Recently we tried a criminal case where our client was facing significant jail time if convicted of a felony. While picking the jury, we noted that one of the prospective jurors was a former judge who was considered to be…
#1- Outline the evidence that will be presented against you. When we are preparing for trial, I have noticed that many of my clients focus on the district attorney's personality or the lawyer's ability to argue in open court in…
As most Louisiana trial lawyers know, and most people who have dealt with the Louisiana criminal justice system, Louisiana was one of two states to allow a non-unanimous verdict. Louisiana and Oregon were the only states that did not require…
The judicial process is sometimes slow and sometimes complicated, but justice can prevail in the end. After a hard-fought jury trial, Dontrelon Thomas was found guilty of armed robbery and faced a possible prison sentence of 10-99 years. During the…
In the happy situation where you are found not guilty of a criminal charge in Louisiana, there are still some things you need to take care of and rights you should be aware of. Recently, we represented a client against…
For even extremely serious criminal charges such as murder, it is sometimes possible to have the charges dismissed before going to trial if there is sufficient evidence to support the defendant’s innocence. Once a bill of information or grand jury…
Capitol cases or death penalty cases in Louisiana are handled differently than other felony trials. In a capitol murder trial, the defendant is indicted by a grand jury and charged with first degree murder. This charge carries a possible death…
When a jury for a criminal trial cannot agree to a verdict, a mistrial is declared. Mistrials can be advantageous for a criminal defendant because the State may decide not to retry the case and the charge will be dismissed.…
In criminal cases where there are multiple defendants for a single crime, the district attorney or prosecuting attorney can bill the charge under one docket number. This means that all defendants will be tried at the same time in front…
If you are ever charged with a serious crime and you are looking at possible jail time, the most important phrase you will hear and learn about is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” What this means is that in a criminal…