GA

College students and crime are more common than high school students getting into criminal trouble, for several reasons. Most high school students are still living with parents who monitor them, at least to some extent to limit the opportunities for getting involved with illicit drugs.

College students "spread their wings" after getting away from the family "nest," in many instances. Their biological clock causes many young people to find a need for freedom of expression once they get to a university, where their criminal charges are then picked up.

The most common psychotropic drugs prescribed to high school-aged children (typically ages 14-18) include medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. So, in 2024, many college-age students already have been taking prescription drugs of some type, to assist with their mental health challenges.

Over the last decade, mood stabilizers have grown in popularity from prescribing physicians, such as Depakote, Lithium, or Carbamazepine. Extremely common are ADHD meds like Focalin, Ritalin, Metadate, Concerta, or other stimulants or even a few with antipsychotics like Risperdal.

Making Poor Decisions of Their Friends and Activities When "On Their Own"

Young people living independently may face legal trouble because of poor choices of "friends" or when dealing with impaired judgment after consuming alcohol, marijuana or other controlled substances. Drunk driving charges (DUI charges) or drug abuse of some type alter the entire future of a young person.

Criminal charges brought by police officers in Georgia (including serious traffic crimes like hit and run) could have serious, lifetime consequences. Georgia has no expungement or record restriction available for impaired driving convictions, which stay on a person's record for life.

The same can be true for certain sex crimes and having the stigma of being required to register as a sex offender. Plus, an annual ritual of police encountering students and then uncovering fake IDs seems to occur every year in college towns.

In our many years of legal representation, our criminal defense lawyers have traveled statewide to defend many:

• University of Georgia students
• Georgia Tech students
• Georgia Southern students
• Kennesaw State students
• Georgia College & State University students
• West Georgia students
• Students attending SCAD-Savannah (or Atlanta), and
• North Georgia College students.

The police often scrutinize college campuses and surrounding locations closely, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when parties and sporting events are going on. Students who are booked into juvenile courts will have a better chance of getting rehabilitation than if older and are facing criminal law offenses in State or Superior Courts.

When we are hired as high school student defense lawyers, most cases originated from a house party while parents are out of town, and a Facebook or other type of cell phone communication "puts out the message" to come over. Some of these lead to fights breaking out, and (when the group is not just a group of close friends) can even involve guns being discharged.

Why You Need a College Student Defense Attorney in Your Corner

Too often when students go off to school at the college level or to a trade school of some type, their prescribed medications may sometimes be "shared" with other students for whom that drug can create immediate impairment. Of course, this is illegal, but (for some) getting "high" or "messed up" sounds like a good idea, until an arrest or some type of accident (usually in a motor vehicle crash) occurs.

With our cumulative 90-plus years of collective law practice, you won’t find more student defense experience. Plus, our Partner and Atlanta DUI lawyer former cop Cory Yager uses his invaluable prior police career of nearly a decade of arrests to know how to “get things done.”

So, among criminal lawyers near me, our Firm has vast experience in drug or alcohol-related crimes. In addition, Partner Larry Kohn has handled dozens of sex crime cases in Georgia, if this is what is charged when your son or daughter is the student arrested.

These criminal charges range from police raiding a house party by teenagers due to a noise disturbance complaint to serious felony drug transactions to driving under the influence. A student defense attorney with our law office in Georgia has handled a wide variety of student cases before.

They understand you are probably scared and unsure of what to do next and they will provide candid and comprehensive assistance so you can get your life back on track. Further, an experienced defense lawyer can represent you in both criminal and disciplinary proceedings and will help you ensure you have the best possible defenses to protect your future.

Typical Types of Charges When a College Student Is Arrested

Some of the typical offenses that students are charged with that warrant the attention of a student defense lawyer in Georgia include:

• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Underage drinking
• Prescription drug abuse in college students' cases where drugs are shared
• Student athlete drug use
• Drug possession
• Boating under the influence (BUI)
• Student dorm drug searches
• Theft offenses like shoplifting or switching tags on items to a lower price
• Various types of sexual imposition, or serious felony misconduct like rape or statutory rape.
• Assault and battery or family violence or domestic abuse cases.

Consult With a Criminal Attorney from the Kohn & Yager Law Firm

A Georgia student defense attorney provides non-judgmental support and expert advice for optimal outcomes. An experienced criminal law attorney can point out the positive aspects of a defendant's life and future plans. In many cases, our legal professionals will map out a plan of "treatment" designed to help the client make better future decisions.

They can argue that a student should not have to deal with lifelong consequences for one mistake. This mistake may have been made when their judgment was impaired. Therefore, if you are in trouble with the law, it is important to contact a criminal defense lawyer immediately, so they can start building your strongest possible case.

For your FREE consultation, dial our number now, 24 hours a day. The call will be answered, and you can then start the process of shifting this burden off your shoulders and onto ours. Dial us now at 404-567-5515.