Phone - (833) 421 - 5200

Email - Click Here

Criminal defense

If you are charged with a Federal crime, you want to hire a lawyer who has experience in Federal courts. A Federal criminal defense lawyer should work with the accused, develop arguments to build a strong case, and protect the rights of the accused throughout the legal process. The criminal defense lawyer is also responsible for uncovering any and all legal errors committed by the arresting police officers, the prosecutors, the court or another defense attorney who may have been previously involved with the accused. Thoroughness is the key to this aspect of criminal defense work. Having handled “ineffective assistance of counsel” cases for almost three decades, attorney Jonathan Laurans is well-versed in the issues many other criminal defense lawyers overlook, and Mr. Laurans pays close attention to these matters. His post-conviction experience enables him to bring a unique and thorough perspective to trial-level criminal defense litigation.

Civil Appeals

People who lose a civil suit have a chance to appeal the decision, and seek further justice, just as those who receive adverse rulings in the criminal justice system. The civil appellate process also has specific rules, and only certain arguments are allowed. Typically though, new arguments based on new evidence or based on previous counsel’s errors are not allowed. So scrutinizing the trial court record is of paramount importance, so that if any legal errors are found, there can be grounds raised for reversal of the judgment. Attorney Jonathan Laurans has successfully litigated civil appeals for both plaintiffs and defendants. Call on him and put his experience to work for you or your business.

criminal appeals

People convicted of a crime can seek legal recourse through the appellate courts. Appeals are designed to examine prior court rulings and judgments. The appeal process is designed to unearth errors committed by the trial judge or the prosecution. If your conviction was the result of a legal error, your original legal outcome can be mitigated, overturned or even expunged. Appellate and post-conviction litigation is where attorney Jonathan Laurans focuses the majority of his practice. This area of law is “research-and-writing” based, and is thus time-consuming. Many lawyers who carry a large caseload are often unable to dedicate the concentrated time necessary to thoroughly research, write and argue an appeal or post-conviction petition. It is for this reason that Mr. Laurans maintains a relatively small caseload. He believes this business model affords time to master the history of a given case, and drill down in an attempt to find any “needles” lurking in the proverbial “haystack.”
 

Writ of Habeas Corpus

Inmates have certain rights. A writ of habeas corpus is sought when asking a court to hear an inmate’s case. Claims include unfair prison treatment, or improper calculation of release dates. Exercising your Habeas Corpus rights can reduce your prison sentence, or result in moving prisons. Attorney Jonathan Laurans has experience litigating these claims in both administrative tribunals and trial courts which receive these prisoner complaints initially.

Post-conviction

Quite often, the first thing potential appellate clients and their families mention when explaining why they were dissatisfied with the outcome of their trial or plea bargain is that there were issues or witnesses or evidence overlooked by their previous attorney. However, in most instances, these types of complaints are not procedurally permitted to be raised in the first round of appellate litigation, known as the “direct appeal.” Instead, such grievances are earmarked for the post-conviction process which follows if the direct appeal is unsuccessful. What this means is that all hope is not lost if that appeal is denied. The post-conviction process provides an opportunity for the presentation of new evidence, and arguments bypassed by previous counsel. Additionally, “cold cases” which have been seemingly concluded years ago can also be reopened with post-conviction procedural laws if certain conditions are met. Attorney Jonathan Laurans embraces the challenge of post-conviction litigation, and studies its nuanced procedural framework in an attempt to ensure that his clients claims that had since gone ignored now have the chance to be heard.

Supreme Court

Ultimately, you may be able to appeal your State or Federal appellate matter to the United States Supreme Court. This is the court of last resort within our appellate court system. The first step in seeking review in the United States Supreme Court is to prepare and file a “Petition for Writ of Certiorari,” which is a specially limited type of appellate brief. Ask attorney Jonathan Laurans to share writing samples of his certiorari petitions, and to explain the Supreme Court’s rules and procedures..