Misdemeanor Defense

The Law Offices of James Egan has defended persons charged with misdemeanor crimes in the State of Washington for many years.  These include DUI / DWI/ Driving Under the Influence, Reckless Driving and Hit and Run, Assault, Endangerment, Possession of Marijuana/Paraphernalia, Indecent Exposure, and Minor in Possession/Consumption.

Although less serious than felonies, misdemeanors can strongly affect people's careers, relationships and liberties. Any misdemeanor comes with the possibility of jail time. Fines are often just part of the serious consequences of convictions. Criminal traffic offenses such as DUI can also result in Department of Licensing consequences such as license suspension. Any good attorney must carefully assess the consequences of any particular action. The Law Offices of James C. Egan knows just how to proceed on each case.

It is important to hire a firm which has experience with all the courts in which you might be charged. The reason is that although the laws are generally the same in court, the procedures can be quite different. For example, Seattle Municipal Court has ways of getting criminal charges off the table that do not exist in the district courts.

Courts require careful negotiation and will respond to legal arguments related to your case in terms of reductions. By filing motions, the Law Offices of James C. Egan can frequently get reductions or dismissals on cases. For example, in one recent Possession of Marijuana charge the defendant was facing jail time and substantial fines, and their ability to qualify for financial aid for college was going to be in jeopardy. After filing motions against probable cause violations, this office got the matter reduced to a simple misdemeanor charge of Disorderly Conduct. The client served no jail, paid minimal fines, and the matter appears as a civil disobedience / protest offense in their college applications.