Stay of Adjudication. Client visits North Star looking at his third felony, with possible prison connotations, for more than four hundred (!!) prescription pills and a bill with a testable amount of powder cocaine on it, all within his possession. After intense negotiations and motion practice, the State alters its offer to a stay of adjudication on two drug counts at fifth degree; no jail to serve--not an hour, and no real additional consequences past a $50 fine; the matter is not a conviction, and will be dismissed in anticipation of an expungement in as little as a year. This, notwithstanding a full confession.... When you or someone you care about gets trapped in a terrible spot, which lawyer you retain to salvage what can be saved makes all the difference. All the difference....

North Star takes a call from a young woman, facing (with her mother) a mandatory minimum sentence on first degree drug counts, suitcases full of uncut methamphetamine, and an entrenched and talented prosecutor. Motions had already been filed, and lost... yet Mr. Adkins secured an almost insane outcome. No jail--not one hour; two years of essentially unsupervised probation or less; no real fine, no treatment requirement, no letters of apology... and most importantly, no requirement that she testify against her mother, or anyone else, itself a deadly obligation, always to be avoided where possible. Staggering result, one you won't see in other firms or on other similar cases.

Dan and James have been admitted in more than fourteen foreign and federal jurisdictions, and they happily travel to where you need them. In this instance, a young woman looking at a Class C felony in Wisconsin saw her counts reduced to Class I, her guilty plea will not be accepted, and her case is tabbed for expungement upon completion of 1-2 years of unsupervised probation--a highly unusual and completely favorable result, in this very different state (for expungement purposes). North Star has assembled an incredible team of attorneys throughout the country to assist you and your loved ones, regardless of the locale, or the charges faced. We go.

This case, concerning a young man giving his friends a ride--not realizing he was permitting large amounts of narcotics and a recently-stolen firearm into his car--being forced to consider a permanent felony, a lengthy stint in jail, and a crushing fine, resolved highly favorably--no conviction, no jail, a minor costs payment, and no debilitating record, for this remarkable fellow. Hard hustle, endless creativity and the right personnel on the bench and in the prosecutor's role mean nearly perfect outcomes, and North Star excels at these efforts.

Client pled guilty to a gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation and received a stay of adjudication on the drug crime. As a result, the client will never be convicted of a felony. Additionally, the sentence did not call for time to serve in custody and only requires him to stay sober - which he has proven for the last year. This is a remarkable outcome because the facts are not pretty. He was both drunk and had a controlled substance in his system - plus pills found in his vehicle. He ended up rolling the vehicle, causing his passenger to be thrown from it. Luckily, the passenger did not suffer serious injuries. And, due to some aggressive discovery requested by the North Star team, we got the records to verify that the injuries sustained were not nearly as serious as initially feared, resulting in the opportunity to plead to a non-felony CVO. The client is ecstatic that he will avoid a felony conviction and jail time. Even the judge commented that he normally sends defendants to jail on these type of allegations, but the plea agreement took that decision out of his hands.

In this latest example of bulk-arrest/pending cases/global negotiations, Mr. Adkins secured a boot camp comprehensive sentence for a client facing decades in prison for a variety of open cases, in five separate counties. The client's commitment to sobriety, documented over three distinct treatment protocols completed, and helped push the prosecutors to our preferred outcome. James and Dan are consummate professionals, but more often than not, a dedicated and open-minded client will prove to be the linchpin in a successful recovery and negotiation. Be that client.

Stay of adjudication. The client was busted for having marijuana found in his residence in various spots, accumulating a good amount. On top of that, the cops discovered multiple marijuana plants in the back garden area - far from an ideal fact for what could've been deemed a simpler possession case. Despite these troublesome facts, the North Star team achieved a dream outcome in which he will not be convicted of the felony (thereby keeping his record clean) and he avoids any time in custody. So long as he stays clean for up to three years, this case will be dismissed after his completion of probation.

Client with multiple concerns, and a relatively large amount of money at issue, receives an incredible discount to a stay of adjudication, and the return of his cash, with no untoward consequences from the federal government. Client is overwhelmed and happy.