Orlando Criminal Defense Attorney

Areas of Practice

When do you need to hire a criminal defense attorney?

The simple answer is: as soon as possible.  The police and investigators are not your friends.  People who (1) hire an attorney right away; and (2) don’t talk to the police have a much higher chance of getting a better outcome or beating the charges altogether.  As soon as there is an arrest or a detective, a police officer, or a deputy asking questions, stop talking to them and call a criminal defense attorney right away.  You will be glad you did.

Won’t hiring an attorney make me look guilty?

No.  And who cares how it may make you look to the police or anyone else?  Wouldn’t you rather look guilty and be home than look innocent and be in jail or prison.  The smart money is on hiring an attorney as soon as you think you might be in trouble.  And most criminal consultations are free.  So you have nothing to lose.

Is a good criminal defense attorney expensive?

Yes.  If you are worried about the money, interview a few different attorneys until you find the one you are comfortable with.  Then hire the best one you can afford.  Look, the truth is that you can hire the best and most expensive attorney out there and still get a bad outcome.  But what are the alternatives?  Look into the attorney’s reputation and go with your gut.  You don’t want to get a bad outcome and look back and what could have been had you hired someone else.

What to look for when choosing an Orlando Criminal Defense Attorney

Obviously, you want the best when you are hiring an attorney.  You want someone confident.  Someone with experience.  Someone who, after you pay them, will give you some peace of mind about your case.  This is, after all, something that can tremendously affect the rest of your life.  Do your homework and hire the best attorney you can afford.  Looking into Google reviews is a good indicator of a lawyer’s client service.

We fight to get results for our clients at Fighter Law – it’s in our name!  We take pride in being able to say that we have a combined experience of nearly 20 years and over 125 State and Federal Jury Trials to verdict.  We have represented people in the Central Florida area since 2006.  Attorneys Thomas Feiter and Ashley Parker have practiced in the area of criminal defense on all levels to include State, Federal and Juvenile crimes. Working diligently to ensure that they provide the best possible outcomes for their clients when working on their cases.

At Fighter Law, we are honored to represent our clients.  We understand that the criminal justice system can be difficult to understand for non-lawyers.  Let us walk you through it.  Don’t go it alone.  We are confident because we are experienced.  Remember the attorneys who handle your case at the trial level are critical.  Appeals are not second chances.  We know you want to hire the best criminal defense attorney possible for your case.  We believe we are the best because we fight for each and every one of our clients.  So hire attorneys with the experience and reputation to fight for you. View our recent case results.

What kind of questions should I ask when hiring an attorney?

Here is a list of some of the questions you want to ask when hiring an attorney on your criminal case:

1. How confident are you that you can get me a good outcome in my case?  Why?
2. Are there any good motions that can be filed in my case?
3. What is it that you will do in my case that other attorneys might not?
4. What will give me the best chances of getting a favorable outcome here?
5. What can we do as a team to get my case going in a positive direction?
6. How much experience do you have?
7. Have you ever done this kind of case before?
8. Do you know the prosecutors and/or judges that may be involved in my case?
9. Do you have a support staff or is it just you handling my case?

What is Criminal Law?

Criminal defense law is a broad and demanding area of law that can be confusing to non-lawyers.  We break it down and explain how the law and process applies to each individual client – so you don’t have to worry or stress over what is otherwise a very daunting and intimidating process.

When you are looking for a lawyer to represent you in court, the reputation of the lawyer and  their skill with strategy are important to giving you the best odds for a positive outcome in your case. Keep in mind everyone has the right to representation (Link).  If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you.  That’s usually a public defender.  There are a lot of good public defenders out there.  However, allowing a public defender to represent you may not be your best option.  A private attorney has an additional incentive to working hard on your case – money.  Your case deserves the attention required to get you the best possible outcome.  Your attorney needs to care about your case.  Your attorney should fight for you – and explore all possible defenses and strategies.  Sometimes trial is your best option – but it’s not usually the only one.  Avoiding trial – and lessening your chances of a lengthy prison sentence – might be something that is in your best interests.  If you are being given a bad offer or one that is not acceptable to you, trial may be the only way.  If that is the case, you can rest assured that we will be ready.  We are not afraid of going to trial and we have done many in the past.  We are experienced and we are fighters.  That benefits you, our client.

