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Tacoma Criminal Defense Attorneys

Providing Experienced Legal Representation to Those Charged with a Crime

Being charged with a crime is an emotionally charged event. It can be scary, nerve-racking, embarrassing, anxious, and frustrating, just to name a few emotions. Whether you are charged with a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or a felony, our Tacoma criminal defense lawyers at South Sound Law Group take great pride in representing all of our clients with great skill, experience, and compassion.

A criminal charge can put you at risk for jail time (or prison time), large fines, probation, and a host of other additional requirements (at a cost to you) like classes and/or evaluations for mental health, alcohol or drug abuse, anger management, or domestic violence courses. In addition, depending on the type of charge you are facing, you could face license suspensions, revocations, and immigration consequences. You could lose your ability to receive certain types of federal programs, like student loans, and the loss of other important constitutional rights, like your right to possess a firearm or vote.

Whatever you’re facing, we have a team of highly qualified criminal defense attorneys to get you through this difficult time. We strive to not only provide excellent representation but also to provide you with peace of mind by creating the necessary trust that you know we’re doing everything we can for you. We also believe that it is our duty to help guide you through the entire process, like where to get an evaluation, how to get your license reinstated, etc.

Contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer at South Sound Law Group to speak about your criminal charges today.

What Types of Criminal Cases Does a Criminal Defense Lawyer at South Sound Law Group Represent?

Our attorneys have represented clients in state and federal courts in various types of criminal cases, from violent crimes to misdemeanor charges. Whatever criminal offenses you were charged with, you have civil rights that deserve to be defended. The lawyers of our firm will provide a steadfast defense to the accused in an attempt to see charges dropped or reduced or in hopes of jail time and fines being limited.

Our law offices represent clients in western Washington accused of the following:

If you do not see your particular criminal offense listed here, please contact a defense attorney at our firm anyway, as we may still be able to provide legal assistance in other practice areas relating to criminal law not listed on our website. Our law offices provide a free consultation to all new clients.

Do You Need an Attorney for Your Criminal Legal Issue

Whatever the facts regarding your guilt for this particular crime or your past criminal record, a good criminal defense attorney still has legal options that they could utilize to see to it that the criminal justice system treats you more lenient. Often, building a strong criminal defense involves looking into the investigation, the arrest, the warrants, and the clues, trying to find some error committed along the way by law enforcement.

In some cases, such an error could see a case dismissed, as vital evidence may be deemed illegitimate. Other times, these legal matters may, at the very least, go a long way towards helping your case and softening the charges against you.

Your lawyer may look into whether arresting officers had no probable cause or no warrant for their searches. Police can be overly aggressive, sometimes negligent, and have, on occasion, abused their position of authority. Whatever you are accused of, your rights still matter, and your criminal defense attorney will defend them to the end.

It is important to remember that you are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In a trial, the lawyers representing the government must establish proof that you committed the crimes you are accused of. Your defense attorney, on the other hand, only needs to establish reasonable doubt in the trial.

Even if you are in fact innocent of all criminal charges, it is not safe to assume that the legal system will be on your side. It is tempting to think that right will always triumph, but state and federal government lawyers pull out all the stops when criminal cases go to trial. Regardless of your confidence, it is important that you seek legal help from a defense attorney experienced in the charges you have been accused of.

Please contact South Sound Law Group to schedule a free consultation if you’re facing criminal charges.

What Should Be Done in Cases of a Minor Charged with a Crime?

Almost as frightening as the feeling of handcuffs snapping shut over your wrists is the chilling phone call from your child, calling from a jail cell in the middle of the night. Though statistics show that juvenile arrests are trending downwards in recent years — 2019 saw fewer minors arrested for crimes than any year over the past four decades — there are still hundreds of thousands of juvenile arrests made each year across the United States.

Studies show that young people of color are arrested more frequently and treated differently by the juvenile justice system. And while males made up the majority of those arrested, females now made up a third of the minors accused of illegal offenses in the country.

While it can be tempting to brush this arrest off as part of being young in America, juvenile matters of a legal sort tend to follow a person as they get older, with a criminal record making it harder for them to get a job, a loan, or housing.

Thankfully, the state of Washington recognizes that bringing the full force of the criminal justice system down on young people is not helpful to them or to society. Washington attempts to rehabilitate minors charged with crimes in hopes that they do not become lifelong criminals. This often involves community service and other features of government-run rehabilitation programs.

It is possible to argue for lighter sentencing with a criminal defense attorney. And, if the minor does what the courts ask of them, it may be possible to have their criminal records sealed in time.

Is Domestic Violence a Felony Charge in the State of Washington?

Domestic abuse and violence are a problem in this country, with millions of claims being made every year. A domestic violence charge may be accompanied by several other offenses, such as assault, harassment, reckless endangerment, malicious mischief, threats made with a deadly weapon, rape, kidnapping or false imprisonment, criminal trespassing, burglary, coercion, and damaged property crimes. In some of the most unfortunate cases, domestic abuse ends with a charge of manslaughter or murder.

To be charged, the law says that the two must share the same living space, be romantic partners (or ex-partners), have a child together, or otherwise be directly related to one another. And it’s important to know that, to be convicted of this crime, the accused does not even need to lay a finger on the other person. Emotional abuse, psychological abuse, and financial or economic abuse all qualify as domestic violence.

If the officer who arrives on the scene sees any probable cause, it is their duty to arrest the accused. And the victim cannot drop the charges once they’ve been filed — only the prosecutor has this option.

The majority of DV cases in Washington state are charged as misdemeanors, meaning that those convicted may face 90 days in jail and a fine of a thousand dollars. A gross misdemeanor charge can result in nearly a year of jail time and fines up to $5,000.

More severe examples, where more violence was delivered upon the victim, or there was a violation of a no-contact order, may be charged as felonies. A Class C felony domestic violence case may result in five years of prison time and fines up to $10,000. At the same time, a Class A DV felony could come with it a lifetime prison sentence and fines close to $50,000.

As with any other crime, those who have been charged are considered innocent until proven guilty in a courtroom trial. The lawyers for the supposed victim will attempt to provide evidence that the abuse took place and it is up to the criminal defense attorneys to either disprove the allegations or make room for reasonable doubt.

We have represented clients charged with violence against their domestic partners before. Every person deserves a fair trial and a strong defense, and you will find a lawyer at our firm ready and willing to provide you with that. If you’re facing DV charges, particularly for an incident that caused severe personal injury to another person, please do not wait to talk to a lawyer about these very serious legal matters.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Criminal Defense Attorney at Our Law Firm Today

A criminal charge is scary and can be complicated; it’s our job to provide direction and calm. If you meet with a local criminal defense lawyer and they aren’t willing to spend the time with you, answer questions, and explain the legal process before you’ve given them any money, how do you think they will behave once you’ve entered the courtroom?

Whether you’re looking to build a criminal defense against accusations of misconduct or want to speak about a DUI defense for traffic violations, you will find an experienced attorney at our firm who is ready to provide you with a dedicated and aggressive legal defense.

Still have questions? Give us a call and speak with a member of our legal team, or better yet, call or e-mail to set up an appointment to meet face to face.

Schedule your confidential free consultation with the law offices of South Sound Law Group today.

Our legal team can be reached at 253-465-2722.