To be top criminal defense attorneys, we have established a "court-side" seat to the Racine County Court Campus area. At 308 6th Street, we are a block from the public entrance to both the circuit court building as well as the law enforcement center.
Unless you need special accommodations, our clients use street-side parking (new app available for payment: https://passportinc.com/consumers/).
To do the best criminal defense attorney work, we need to get started as soon as possible. Even if an initial appearance is weeks or a month away, we can still work together to prepare your defense. We strive to meet with potential clients as soon as possible—often the same day that they first contact us. We work with clients to preserve important evidence, like photographs of injuries or video surveillance. We work with clients to have our private investigator(s) meet with possible witnesses. We speak with prosecutors to seek non-criminal resolutions. We make sure clients are prepared for their first court appearance – to keep our clients working and staying with their families. In the end, we work hard to meet with potential clients as soon as possible because we find that meeting with us provides stress/worry relief for a client and his or her family.
Although our regular business office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4:00 on Friday, we make evening and weekend appointments as necessary. We provide our emails and phone numbers to that our potential clients can get a hold of us whatever the time. Do not hesitate to call!
Our legal fees are determined on a case-by-case basis. We accept cash, checks, major credit cards, and we use Law Pay for in-person as well as remote transactions. We can also work with you to make a direct bank transfer, if necessary.
We will prepare a fee agreement in accordance with Wisconsin's Supreme Court Rules relating to professional rules of conduct. If you ever have a question about the payment or earning of legal fees, do not hesitate to contact us.
Being a criminal defense attorney means keeping our client's conversations confidential and private.
Our conversations with clients, even potential clients, are kept confidential according Wisconsin’s Rules of Professional Conduct, SCR 20:1.6.
That means that only under rare circumstances can we disclose the contents of a conversation. Much like when you go to the doctor, we take steps to protect our client’s information and case.
When your case is completed, we will continue to keep your file for no less than six years, but we often destroy files after seven years due to space limitations. We will provide you with your file or a copy upon written request. We keep all files confidential.
Per Wisconsin’s rules, we keep all client files for six years after the conclusion of the case. After seven years, we take careful steps to destroy files while preserving client confidentiality. If you need something from your file, please notify us in writing, so we can document your request and get you the materials you need.
The most important thing you can bring, besides yourself, is any court or police paperwork that you have received. We will need to confirm court dates, if any, as well as learn as much about the possible criminal allegations.
To determine our fees and what steps come next, we need to know exactly what are the nature of the allegations.
You should also write down any questions you or family members might have. A well-prepared client makes for very productive, insightful, and valuable consultations.
As a general rule, all attorney-client communications are kept confidential under Wisconsin’s rules of professional conduct. This is especially important in a client-defense attorney relationship.
That said, the privilege is the client’s to keep or to waive. A client can have someone join them, but we encourage clients to discuss the facts of the case in private, with just the attorney.
We always double-check that the client wants others to sit in on meetings. Your privacy is important to us here at Racine Defense.
Wait to speak to the police. Contact a criminal defense attorney, now. You need to know what your options are before you make a statement or answer questions from an officer. Protect your right to remain silent and your right to an attorney.
Officers may urge you to "give your side of the story" or "now is your chance to explain yourself." Do NOT take the bait. Your "time to state your side" is at trial, if ever. Rarely has a client benefited himself or herself by speaking to the police before speaking to a criminal defense attorney.
Consider this: if the investigator has enough information to charge you, then he or she will likely arrest you regardless of what you tell them. Your speaking with the investigator will just be added evidence to their case.
Alternatively, if the investigator does not have enough information to charge you, then speaking to you could provide that information.
So, either way, speaking to the investigator will not benefit you--it will benefit the investigator. Do NOT SPEAK BEFORE YOU CONSULT WITH A CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY.
The majority of our work is right in our backyard, in the Racine County Courthouse. But we have experience and great criminal defense attorney results in all of the following jurisdictions (And more): Kenosha, Walworth, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties; Racine County; Burlington, Caledonia, Mt. Pleasant, City of Racine, Sturtevant, Union Grove, Waterford, Wind Point; City of Kenosha, Paddock Lake, Pleasant Prairie, Salem, Silver Lake, Somers, Twin Lakes, Cudahy, Franklin, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, City of Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Shorewood, South Milwaukee, West Allis, and Whitefish Bay. Not on our list? That doesn’t mean we haven’t been there or won’t go that extra mile for our clients!