Cleveland Criminal Law Blog

Now that disgraced former police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been found guilty on all charges, what happens next in the case? First, the defense can file motions to set aside the verdict and for a new trial. The defense would have to demonstrate some serious problem...

The jury is now deliberating in the Derek Chauvin case. There are several questions that are swirling around this case. First, how long could the jury deliberate? The answer is - whatever time it actually takes for the members of the jury to reach a unanimous verdict...

Many times during the week I receive calls from people asking, "can you check to see if I have a warrant for my arrest?" So what exactly is an arrest warrant? An arrest warrant is issued by a judge or a magistrate that authorizes a law enforcement officer to arrest...

I recently spoke with a client, who is currently on federal supervised release, after completing his prison term for a drug offense. When I asked him how things were going, he responded that he was working and generally doing well, except that he recently had to go to...

After the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, we heard it all over the TV, the news and social media, that the people involved would likely be facing felony charges. So what is a felony, and what exactly does that mean? In the United States, there are two...

I recently had a client call me and say that he received "something about some kind of court date at the Federal Grand Jury". I asked him, "so what did you do with this document?". He responded, "I put it in my stack of papers that I need to read". I then responded...

I have often found myself telling a client, "our next step in the process is to attend the pre-trial conference". The problem is that I never really explained what a pre-trial conference is, or what happens at a pre-trial conference. In plain English, a pre-trial...

Once a person enters a "Not Guilty" plea to the charges filed against them, the next phase of a criminal case is called the discovery phase. Defense counsel files a written motion demanding discovery from the prosecutor. Discovery is the fancy lawyer word for finding...

I recently attended a bond hearing for a client where the court set a bond and conditions for release. Once the client posted the bond, he called me and asked "So what is the next step?" I told him that his case would now be sent to the Grand Jury for review of...

As a criminal defense lawyer, I often get this question. An indictment is a document that advises an accused of felony charges that have been filed against them. A felony offense is typically punishable by a prison term of greater than one year. An indictment is...