Aggressive Defense No Matter What Charges You Face in Bloomington

If you are arrested or charged in Illinois, it can be scary and confusing. What exactly are you being charged with? Are the police taking you to jail? Who is going to contact your family? Your employer? How did one incident suddenly turn into multiple charges? Why won’t anyone explain anything to you?

The unfortunate truth is that the Illinois Criminal Statutes & Procedures are many and varied. Most people do not have a clear understanding of them.

For example, if you learn that you’re being charged with a  misdemeanor instead of a felony, you might have a vague sense that misdemeanors are not as serious, but what does that really mean? Will you only have to pay a fine? Do community service? Or is prison possible? If I posted my Illinois driver’s license as bond, when can I get it back? What about the difference between assault and battery? Aggravated DUI and a regular DUI?

Here is what you really need to know: all criminal charges are serious. They all require an aggressive defense if you want to have the best chance at a positive outcome.

As someone who has over 29 years of criminal legal experience in the state, John Prior has an in-depth understanding of how our laws work, what strategies are most likely to cast doubt on the arguments of the prosecution, and could help you get your charges reduced, dropped, or dismissed.

Just as importantly, he knows how to break things down in an understandable way, so you can get a grip on what is happening and what you are up against.

Charges The Prior Law Firm Can Help You Fight – and Beat

When deciding on a Bloomington defense attorney, you want to choose someone who focuses on criminal law in Illinois rather than someone who bills themselves as a jack-of-all-trades who can solve any legal problem you have.

Hopefully, this seems obvious. If you were suffering from foot pain, you would not seek help from a heart surgeon. Likewise, a personal injury lawyer is not going to know how to best help you fight a criminal charge.

However, be careful not to choose someone with a focus that is too narrow. For example, some attorneys concentrate in helping people fight DUIs. If you have been charged with a DUI, choosing one of them might seem like a great idea. After all, if they only handle DUI cases, they probably have an incredibly in-depth understanding of the law, right?

Here is the problem with this line of thinking. What often happens is that someone will be arrested for one crime, but as the police and prosecution investigate, they find additional crimes to charge them with.

Imagine that you were arrested for being under the influence. After searching your car though, officers found an unlicensed handgun, illegal drugs or stolen merchandise.

Now you are facing multiple, varied charges. If you choose a lawyer who only handles DUI cases, do you really think that they will be best suited to protect your rights and your future? Police discovering controlled substances in your car may result in civil drug forfeiture proceedings against your vehicle. What then?

John Prior and his team at The Prior Law Firm, P.C. not only possess the depth of information you need to prevail against your charges, but also the breadth. Over the years, Mr. Prior has successfully handled criminal cases of all kinds – everything from criminal sexual assault to arson to domestic battery. He understands both how to craft strategies designed to tear down individual charges and how multiple charges interact and impact each other. He will always look at the big picture when fighting to get you the best possible outcome.

Charges that The Prior Law Firm feels confident in fighting include, but are not limited, to the following:

Why You Should Choose Bloomington Criminal Defense Attorney John Prior

Selecting the right lawyer to handle your criminal charges is one of the most important decisions that you will ever make. After all, your life is on the line.

Depending on your charge or charges, you could end up in prison. You could have to pay exorbitant fines. You may be subject to deportation. You might lose certain rights, such as the ability to vote or own a firearm. You may even have restrictions placed on where you can live and what kinds of jobs you can do.

If you choose an inexperienced lawyer, you are more likely to end up suffering those types of consequences. So what exactly should you look for in a criminal attorney?

Dedication. Mr. Prior has seen how criminal convictions can destroy a person’s life, family, and, in some cases, even community. He knows the stakes. He knows how important prevailing against the State’s charges is to you. Because of that, he will fight tirelessly to earn you a positive outcome, pursuing every possible avenue.

Recognition. Awards are not everything, but when you see that a lawyer has been recognized by his or her peers for the work they do, it is a good sign that they do high-quality work. Just a few of the ways that Mr. Prior has been recognized include his high Avvo ratings and stellar reviews, as well as the fact that The National Trial Lawyers named him a Top 100 Trial Lawyer.

Experience. With more than 29 years of professional legal experience, John Prior has seen just about everything, handling a wide range of criminal cases, going up against prosecutors from several counties in Illinois representing many different jurisdictions, and trying cases in front of numerous judges. John has done it before, and he knows how various area judges and prosecutors think.

Background. One of the biggest reasons why John Prior has such amazing insight into the minds of judges and prosecutors? Because he used to be a prosecutor. The voters of Henderson County even elected him to serve as their State’s Attorney. His job was to come up with legal strategies designed to get people convicted. Now he uses that knowledge every day to poke holes in those same strategies and protect the rights of his clients.