Case Results

Stay of imposition. The client blew a .21. Though it was a first-time offense, that is an awfully high reading that prosecutors rarely move off of. With an initial offer to straight plea, the North Star team worked with the client in crafting a negotiating strategy to earn a better outcome. With no legal defense, the client decided to not drive for a year while revoked and stayed stone-cold sober. Eventually, the prosecutor agreed to a stay of imposition, which means the client will only have a misdemeanor record once he successfully completes the minimum 2-years probation. On top of that, there is no jail to serve and we even avoided the DWI assessment penalty that this county likes to impose when a reading is above .16. All in all, the client is very happy to have a misdemeanor record and no jail to serve - a great result given the facts of the case.

In this matter, a client who was initially a co-defendant to a North Star client sought and received a waiver of conflict from that first client, so she could benefit from the assistance of Messrs. Adkins and Gempeler, to undo the damage of her awful plea negotiation. Even though she'd essentially airmailed her probationary obligations, and stood likely to lose both a stay of imposition and could be sent to prison, Mr. Adkins secured no jail time, no involuntary treatment obligations, and reduction of the counts to misdemeanors. Remarkable results, for a client now heavily motivated to make the necessary changes to avoid similar pitfalls.

This client, facing more than a decade in prison (at mandatory minimum levels!), ended up getting released from local jail after less than six months, due to the thoughtful and hustling intervention of North Star and Mr. Adkins. Creative therapeutic options created an increased trust level for the judges involved and quieted the shouting from prosecutors; even where the facts are damning, and actual defenses don't exist, North Star and this team of pros can achieve results other firms couldn't imagine, let alone create.

This matter, concerning a relatively massive haul of multiple drugs and at least four firearms, could have cost the client more than five years' prison time, and had the matter gone federal.... Instead, Mr. Adkins was able to convince the County Attorney's Office to dismiss all charges before the matter was actually publicly filed, and before a single court appearance. Truthfully, these sorts of results are not common... but they happen here, at North Star, more than you'll find at any other Minnesota firm.

This case, concerning the accidental complete destruction of the Lolo restaurant (and the pavilion at Bde Maka Ska) initially received massive local media attention and threatened to derail a promising young man's future. Mr. Adkins labored mightily to move the case off obvious calendars, avoiding cameras and intrusive media demands, and put the case into a form of stasis until the attention reduced. North Star will never seek to gain attention from the troubles their clients face, simply never; our job is to reduce pain, not profit from it. Incredible creativity on Mr. Adkins' part, and an accountable and hustling client, meant this case resolved with no restitution to be paid, notwithstanding more than $1,000,000.00 in damage; client won't spend a single hour in custody, and Mr. Adkins created a form of restorative justice for his client that will involve the client contributing directly to the rebuilding of a treasured community landmark. In nearly three full decades of practice, Mr. Adkins is as proud of this result as any. Please come join North Star, and create your own story of rebirth, and recovery.

Continuance for Dismissal. This matter, concerning a new mom and her partner navigating allegations of battery and threats, could have been catastrophic. Instead, after careful and creative negotiations, the matter has been continued for dismissal. After the payment of mild prosecution costs... and no other sanction, our wonderful client can continue with an amazing life; she won't face 1. crushing impacts on her employability, or 2. impossibility of an apartment lease or a home mortgage, or 3. the permanent loss of her right to possess or carry a firearm, in a case that was looking like a necessary (and complicated, in light of ample photographic and other evidence of the assault) jury trial. Indeed, Mr. Adkins obtained this agreement from perhaps the most conservative prosecutor in the county, perhaps in the state, due to kickass negotiating talent.

Early discharge from probation. In this matter, North Star received a call from a desperate client, seeking to cut off the back half of a massive term of probation, totaling twenty-five years. Mr. Adkins took him on, and filed a ream of documents supporting early termination, though such results are incredibly and increasingly rare to obtain. Not only did the Court grant the early termination, it did so without a formal hearing. Quite frankly, this outcome was greater and more comprehensive than the lawyers at North Star had dared to seek. While we certainly cannot guarantee outcomes, we have prevailed often enough in these pursuits that it cannot make sense not to reach out, if you face a long probation term, or encounter other collateral consequences to your interaction with the court system that serve as obstacles. We can help, but only if we know who you are, and what you face. Call now.

Plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. The sentence called for neither jail nor community service. She paid a minimal fine and didn't even have to complete a DWI course, which is typical for a DWI-type case, due to a positive chemical dependency assessment that only recommended a MADD panel. The North Star team did not have any viable legal defenses and the reading was a high .10. Nonetheless, the plea negotiations led to this terrific result for a young woman that needed to avoid a DWI conviction.