Case Results

Stay of Adjudication. State initially demanded a conviction and substantial jail term, but Defendant’s hustle and Mr. Adkins’ artful arguments (commercial theft cases can often involve substantial witness and documentation challenges, creating a point of leverage for a gifted defender) resulted in a 6-month stay with no conviction and no collateral consequences. Client would have been immediately fired, and thereafter un-employable, with a conviction. Client is overjoyed.

Dismissed for lack of probable cause. The client drove past the school bus as the red lights were flashing and the stop arm was in the process of extending out. It was not fully extended. Due to this, Mr. Gempeler raised a creative and correct legal argument that the statute requires the stop arm to be fully extended, not in the process of it, in order for a person to be charged with this offense. After oral arguments, the judge agreed and dismissed the case. Another fantastic result due to the diligence and persistence of the North Star team.

Stay of Adjudication. Mr. Kehren, on his third-year practice certificate and before he became a full member of the bar, took the reins with Mr. Adkins' oversight and crushed expectations! Client was looking at a nasty conviction, a long weekend or worse in jail, and a lifetime bar on firearms rights, but no longer. Mr. Kehren convinced a seasoned (and conservative!) prosecutor to give our client a chance at redemption. Simply extraordinary results, and we’ll see more like this from Mr. Kehren very quickly and for a long time hence.

Plea to a gross misdemeanor DWI-Refusal and the felony count is dismissed. Additionally, the sentence called for no jail, a minimal fine, and merely staying on track with treatment and programming already engaged in. Considering he was facing a felony fleeing charge, avoiding a felony and any custody is remarkable. This outcome also ensured he would have the high-priced vehicle returned to him and not lose his license (and not able to use ignition interlock) because of the fleeing charge. Overall, a truly fantastic result for a client that was thrilled to have Mr. Gempeler and the North Star fighting for him.

Continuance for dismissal. This is an example of how persistence by Mr. Gempeler pays off. The initial offer was a plea to a misdemeanor offense, which is a great start because that ensures there is no loss of license stemming from the incident. Yet, it wasn't good enough. After rescheduling the hearing and showing up, Mr. Gempeler then got an offer to a stay of adjudication - a fantastic offer. But that was not sufficient for the client, given her line of work and consistent background checks. So, Mr. Gempeler finally got the prosecutor to offer this incredible outcome - one that is exceedingly rare for a gross misdemeanor offense.

Plea to an amended count of careless driving. What makes this such a phenomenal result is that the client blew a .14. Usually, the cut-off for a non-DWI/careless driving plea is .09 or .10. So, to get this at a .14 required a lot of creativity, persistence, and the illusion of leverage that ultimately led to such a fantastic plea deal. The client is thrilled to have achieved this outcome because of Mr. Gempeler's tenacity.

Dismissed by the State during trial. This is a truly rare outcome. In the midst of a court trial, the State could not lay the proper foundation for the radar reading to be entered. The reason - Mr. Gempeler's dogged trial skills and objections completely flustered the prosecutor into having to dismiss the case. Understanding the nuances of the law - even for speeding tickets - Mr. Gempeler successfully stymied the prosecutor with the technical requirements in how to get radar readings entered into evidence. These nuances are so easily overlooked, to the detriment of defendants. Not with Mr. Gempeler and the North Star team. Even when a conviction seems not only likely, but a foregone conclusion, the North Star team gets to work and develops a strategy that can succeed. This outcome saved a client from a six-month revocation - a fantastic outcome, to say the least.

Stay of Adjudication. The client thoroughly assaulted her ex-boyfriend's side lady and there were no meaningful defenses. Making matters worse, as an educator, an assault conviction could lead to a loss of career. The State's initial offer was to a plea and conviction. Undeterred, Mr. Gempeler and his team pushed back, leaned on the right leverage pieces (including a somewhat plausible self-defense claim), and negotiated this fantastic result through creative negotiations.