Nashville Criminal Justice Lawyer Charged? Fight Back.

A criminal justice lawyer is an attorney who defends people accused of crimes, from the arrest through trial. The term is used interchangeably with criminal defense lawyer and criminal defense attorney. The work covers bond hearings, discovery review, suppression motions, plea negotiation, diversion applications and jury trials.

Stop talking about the case. Do not explain yourself to officers, do not contact the complaining witness, and do not post about it. Write down everything you remember while it is fresh, then call a criminal justice lawyer before your first court date. Most of the damage in a criminal case is done in the first 72 hours, by the defendant, not the prosecutor.

Patriot Law quotes flat fees, so you know the total before you hire him. The number depends on the charge, whether the case sits in General Sessions or Criminal Court, and whether it is likely to go to trial. A misdemeanor resolved in General Sessions costs far less than a felony indictment. You get the figure in the first conversation, in writing, at no charge.

Often, yes. Tennessee offers pretrial diversion under Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-15-105 and judicial diversion under § 40-35-313, and Davidson County runs a Veterans Treatment Court that takes eligible veterans through a diversion program or as a condition of probation. A successfully completed diversion ends in dismissal, and dismissed charges are generally eligible for expungement. Eligibility turns on your record and the specific charge, which is what Austin evaluates in the free case review.

It can change them significantly. The Davidson County Veterans Treatment Court exists to route eligible veterans toward treatment instead of conviction, taking participants through a diversion program or as a condition of probation. Williamson County and the 16th Judicial District covering Rutherford run their own. Service-connected PTSD, TBI or substance issues also carry real weight with the District Attorney. You have to raise it early and with documentation.

The court reports that 90% of its graduates did not re-offend within one year of completing the program in fiscal year 2024 to 2025, according to the General Sessions Court of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.

A first-offense misdemeanor still creates a public record that shows up on background checks for jobs, apartments, professional licenses and custody disputes. A DUI conviction in Tennessee cannot be expunged short of a governor's pardon. Handling it correctly the first time almost always costs less than living with it.

General Sessions Court handles misdemeanors and the preliminary stage of felonies, with no jury. Felonies that survive a preliminary hearing are bound over to the grand jury and, if indicted, move to Criminal Court where a jury trial is available. What happens in General Sessions shapes everything after it, which is why counsel at that first appearance matters.

A misdemeanor resolved in General Sessions can finish in a few court dates over two to four months. A felony that goes to the grand jury and into Criminal Court commonly runs nine months to two years, longer if it goes to trial. Continuances, lab backlogs and discovery disputes are the usual reasons a case stretches out.

Yes. Patriot Law is deliberately a small practice. Austin handles the intake, the negotiation and the court appearances himself. If he cannot take your case he will tell you in the first call and point you somewhere appropriate.