Best US Criminal Defense Attorneys

Lai & Turner Law Firm is a criminal defense practice in Oklahoma City, OK. The attorneys defend felony and misdemeanor charges, from drug cases to domestic violence allegations.

They also handle immigration and family law, which often intersect with criminal charges. A conviction can put a visa or a custody order at risk. Having one team on both problems saves clients from stitching together two sets of advice.

Offices in Tulsa and Seattle extend the practice well past Oklahoma. The firm appears in state and federal court and takes cases early, while charging decisions are still open.

Top-rated criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles, Perlman & Cohen bring more than 30 years of combined trial experience to the table. Both partners have been named to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list.

The firm defends DUI, felony, and violent crime charges across Los Angeles County. Attorneys file suppression motions when a traffic stop or search looks illegal, which can end a case before trial.

Their downtown office sits minutes from the county's main courthouse. Payment plans are available, so clients can retain counsel before the first hearing.

Adrian H. Altshuler has defended Middle Tennessee clients since 1991. His firm takes DUI, drug, theft, and assault charges, plus repeat-offense cases that carry mandatory jail time.

Three offices in Franklin, Columbia, and Brentwood keep the attorneys close to the courts they work in. Three decades in the same courtrooms means knowing how local prosecutors weigh a plea offer.

Clients get a direct read on what the evidence shows and what the realistic outcomes are. The firm handles both trial work and negotiated resolutions.

The Maine Criminal Defense Group takes criminal cases and nothing else. That narrow focus is unusual in a small state, where most firms mix practice areas.

Founder William Bly is known statewide for OUI defense, including breath test challenges and license hearings. The team also handles drug charges, assault, and domestic violence matters.

Offices in Kennebunk, Brunswick, and Portland cover southern and coastal Maine. Attorneys walk clients through criminal procedure step by step, from arrest through resolution, so nothing in the process arrives as a surprise.

The Defense Firm handles serious felony work in Las Vegas, NV, including murder, sex crimes, and DUI cases. Founder K. Ryan Helmick has been voted the city's best defense attorney.

Clark County moves fast, and early defense work often decides whether a charge survives to trial. The firm investigates before the state finalizes its theory of the case.

Attorneys also take probation violations and appeals. Clients facing a first arrest receive the same preparation as those facing decades of exposure.

Attorney Wesley "Bo" Ladner provides criminal defense representation in Nashville and Davidson County. He brings over 15 years of courtroom experience to DUI, drug crime, and felony cases. Bo earned his law degree from Belmont University and completed specialized trial training.

The firm handles domestic violence charges, misdemeanors, and expungement requests. Bo started his career as a public defender before opening his Nashville practice.

The Louisville criminal defense lawyers at Suhre & Associates take DUI, drug, assault, and theft cases. Their Kentucky office sits within walking distance of the Jefferson County courts.

Attorneys explain what a first offense actually carries before any plea discussion starts. Consultations are free, and the firm answers calls outside business hours.

Daniel J. Fernandez is a Tampa criminal lawyer with 40+ years in Florida courtrooms. He has tried more than 500 cases to verdict, including homicide and trafficking charges.

Before switching to defense, he ran a narcotics division as a prosecutor. That background shapes how he tests the state's evidence and its witnesses.

Suhre & Associates defends OVI and felony charges from a Dayton office steps from the county courts. The team brings over 100 years of combined experience to Montgomery County cases.

Attorneys handle license suspensions alongside the criminal case, since losing a car often costs a client their job. Calls are answered day or night.

Hollander & Hanuka pairs a Florida Bar board-certified criminal trial specialist with a former public defender. Board certification is held by a small fraction of Florida attorneys.

The Fort Myers office covers Lee and Collier counties, taking DUI, drug, and violent crime charges. Between them, the partners have handled thousands of Southwest Florida cases.

Zoukis Consulting Group works on the part of a federal case most firms skip: what happens after sentencing. The Charleston, SC team advises on prison preparation, facility designation, and reentry planning.

Christopher Zoukis, who wrote the Federal Prison Handbook, leads the group. Clients and their families learn how the Bureau of Prisons actually assigns placement and credit.

Drew Fritsch spent eight years prosecuting cases in Charlotte and Lee counties before switching sides. He now defends clients across Southwest Florida from a Punta Gorda office.

That prosecutorial history is practical, not decorative. He knows how the state builds a file and where those files tend to be weak.

David L. Faulkner handles every Bakersfield case himself, from the first call to the final hearing. No associate inherits the file halfway through.

