Drug charges
Facing a drug charge
A drug charge can follow you into job applications, housing and student aid. Many cases have a way through that doesn't end in a conviction, and finding it is my job.
Most drug cases start with a search: a car, a bag, a bedroom. If the search broke the rules, the evidence it found may not be usable at all. If it didn't, there may still be diversion, treatment court or a reduced charge that protects your record. I'll go through which of those are open to you before you decide anything.
Cases I take
Possession, including a first charge
Paraphernalia
Prescription medication without a prescription
Possession with intent to deliver
Charges that put a student or a professional license at risk
What happens next
How a drug case usually goes
- 01
Step 1: We talk, privately
You tell me what happened, including the parts you are unsure about. What you tell me stays confidential.
- 02
Step 2: The search, line by line
I get the reports and any video and check how the police came to search, and what they were allowed to do.
- 03
Step 3: Every way out, on the table
Dismissal, diversion, treatment court, a reduced charge. I explain each, with what it asks of you.
- 04
Step 4: Protecting what comes after
If there's a plea, we shape it around your record, your job and your schooling, and plan for clearing it later where the law allows.
Drug charge questions
It wasn't mine. Does that matter?
It can matter a great deal. The state has to show you knew about it and had control over it, which is harder than it sounds when it was in a shared car or home.
What is diversion?
A program that lets some people, often with a first charge, complete conditions such as classes, testing or treatment in exchange for the charge being dismissed. Whether it's offered depends on the charge and the court.
Will this affect my financial aid or my visa?
It can. Tell me about school, work licenses and immigration status at the start. It changes how we approach the case.
A charge doesn't have to become a conviction
Let's look at what's open to you before your first court date.