Stay of Adjudication. Client was caught, on surveillance, using his cell phone to take upskirt videos of customers as they were in the store he was working at. The client immediately took proactive steps by seeing a mental health professional to address the underlying issues that led to his misconduct. At the same time, the North Star team researched a creative argument to raise to assist in plea negotiations. The combination led to this incredible result, where the client will not be convicted of any crime so long as he abides by minimal terms of probation. While his misconduct was abhorrent, his response and willingness to take strides to ensure this doesn't happen again earned this remarkable outcome.

Plea to a 3rd Degree DWI-Refusal. The client exhibited horrible driving conduct and registered a PBT significantly above .20. Needless to say, no defenses existed and he was clearly at an elevated alcohol concentration. Compounding all of that, he refused the formal breath test at the station, which prosecutors despise as it shows noncooperation. Despite all of these facts stacked against him, the North Star team negotiated an outcome in which the client faces no jail time, a minimal fine, and credit for having completed a chemical dependency assessment, a MADD panel, and a DWI class. As a result, the client will receive the benefit of being on unsupervised probation. Given the challenging facts, no jail and unsupervised probation is a great outcome and one the client is very pleased with.

This client, facing a nasty DUI with a high test, multiple priors and a bleak outlook, receives no jail time, no further programming than that she'd already completed, and an utterly feathery landing, due to speedy steps in remediation and her talented lawyers. DUI cases confound even seasoned defenders, with relentlessly repetitive fact patterns and a thin list of available defenses--but North Star doesn't quit, and does not take the traditional approach to these matters. We got thinking caps, here, and we use them.

Stay of adjudication to the drug charges in BOTH cases and a single conviction to a misdemeanor DWI as a stay of imposition. The client quite literally committed the same offense twice within a years time frame. He drove drunk, was found slumped over in his car on a county highway, and had drugs in the center console. If this wasn't bad enough, the second offense was committed just shy of his sentencing on the first case, where the North Star team was going to argue that he learned his lesson. Still, despite the two separate cases and problems that causes, the North Star team counseled the client on the correct proactive steps to take - treatment, aftercare, and continued alcohol monitoring to prove sobriety. And by the time of the sentencing for both cases nearly a year and a half later, the client was able to convince the probation department and ultimately the Court - with our help, of course - to receive a stay of adjudication on BOTH cases. The result is that the client will NOT be a convicted felon and only have one DWI conviction on his record. Avoiding the felony drug possession conviction was critical for the client, too, because he received federal aid as a farmer, which would have been in jeopardy with such a conviction. The client is incredibly thankful he chose the North Star team to help him on his two cases. An early Christmas present for a deserving client!

Plea to the 4th Degree DWI and no jail sanction. On top of that fantastic outcome, the State agreed to dismiss the original case entirely, agreed to an expungement of it, and then recharged a new case for just the DWI. This outcome was critical to the client because he did not want even the drug charge record to exist - even though it was going to be dismissed as part of the plea deal. Armed with a strong defense, the County Attorney relented after much negotiation to take this unusual path to a plea deal. Now, after the expungement is granted, the client's record will remain clear of any drug record and he'll only be left with a plea to a misdemeanor DWI as a standard first-time DWI. This is truly a fantastic result, but also a very creative one, once again showing how the North Star team fights for its clients and pursues the just and sometimes creative results for our clients.

Plea to two gross misdemeanor crimes - one drug possession and the false info. The client had a small amount of two drugs found on his person, but with a prior drug conviction, the client was facing two felony charges. Complicating things further, the client had a warrant for a parole violation in Texas and facing an extradition case separate from the underlying criminal case. Thankfully, the client was afforded bail on both cases, checked himself into rehab, gained sobriety, and proved to the Court that he was facing his past, rather than running from it. Mr. Gempeler then leveraged a legal motion challenging the evidence for one of the drug charges to get the needed outcome - a non-felony record. Now with this outcome, the client has a chance to avoid further incarceration on his old warrant. Even when faced with long odds, the North Star team knows how to fight to get the necessary results for its clients.

Plea to DWI, but no jail time. This case, concerning a VERY high BAC and a prior within ten years, was looking ripe for a six-month mandatory minimum jail sentence at the outset, particularly in a greater Minnesota jurisdiction known for being tough on repeat offenders. Mr. Adkins worked his tail off, and secured a NO JAIL outcome, with only a minimal fine and completion of the Interlock protocol (which was already in place to retain driving privileges). The right lawyer? We have him, on staff. Don't delay.

Gross misdemeanor pleas. Mr. Adkins secured non-felony results in an almost impossible context, with a client who simply would not quit gathering complaints and charges, most alleging acts of theft or failure to report theft or recovery of assets. No jail, no heavy probation conditions, and the right to contest future restitution... have the right lawyer by your side? Even if you can't quit the cases from coming, Messrs. Adkins and Gempeler can protect you, and optimize your options.