Let us help you build your defense and navigate all the nuances of the criminal justice system to get you the best possible outcome. To see more about forming a defense and how we can help you please see our page on all available Florida defenses.

What defenses are there?

Here is a list of the most common defenses used in criminal cases.  Prosecutors and defense attorneys are all aware of them and when they might apply.  But a good criminal defense attorney will be able to figure out which apply to your case and plan a strategy around them.

1. Alibi – the classic criminal defense.  You basically have a great explanation of how “it wasn’t you” or “you were someplace else at the time of the crime and can prove it.”
2. Entrapment – this one may require the filing of a motion and is common in drug and sex crimes.
3. Duress or Necessity – if someone made you do it, or you had no choice but to commit a crime or face harm yourself, this defense may apply.
4. Stand Your Ground – this is a more commonly used defense in Florida.  We have filed these motions very successfully in the past and have experience in handling them.
5. Justifiable Use of Non-Deadly Force – Non-deadly force means force not likely to cause death or great bodily harm.
6. Insanity – this defense may require an expert psychiatric or psychological evaluation.
7. Independent Act – this is a more complex defense that requires that the act that constituted the crime was not what you intended – it was an “independent act.”  Not too common – but a good defense when it applies.
8. Voluntary Intoxication – this is an old defense that only applies to crimes committed before 1999.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a private attorney or should I just go with the public defender?

Not every case requires a private lawyer.  Let’s just be honest.  However, you should (and I emphasize should) get better attention/service and/or results with a private lawyer.  I mean, what else are you paying them for right?  A public defender is free.  Private attorneys cost money.  The downsides to a public defender is that they have a lot of cases and do not have the financial incentive to get you good results that a private attorney does.  So they may not know you personally or have the time to really meet with you and get into all the possible defenses that might be out there.  The upside to a public defender is that they probably have more recent trial experience than private lawyers, they may know the prosecutor better, and they may know the judge better.

Do I qualify for a free public defender?

It depends on how much money you make and how much you have saved.  The judge will only appoint you a free public defender if you are considered “indigent.”  Basically, if you own a car or a house, you are not going to be considered indigent.  If you have money or more than $1,000 in the bank, you will not be considered indigent.  However, the only way the judge can determine if someone is indigent or not is when they fill out an application (provided by the court) for a public defender.  On that application, people lie all the time.  And the court really does not have effective means of checking on that.  The risk of lying to the court is that, if you get caught, you will can be charged with a felony for providing false information.  Bottom line, it is not difficult to qualify for a free public defender.

What is an Appeal?

An appeal can be needed for many reasons.  The most common is when the trial lawyer or judge did something wrong – or neglected to do something.  For example, at the end of the prosecutor’s case in chief, the lawyer must request a judgment of acquittal before beginning the defense’s case.  Failure to do so is considered instant malpractice.  Normally, appeals are more difficult than the original trial. The appeal is not a redo or retry.  You cannot get an appeal simply because you didn’t get the result you wanted at trial.  There must have been some procedural error – either on the part of the judge, the lawyer, or sometimes the jury.  If the jury simply did not believe a witness who testified, that’s too bad.  However, if the prosecutor harped on that too much in their closing argument, that might be a basis for appeal.  Your attorney failing to object at certain points in the trial may be a basis for an appeal.  This explanation of what may or may not constitute grounds for an appeal is also something that can be very confusing for a non-lawyer.  That is just one of the reasons it is crucial to hire a lawyer that is willing to fight for you the right way, the first time.  However, should the circumstance arise where you need to appeal your case, you should have the peace of mind to know that your case is in the hands of an experienced appellate attorney.

There are many rules that apply to criminal appeals law.  One of the most important, however, is the time you have to file an appeal.  Florida Law states that in a criminal case, a defendant’s notice of appeal must be filed within 14 days. This is only one of many provisions that an attorney must take into consideration – but one that clients should be aware of when they don’t get a good result at trial.

Call us today to speak with an experienced Orlando Criminal Defense Attorney who will really fight for you or your loved one.  407-344-4837.