Case Results

Declination/Nolle Prosequi Letter pending (no charges!). This client, a young man accused of sexual misconduct at his high school, was initially set to meet with investigators to (hopefully!) explain some miscommunication and contextualize a relationship. After a call to North Star, hoping to confirm the good intentions of the investigators and to be told he had the right strategy in mind, that meeting was immediately cancelled, and the client declined to respond to any officers' questions. The complete absence of physical or social-media evidence to confirm the (false, but compelling) allegations of the classmate has resulted in no charges being filed. This is still a developing matter, in light of the fact that the statute of limitations won't expire for many years yet, but the first steps are utterly wonderful. North Star provides exceptional and timely pre-charge representation several times each month, and we love these no-charge decisions as much as a jury acquittal.

Plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. Client blew a .12 and had no defense. Typically, this means a plea to a misdemeanor DWI with STS - community work service through probation that is strenuous work. But, with the North Star team, the typical result is not good enough and they pushed for the atypical and incredible result of a plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. On top of that, the client is on probation to the court and does not need to do community work service through the County. For a young woman with a bright future, she could not be happier that she decided to hire North Star to fight for her.

Stay of Adjudication, notwithstanding extensive prohibitive conviction history. Dan and his client took advantage of positive turns from the bench and from a formerly very-displeased prosecutor, and resolved a sticky case with no formal conviction and easy terms of conditional release. Client anticipates this jump-off helping to put him back to rights on his driving privileges, as well as other life challenges. Very positive development, this.

Expungement granted for misdemeanor DWI. Typically, expunging DWI's have proven to be the most difficult non-felony records to get expunged. And that is especially true for those offenses that are within the 10-year look-back period for possible enhancement. Despite these obstacles, the North Star team successfully expunged a 4-year-old DWI record - and did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. North Star's proven approach with expungements - which includes a process unmatched by other firms - leads to these incredible results for deserving clients.

Plea to a single gross misdemeanor DWI. Sometimes, the facts simply don't permit a plea to a less serious offense. When the client registers a .20 and has driving conduct that imperiled others on the road, the only fair outcome is to plead as charged. Without any legitimate defense and a client that did not want to go to trial, the North Star team refocused their negotiations on limiting the impact from the criminal sentence. The first round of negotiations left an offer that includes 8 days as a jail alternative and a lengthy probationary period. Through our zealous advocacy, the client will have no time to serve - either in custody or via community work service - a reasonable fine, and, most importantly, probation to the court for fewer years than initially offered. The end game is one where the client has no affirmative obligations while on probation to the court (which saves her money). So, even when facing long odds, the North Star team was still able to negotiate a very favorable outcome.

Reduction of counts to Gross Misdemeanor or below. This case, actually a set of cases, initially exposed our client to not only a felony conviction, but the loss immediately of a lifelong avocation, for which he had expended decades of effort and countless dollars in training and equipment. After extensive negotiations and aggressive reparative efforts by Dan and the North Star team, the client will not only have the chance to seek a gross misdemeanor from his misconduct, but has written agreement from the prosecutor that the cases will be amended to that outcome--erasing the risk that a judge would disagree with Dan's request. Client is giddy--s/he gets to keep working, and keep climbing, in an incredibly competitive environment.

No further jail, probation only. This client, facing an armful of complaints alleging improper contact with ex-partners, was looking at a long stint in prison, for even one contested conviction. Instead, he has a single concurrent term of probation, with exceptionally workable terms, and has been released to complete in-patient treatment and begin an aggressive aftercare program to both secure and protect his sobriety and to forestall any similar missteps with law enforcement in the future. Client has already signed a contract in his chosen field, and looks to be moving remarkably forward from his challenges. North Star lawyers work closely (when possible) with thoughtful prosecutors and creative probation advisers to reach the best possible outcomes, with the least amount of risk and fear of judicial mistakes.

Continuance for a dismissal, over initial State's objection. Client was stopped for pretty radical driving misconduct, and narcotics are located in the vehicle, but due to some misstatements of law by the arresting officers, most of the evidence against our client was suppressed, and agreement was reached to dismiss the matter after six months, and unsupervised conditions. Client, who is a professional, is overjoyed.