Case Results

Plea to an amended count of Failing to Drive with Due Care. This was an older client's first offense of any kind and his BrAC was just over the legal limit. By getting better than a Careless Driving outcome - which is always the initial offer (and one most defense attorneys grab quickly) - the client was able to avoid possible job consequences and even loss of opportunities to serve on community Boards. Not only that, the client never had to show in court, which was important considering he lived on the west coast. All in all, a fantastic outcome and further proof of why North Star works so hard to go above and beyond for their clients.

Stay of Adjudication to a misdemeanor domestic assault and the remaining counts are dismissed. On top of earning the opportunity to keep his clean record, the terms of probation are basically non-existent - pay a small fine and remain law abiding. Because of this outcome, the client has no job consequence and can maintain and continue to build his relationship with his son, who was caught up in the incident - allegedly. Notably, this case was in a county that Mr. Gempeler had yet to appear in. Yet, he was quickly able to earn the respect and trust of the County Attorney and negotiate this incredible result, showing that our approach translates to success across the State, regardless of our prior history in any one county.

Plea to a misdemeanor SPEEDING ticket. The sentence only called for a standard two days of community work service, a minimal fine, and he is on unsupervised probation. Getting this incredible result - out of Minneapolis, no less - was imperative for a client that conducts significant business in Canada. Now, with this outcome, the client's job is no longer in jeopardy.

Plea to an amended count of Careless Driving. The sentence called for no jail time, minimal fine, and a year of probation with only the bare minimum terms of probation for a DWI-related offense. This is a fantastic result, considering the fact that the client had a prior DWI just outside of ten years. Usually, with a prior DWI, prosecutors are not want to give the benefit of the doubt to the Defendant and offer a non-DWI type disposition. But, here, thanks to the strategy and relationships built by North Star, the client got a much-needed second (actually, third) chance.

Stay of Adjudication to a single misdemeanor domestic assault. The terms of probation are minimal - no use of non-prescribed drugs or alcohol and testing upon demand. That's it. No jail. No community service. No domestic abuse programming. A small fine. For a hard-working father of several girls that were all supportive of him, obtaining this outcome was important for the family to continue its healing process and move forward from this off night.

Plea to an amended count of failing to drive with due care. This was an absolutely needed outcome for a client that does a lot of business in Canada. At a .12 breath alcohol level, though, getting anything other than a DWI, let alone an outcome better than a Careless Driving, is virtually unheard of. Undeterred by these prospects, Mr. Gempeler got to work to create the best possible plea negotiation strategy, which is all that was left without any legal defense. With the assistance of an incredible and long relationship with the prosecutor - who admittedly trusts this firm, completely - this ridiculously rare outcome was achieved. As a result, the client's business and work in Canada is saved and the single mistake will not have to hurt him going forward. These are the type of results that make us so unique and successful.

Continuance for dismissal to an amended count of disorderly conduct. The client had no criminal record, but had engaged in rather poor behavior overall (though the assaultive behavior was not severe) due to a multi-day alcohol binge. The client was extremely proactive in addressing his underlying alcohol and mental health issues. With this, the North Star team leveraged their good relationship with the prosecutor and obtained this incredible outcome for a needful client.

Dismissed. The client was charged with a first-time domestic involving his wife. Their decades long relationship was leading to a divorce, with this incident serving as the rock bottom point. But, the response by the family was remarkable. Proactive steps, including weekly meetings with their pastor and completing an anger management course, allowed the family to heal and rebuild their relationship. And despite living in the country for a long time, the client was just in the process of finishing his application for citizenship. The fear was that anything other than an outright dismissal could negatively impact his application, including the possibility of deportation. Understanding this, Mr. Gempeler and the North Star team developed a strategy that positioned the client for this dismissal -—via negotiations. There was no defense. This outcome was obtained through both the strong and trust relationship with the prosecutor, and an understanding of how to best approach the negotiations to get such an incredible and atypical result.