Sacramento Felonies & Misdemeanors Lawyer

All felonies, all misdemeanors, all the time.

At Brennan Defense LLP, we focus exclusively on representing clients throughout the Sacramento area in criminal defense matters. However, we began our legal careers serving as prosecutors, gaining first-hand insight into how district attorneys secure convictions in nearly every type of criminal case. Now that we are entirely dedicated to defending all types of criminal charges, we can anticipate the strategies the prosecutors will use, and we know what it takes to defend all types of misdemeanor and felony charges successfully.

In particular, our criminal defense lawyers defend our clients in the following types of cases:

Consequences and Options: The differences between felonies and misdemeanors

A felony is a more serious crime than a misdemeanor. This distinction is important, especially in the case of sentencing.. A felony can carry jail time up to life imprisonment, while a misdemeanor involves one year or less time of incarceration.

A felony is any crime involving theft of $400 or more, violence (such as assault, rape, murder, and attempted murder), abuse (including sexual abuse of a non-consenting adult or a minor), drug crimes, arson, and four or more (within in ten years) convictions for driving under the influence. White-collar crimes, such as identify theft, embezzlement, perjury and computer crimes can be charged as felonies.

A misdemeanor offense includes petty theft (value of less than $400), public drunkenness and aggravated misdemeanors, such as driving under the influence, domestic battery, and driving with a suspended license.

Some crimes are wobblers, meaning the court has the option of charging the accused with either a felony or a misdemeanor. This can happen in cases where the alleged offender has no prior criminal convictions.

A strong criminal defense from Sacramento defense lawyer John Paul Brennan can be extremely important to someone charged with a felony in a number of ways:

  • Reduce charges to a misdemeanor - The penalties (jail sentences and fines) will always be less with misdemeanors.
  • Expungement - If you were convicted of a felony, it may be possible to get it reduced or expunged entirely from your record years later.
  • Future employment and housing - A felony on your record can be a barrier to getting a job and good housing, even decades after a conviction. Even a one-time crime can follow you for life. This is why a reduction in charges, a successful defense, and expungement of a felony from your record after a conviction are all very important.

Sacramento defense lawyer John Paul Brennan can outline the rules and defense strategies for accomplishing each of these.

Seek Experienced Defense Representation

Regardless of the crime with which you have been charged, it is crucial to seek the advice and counsel of experienced Sacramento criminal lawyers who understand the process and have good working relationships with the local judges and district attorneys. As former prosecutors, we understand the strategies the government will use to try to convict you. This combined with the fact that we have excellent reputations in the Sacramento legal community means that we can negotiate the best possible deals and provide the best trial representation.

We maintain a 24-hour phone number and are committed to being available when you need us. To schedule a free initial consultation to learn how we can help you, contact Brennan Defense today to meet with an experienced criminal defense attorney.