Portland Criminal Defense Lawyers
Strong representation for Oregon defendants accused of crimes
It’s scary to be charged with any criminal offense. Your freedom and reputation are at stake. Your ability to keep your job or find new work may be affected. If convicted, you’ll likely have to pay large fines and suffer other consequences. At Philbrook Law, we fight for you the moment we start representing you. For 20 years, we’ve helped many defendants obtain dismissal, acquittals, and plea reductions of felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic offenses. We also pursue alternatives to imprisonment when possible, such as Oregon’s drug court programs. Call us today if you or someone you love is arrested.
How can we help?
- What types of criminal cases do your Portland defense lawyers handle?
- Will I need to have a jury trial?
- How do your Portland criminal defense lawyers fight for my freedom?
- Do you have a Portland criminal defense lawyer near me?
What types of criminal cases do your Portland defense lawyers handle?
At Philbrook Law, we handle Class A, B, and C felonies and all categories of misdemeanors. We also handle moving and non-moving traffic violations.
Call our Portland office today if you were arrested for any crime, including:
- DUI offenses. Our Portland criminal defense lawyers work to contest the validity of any field sobriety or breathalyzer tests. In addition, we fight to show that the police did not have proper grounds to stop you. We also work to place first-time offenders charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) on Oregon’s DUI/DUII diversion program.
- Drug crimes. We defend anyone charged with manufacturing, delivering, or possession of controlled substances - and other drug crimes. Our lawyers understand when drugs such as medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are legal and when you could be charged with a crime. We fight to suppress illegally obtained drug evidence, have your case heard by a drug court that focuses on treatment instead of incarceration, and assert all your defenses.
- Theft offenses. Philbrook Law defends anyone charged with taking property from an owner (including shoplifting), using force or threats to avoid paying for services, committing theft by extortion or deception, taking possession of misdelivered property, or receiving stolen property. We fight to show you had a claim to the property, the property has a lower value than claimed, and that the government cannot prove you committed any theft offenses.
- White-collar offenses. We represent defendants charged with RICO violations, fraud, embezzlement, stolen identities, money laundering, and any other type of white-collar crime.
- Domestic violence. These charges can be devastating. Domestic violence convictions can mean imprisonment, divorce, the denial of your right to live in your home, and the inability to see your children. Our Portland criminal defense lawyers work to find alternate solutions and to defend the charges filed against you.
- Assault crimes. We defend Portland residents who are charged with assaults in the first, second, third, and fourth degrees. Our team may fight to show that you acted in self-defense, that the injuries were not that serious, and that the prosecutors can’t prove their charges.
- Weapons and firearm crimes. If you are charged with using a firearm or deadly weapon, prosecutors may enhance the charges against you. Our attorneys work towards a dismissal, acquittal, or plea reduction to reduce the consequences of the charges.
- Traffic violations. Our lawyers defend anyone charged with speeding, driving through a red light, and any other traffic offense. We also fight to restore your driving privileges if your license is suspended.
Will I need to have a jury trial?
There are several fundamental ways you can avoid a jury trial.
- Dismissal of the charges before trial. At Philbrook Law, we work to have your charges dismissed before trial by seeking to suppress illegally obtained evidence and arguing before trial that the prosecution’s case lacks legal or factual merit.
- A plea negotiation. During or after the preliminary hearing and any stage of the criminal process, we often discuss reducing the charges to less serious offenses when the government’s case has weaknesses, but the charges can’t be dismissed.
- Alternative resolutions of criminal charges. Oregon tries to help first-time offenders and defendants who can benefit from types of help other than incarceration. These alternatives include DUII diversion, non-DUII diversion, drug courts, juvenile courts, and Veterans treatment courts.
In some cases, we may be able to expunge criminal charges after you’ve been convicted.
How do your Portland criminal defense lawyers fight for my freedom?
At Philbrook Law, we represent criminal defendants at every stage of the criminal case, including the following:
- The bail hearing. We seek to obtain a low bail or to obtain your release based on your recognizance.
- The arraignment. This court hearing is where the charges against you are disclosed and where you generally plead not guilty.
- The preliminary hearing. Here, the prosecution presents testimony and evidence to show they have a sufficient case to send your charges forward to the state or federal court. We work to show the prosecution doesn’t have a prima facie case. We also question all the witnesses against you. Normally, defendants do not testify at the preliminary hearing.
- Suppression hearings. At this court hearing, we work to exclude evidence against you because the evidence was obtained in violation of your US or Oregon constitutional rights, the federal or Oregon rules of criminal procedure, because the evidence is unreliable, and for other reasons.
- Motions. Sometimes, we file motions seeking to dismiss your case, limit what evidence can be introduced and how the evidence can be introduced, and clarify how a trial should be conducted.
- The trial. We regularly demand a jury trial of your Portland peers. Our team works to ensure the jury is unbiased, presents evidence on your behalf, cross-examines the witnesses against you, raises objections, and argues that the government has not proved the charges against you beyond a reasonable doubt.
- An appeal. We discuss whether you have grounds for filing an appeal of any verdict against you.
- Sentencing. Our Portland criminal defense lawyers represent defendants at sentencing hearings if there is a conviction against you or you plead guilty. We can work to minimize any sentence.
Do you have a Portland criminal defense lawyer near me?
Philbrook Law meets anyone who is arrested for a crime at our Portland, Oregon office located at 107 SE Oregon St., Suite 520. We also represent defendants where they’re being detained. Our defense lawyers also speak with defendants by phone and through online consultations.
We are prepared to answer all your questions, explain your rights, and fight for your freedom.
Contact Philbrook Law if you or a loved one was arrested in Oregon
At Philbrook Law, our criminal defense lawyers have 20 years of experience fighting for criminal defendants. We move promptly to assert your constitutional rights and develop a strategy to contest the charges against you. Our team continually works to show the weaknesses in the prosecution’s case and to question the credibility of the witnesses against you. We represent defendants throughout the greater Portland area in federal and state courts. To schedule a free consultation, please call us or fill out our contact form. We represent clients throughout the Portland, Oregon, and Washington state regions.