Criminal Defense

As a former prosecutor, I started my legal career over a decade ago working for the State of Florida charging and subsequently prosecuting individuals and corporations with crimes. Now, as a criminal defense attorney, I use my former experience to defend those charged with crimes in Tampa. I specialize in getting clients into diversion programs and charges ultimately dismissed in Tampa and the surrounding counties. Pallegar Law Firm has handled thousands of cases and obtained great results. We are highly rated and reviewed and pride ourselves on communication both with clients and in the courtroom and obtaining results that far surpass client expectations. To discuss your criminal case with an experienced Tampa criminal defense lawyer contact us today and schedule a consultation 813-444-3912.

Criminal law is defined as the area of law that deals with the government’s prosecution of crimes. The main difference between criminal law and civil law is criminal law involves punishment usually in the forms of probation or jail time, and civil law generally resolve around money damages making someone whole again.

In a nutshell, as a premier Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer my main focus when dealing with you as my client is two fold. First and foremost, communication is essential for a successful attorney client relationship. I want you to understand everything that’s going on with your case. I am available 24/7 to answer your questions and put your mind at ease. I want you to sleep at night, not to worry about your case. Let me do the worrying. More often than not, one of the biggest complaints I hear from clients is that they have had a past lawyer who did not clearly explain the defenses of their case or, even worst, did not return calls or communicate period. Second, I have a vested interest in the outcome of your case. Bottom line, I care about the end result. As a Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer this outcome matters the most especially in the future. Five years from now the only thing that you (as our client) will care about is the final outcome to your case. This result could make the difference between getting that job or losing it to someone else due to a negative result on a background check revealing a past arrest or even worse a conviction from several years ago. Or maybe your application was denied to rent a house or an apartment due to your criminal history. As a Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer I know that to achieve the best result possible I need to put in more time and work at each stage of the case.

A prefile investigation is a tool law enforcement and prosecutors use to investigate alleged criminal conduct. If you are approached and questioned by police the last thing you want to do is provide any sort of a statement. My advice is to politely decline to speak to them, invoke your right to remain silent, and contact a Tampa Criminal Defense Lawyer to discuss your options. Keep in mind that a majority of cases are proven through an admission or confession. But for the defendant providing information the case could never have been proven. In essence, during the prefile investigation you could be your own worst enemy. The bottom line is do not speak to the police. You have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

Prefile investigations could last weeks or even several months. In many cases an arrest maybe made prior to the filing of actual criminal charges. After the arrest and before the filing of charges, the prosecutor conducts an investigation. This investigation consists of interviewing witnesses, reviewing evidence, speaking to supervisors. All in an attempt to determine whether the case can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

How do you know if you are being investigated? In many cases, but not always, law enforcement will contact you directly for questioning. They may call you or show up at your residence or place of work. Sometimes the police will speak to friends and family and you may get tipped of from them. Keep in mind, the last thing law enforcement want you to do is hire a Tampa criminal defense attorney because our first piece of advice would be to lawyer up. Don’t say a thing.

Pallegar Law Firm is available 24/7 via phone, email, and text. 813-444-3912. Call us to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.