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Step 5: Expect More Uncertainty   Chaos unleashed by the pandemic will continue for at least two or three years. Everyone still wants to hear that a miraculous cure is a month away and vaccination is right around the corner. Reality will intervene harshly.   The Criminal Justice System (CJS) is never properly funded because tax cuts to the super-wealthy are more important than actually paying for the cost of the most expensive and backward criminal justice system in the world. Now that the pandemic is here, there will be additional money for Florida’s CJS just like there has been… Read More

Step 4: Your Background Information Report is more important than ever   A Background Information Report is also known as a Fact Pattern Report because you must write down each and every fact and circumstance that we need to know about your case.   Many people blow them off. Why? They are hurting emotionally and they want a lawyer “who will listen to me. They want frequent contact in some cases, but all want to vomit out their story and vent the upset and emotional stress in order to feel better.   No, thank you. We are counselors at law,… Read More

Step 3: Raise Money   How are you supposed to raise money when you have lost your job or business? I don’t know. We are all in the same boat with a depression worse than the one before World War II.   As a student of history, I studied lots of pandemic and depressions. This one is a game-changer. So, you don’t have to tell me how hard it is for you on a free consultation.   In fact, I’m going to be blunt: If you can’t or don’t want to pay the legal fee upfront and in full, please… Read More

Step 2: Understand the 80/20 Rule and how it Applies to Violation Cases   This is really short and easy to understand.   The 80/20 Rule, also known as Pareto’s Law, says that 80% of the effort produces 20% of the results and that 20% of the effort produces 80% of the results. This Rule is important in probation violation cases for two reasons:   About 80% of the people charged with violations of probation, house arrest, parole and community control will have better odds of a successful outcome than they would have had before the pandemic wrecked the CJS.… Read More

Step 1: Understand where your criminal case fits in the scope of things The criminal justice system (CJS) is in chaos. COVID-19 had turned the usual order of how courts run their business upside down. Worse, over 130 probation officers supervising 164,000 probationers are closed. No one can do community service work and many other requirements due to social distancing. Then there is the issue of money. Many people on probation have lost jobs and businesses. Virtually no one can comply with probation. The State of Florida is about to face over 150,000 probation, community control and misdemeanor court violations… Read More

An old maxim contends that the “best defense is a good offense.” This saying is certainly true in the context of Florida DUI charges. Although some may tempted to simply wait until the government prosecutors prove their case and hope that they are unable to do so, you can often experience much better results if you and your Fort Walton Beach DUI defense attorney formulate and follow an aggressive defense strategy. The precise strategy that will be utilized in your case will depend (of course) on the unique facts and circumstances present that led to your DUI arrest and charge.… Read More

You did a great job and your client’s case was dismissed. You promptly followed through with a record expunction. However, there is one collateral consequence where you are probably failing your client: Digital Erasure. “EraseMugshots.com has announced that they have created a new privacy solution that enables people to remove personal information from the internet. They are there to help people restore their privacy by removing personal information, including criminal records, from 30+ services where people can complete background checks.”1 Think about this for a moment: is your law firm equipped to erase social media leakage, booking photographs, and other… Read More

Attorney Stephen Cobb got coverage in the local newspaper, which covered the book that has an entire chapter dedicated to the Cobb Law Firm and its use of SPECT brain imaging in criminal cases. You can read more on it by going to the link below. News Source: www.NWFDailynews.com

Every single military client sent for brain imaging as part of their defense strategy since 2005 has shown brain abnormalities. As a specialist in criminal law, I trained to fight cases the traditional way. Aggressive pleadings. Attacks on the evidence to make it inadmissible. Advanced motion practice beyond what uncertified lawyers can offer. Actual trial experience instead of just “handling” cases. Long, painful jury trials that make the prosecutor think twice before offering a harsh, over-punishing sentence. This was how I made my name. This is how I became the only criminal law specialist in Okaloosa County: fighting cases like… Read More

Executive clemency is rarely granted on the state or federal level. The Chelsea Manning case has received widespread media attention, but clemency is available on the state level for non-federal, state crimes. In Florida, there are eight (8) types of clemency ranging from a full pardon to a restoration of alien status. There is also a separate type of clemency known as “conditional clemency”. Clemency is strictly a function of the Executive branch of state government, and authorized by the Florida constitution pursuant to Article IV, Section 8(a). Except in treason cases and impeachment, the Governor may: “suspend collection of… Read More