Drug charges
Drug charges, from possession to intent to distribute
A drug charge can follow you into job interviews, apartment applications and family court. We work to keep the case, and the record it leaves, as small as the facts allow.
We take possession, possession with intent to distribute, paraphernalia and charges that come from a search of a car, a bag or a home. Most of these cases begin in the lower court, and some are moved up to the higher one. We’ll tell you which court yours is in, and what that changes for you.
What we look at first
The search, and whether it was lawful
The lab report, checked rather than accepted
Treatment or diversion, where it fits
The record, before any plea is signed
Step by step
How a drug case usually moves
- 01
Step 1: Charging papers and release
We read the charges with you, and if you’re being held, we ask the court to release you while the case goes on.
- 02
Step 2: Reading the evidence
We get the police report, body camera video and lab results, and go through them with you line by line.
- 03
Step 3: Challenging the search
If the stop or the search broke the rules, we ask the judge to keep out what was found.
- 04
Step 4: Trial, plea or a program
You decide how the case ends. We lay out each road and what it would leave on your record.
What people ask about drug charges
Should I talk to the police about the charge?
Not without a lawyer. You can be polite and still say you want a lawyer before answering questions. Then call us.
If the case is dropped, is it off my record?
Not on its own. A dropped or dismissed charge usually stays on the public record until a petition to clear it is filed. We can file it when the case ends.
Can a drug charge affect my lease or my job?
It can, even before the case is over. Tell us about your job and your housing at the first meeting so we can plan around both.
Call with the charging papers in hand
Read us the charge and the court date. We’ll tell you what the first weeks look like.