THE PROVERBIAL NO-HOPER

The defendant was facing serious charges of attempted murder along with various gun charges. Before seeking assistance from the Ebanks Law Firm, the defendant had retained and sought assistance from six other law firms. The prior attorneys all recommended and advised the defendant to take a plea deal of 10 years because the case was "hopeless." The defendant refused to give up and retained the Ebanks Law Firm to defend him. Midway through the trial, following an extensive investigation and endless hours of preparation, the alleged victim was exposed as a liar and had to be appointed a lawyer to defend him and advise him on potential perjury charges. The entire case was riding on that witness' tongue. The case was subsequently dismissed and sealed. Instead of prison, the client now takes their kids to the park every afternoon and attends church every Sunday.

NON-CUSTODIAL SENTENCE

The firm's client was charged with a felony. The offer on the felony was unnecessarily high and required mandatory jail time based on the fact that the District Attorney's office determined that the defendant was a predicate felon. A predicate felon is someone who has been convicted of a felony within the last ten years. Time spent incarcerated does not count towards the 10 years.

The defendant was also subjected to additional immigration penalties. Upon his release from prison the defendant spent time in an immigration detention center. The District Attorney's office argued that the time spent in the immigration detention center should be viewed in exactly the same manner as time spent in prison. The Firm argued that time spent in the immigration detention center should not toll time for purposes of determining predicate felon status. The court determined that the defendant was not a predicate felon. Upon overcoming that hurdle the defendant was then able to accept responsibility for his offense without having to serve a prison term.

1 YEAR SENTENCE FOR MURDER CHARGE

The firm's client was one of four defendants charged with a cold case murder. The defendant was the alleged gunman. Prior to entering the case the offer presented to the defendant was 15 years to life in prison.

After examining the facts and dissecting the case, the firm was able to identify several holes in the police department's investigation. This resulted in the District Attorney's office reevaluating the case. Once the initial theory was refuted, the defendant was then offered a plea which guaranteed his release from prison in 1 year thereby allowing him to avoid the exposure to a potential life sentence.