His practice covers DUI, drug, and theft charges throughout Kern County. Clients deal with the same attorney at every court date, which keeps the defense consistent.

Brian J. Cooke limits his St. Louis practice to criminal and DWI defense. Super Lawyers named him a Rising Star every year from 2016 through 2023.

He appears regularly in city and county courts, handling felony charges, drug cases, and repeat DWI matters. Cases are worked toward trial rather than shaped around a quick plea.

John Pritchard is board-certified in both state and federal criminal law, a rare double credential in North Carolina. He also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.

The Asheville firm defends federal indictments, state felonies, and DWI charges across western North Carolina. Federal cases move under different rules, and that experience shows early.

David C. Hardaway has defended Central Texas clients since 2010. His San Marcos practice covers DWI, assault, and felony charges in Hays and neighboring counties.

Student cases from the nearby university are a steady part of the work, where a conviction can cost financial aid or a career license. He handles both trial defense and pretrial diversion.

JacksonWhite's Arizona defense team brings over 40 years of combined experience to DUI and felony cases. Attorneys work out of Mesa, Scottsdale, and Peoria.

The firm handles the full range of charges, from first-time DUI to white-collar crime allegations. Clients can also reach other practice groups when a charge touches their business or immigration status.

Elizabeth Franklin-Best handles federal appeals and post-conviction petitions nationwide from Columbia, SC. She was named 2026 Best Lawyer in Appellate Practice.

Appellate work is its own discipline, built on the trial record rather than new testimony. Her practice includes sentence reductions, habeas filings, and compassionate release motions.

HLAW's Fort Worth attorneys include former prosecutors and police academy instructors. Some of them trained the officers now writing the reports in their clients' cases.

The firm defends DWI and criminal charges in Tarrant and Denton counties. Field sobriety and breath test procedures get close attention, since that is where many cases break.

Andrew Alpert is Maryland's only board-certified DUI defense attorney. That certification requires trial experience, testing, and peer review.

Alpert Schreyer serves Lanham, Rockville, Waldorf, and Frederick, handling DUI, drug, and serious felony charges. The firm challenges breath machine calibration and stop justification as a matter of routine.

Thousands of appearances in Los Angeles County courts sit behind this downtown practice. Perlman & Cohen work suppression motions, plea negotiations, and trial defense.

Their familiarity with individual judges and prosecutors shapes strategy on each file. Clients facing a first court date get a clear picture of what the next six months look like.

Robert M. Helfend has defended more than 4,000 cases since 1984 and holds a place among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers. His Los Angeles practice takes serious state and federal matters.

Work spans violent crime charges, fraud, and drug indictments. Four decades of trial history give clients a candid read on whether a case should be fought or resolved.

Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight, P.C. is a Birmingham, Alabama criminal defense law firm with over 100 years of combined experience. The team handles state and federal cases, including DUI, drug crimes, white-collar offenses, and capital murder defense.

Senior partner Richard Jaffe is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a four-time Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year." Every attorney holds Super Lawyers recognition and Martindale-Hubbell AV ratings. The firm is the only one in the country to free three death row inmates through new trials.

Michael A. Robinson prosecuted close to 1,000 cases before founding Robinson Law in 2008. He now defends clients in Fairfax and Fredericksburg.

The firm handles DUI, reckless driving, drug, and assault charges in Northern Virginia courts. Virginia treats some traffic offenses as crimes, and the firm treats them that way too.

Ahmed & Sukaram have won more than 3,000 cases and over 50 trials since 2005. The partners defend clients from San Jose and Redwood City offices.

Their Silicon Valley practice covers DUI, domestic violence, and felony charges. Both attorneys try cases themselves rather than passing trial work down the bench.

Larkin Ingrassia Andrews has represented Hudson Valley clients for more than 35 years. Offices in Middletown, Newburgh, and Kingston cover Orange and Ulster counties.

The attorneys take DWI, drug, and felony charges, along with appeals. Long tenure in local courts helps when a case depends on how a particular judge handles sentencing.

Joe Suhre founded this Cincinnati firm in 1999 after five years as a police officer. He has been named a leading OVI defense lawyer since 2006.

Time on patrol shows in how the firm reads reports and body camera footage. The team handles OVI, drug, and felony charges across Hamilton County.

Texas Defense Firm brings over 200 years of collective experience to Collin County cases. The McKinney attorneys take DWI, drug, and assault charges, and answer calls at any hour. Arrests rarely happen during business hours, so that access matters.