ATTORNEY HANKS

JUSTICE SERVED

i have been extremely happy with your services and delighted to refer anyone I know to you.                                

HOW ATTORNEY HANKS CAN HELP YOU

Florida is tough on drunk driving, DWI or DUI. You can be convicted of DUI, without even driving.  You can be arrested for DUI, even if you blew .00/.00.  The State will prosecute you for DUI even if your blood alcohol level (BAL) was under the legal limit On top of all that, DUI penalties include mandatory jail sentences, minimum fines, and other legal requirements.    

DUI charges also involve mandatory license revocations.  In addition, a combination of DUI's and Driving While License Suspended (DWLSR) charges, can result in an even longer period of revocation.  Unless your employer won't mind you being without a vehicle for an extended period, you need professional legal help.

Drawing on his extensive experience in traffic court, Attorney Hanks will also:

If this is your first DUI, assist you in the administrative side of your case with the Division of Driver Licenses, to enable you to keep your license, and avoid the mandatory suspension would come 10 days after your arrest.  If this is your second DUI, assist you with an administrative hearing, to try and defeat the temporary suspension that will follow.

After reviewing all evidence, including any digital recording of the traffic stop, make a recommendation as to negotiating a minimal (no jail) or lesser disposition (Reckless Driving in lieu of a DUI; No Valid License in lieu of a DWLSR) or setting a trial.  

If a disposition is negotiated, Attorney Hanks wil seek to keep the case open, so that you can complete all terms of probation prior to your plea, and minimize your time to be spent on probation.

If you were recently arrested, the four weeks following that arrest are crucial.  During this  period, the State will decide whether you will be formally charged.  Having Attorney  Hanks contact the State at this early stage, and let the State know your side of it, can mean the different between never having to go to Court, or having to fight the charge before a jury trial.  Do not let this time pass, without Attorney Hanks.

As a former prosecutor in Pinellas County, Attorney Hanks knows the procedures of filing and prosecuting cases.  Attorney Hanks will:

Immediately analyze the facts of your case, interview any witnesses to your defense, and convey any defense information obtained, to the prosecutor assigned ot your case.  Often, we can  persuade the prosecutor to file a lesser charge or no charge at all.

File the pleadings necesssary for you to remain out of Court and at work, so that Attorney Hanks can appear in your place, whenever allowed.

Obtain and review all reports and evidence in your case, including any audio or digital recordings, through discovery and public records requests, to question and attack the State's case, while building your defense.

Apply the facts of your case to the most recent case law, to see if any evidence can be suppressed.  

Where permitted under law, question and examine the State's witnesses against you, in depositions, to further identify any weaknesses in the State's case against you, and bolster your defense.

Prepare your case with exhibits and relevant expert witnesses, to enable your best chance at a not guilty verdict.  And if Attorney Hanks cannot negotiate an acceptable resolution from the State, try your case before a jury of your peers.

Frequently, our clients with pending criminal charges, also have a need for a lawyer to help them defend a domestic violence injunction, fight for their rights to see their kids, or represent them in a divorce.  At Attorney Hanks, P.A., you don't need to find another lawyer.  We can help you in all of those situations.  So, if you are facing crimnal charges or need a lawyer with 22 years experience in Family Law, call Attorney Hanks, P.A.  Whether you are in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Tampa, Bradenton, or New Port Richey, have one lawyer, not several. Remember, the best defense is not a good offense, it's Attorney Hanks, P.A.  Justice served.

DUI's and License Suspensions

All Felonies and Misdemeanors

Juvenile Cases

Juvenile law does not provide for jury trials. Without the balance of a jury trial, cases that would never be filed against an adult, are prosecuted against juveniles.  It is essential that you retain Attorney Hanks, P.A. to immediately make contact with the Juvenile Justice Department and the State, to discuss the possibility of a diversion program or other minimal disposition, with an eye towards a future sealing of your child's record.

Sealing and Expungement

Is an old criminal case keeping you from a better job or worse, putting your present job at risk?  Sealing or Expungement might be just what you need, but not everyone or every crime is eligible, and it is not a short process.  Call Attorney Hanks immediately, to get started.

Before Attorney Hanks, P.A., I had hired another local attorney to represent me.  After spending a fortune in retainer fees with the other attorney, I eventually realized I needed an attorney who would believe me, and do everything possible to defend my rights.  I was facing a minimum five years of prison if found guilty after trial.  Almost immediately after switching attorneys and retaining Attorney Hanks, P.A., he located previously, undiscovered evidence in my case.  Over the following 13 months, he and his team launched a massive investigation into the circumstances surrounding my case.  After nine depositions of SPPD police officers and their staff, and after ordering recordings, personnel files, and department policies....Attorney Hanks had my charge dropped to a misdemeanor.  I served no jail time, I had no probation, and I paid a miminal fine. Thank God for the work done through Attorney Hanks, P.A.  They continued to fight for my rights and they never backed down from getting me justice.  

                                            D.B., St. Petersburg, FL                                                                                                    

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