St. Louis Domestic Violence Attorney
Domestic Violence Charges in St. Louis
Domestic violence is a criminal offense which law enforcement and prosecutors are extremely interested in pursuing. There can, however, be two sides to a domestic violence charge. On the one hand, a person may be in real need of protection from harm. On the other, you can become a victim to false or exaggerated claims resulting in charges being filed against you. If you are being prosecuted for any domestic violence crime, you will need a committed St. Louis criminal defense attorney to see that your rights are safeguarded. Attorney Brent Labovitz has focused solely on criminal defense matters throughout his career. After graduating law school he worked for a respected Chicago criminal defense law firm. Following this, he was lead counsel on hundreds of misdemeanor and felony criminal cases as a Missouri Public Defender. His insight into the criminal justice system is now successfully used for those accused of crimes, including domestic violence.
Missouri statutes define domestic abuse as "assault, battery, coercion, harassment, sexual assault, stalking or unlawful imprisonment" of one person by another. Usually, it refers to acts against someone who is a family or household member. It also applies to an adult who has been in a social or romantic relationship with the alleged abuser on a regular basis. If these conditions apply to your situation, it is important to understand the actions that will be taken against you and what your legal options are.
Orders of Protection in Domestic Violence Cases
The person who accused you of domestic violence may have filed for a temporary or "ex parte" order of protection from the court. This can be done without your knowledge. This order will only be good for about 15 days or until a hearing can be quickly set on the matter. At this hearing, the court can decide to provide a permanent restrain against you and issues orders on important items such as child support and custody and visitation rights. It is vital that you have knowledgeable and aggressive representation from the firm at this hearing.
Separate from the hearing, the criminal charges for domestic violence will also need positive resolution. At times, investigation by the firm may reveal that the charges against you were done in order to gain some type of advantage (as in divorce proceedings) or for other unlawful reasons. In some cases, it can be shown that you only took actions to protect yourself and that the other person was the instigator of the violence. You need to know what can be done to obtain a favorable outcome to your case.
Quickly contact a St. Louis domestic violence lawyer from the firm for committed representation against domestic violence charges.