Criminal Defense Services
Criminal defense starts before your arraignment. Being charged with any crime, including Vermont DUI, can be an intimidating experience. It is difficult to know how to navigate the process on your own. At Burke Law, we guide you through every stage of the criminal process.
From arraignment to disposition, our criminal defense attorneys identify the strengths of your case and zealously advocate on your behalf. If you are charged with a crime it is important to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Even minor convictions can negatively impact your future.
Learn about the different criminal defense services Burke Law offers below.
When you go to court for your initial appearance it is called an arraignment. An arraignment in Vermont criminal court is a defendant’s first appearance. It is a constitutionally mandated opportunity for a Vermont criminal defendant to be told what his charges are and be given an outline of the Read more…
When a criminal defendant is convicted and sentenced in Vermont he or she may be given a suspended jail sentence in exchange for being put on a term of probation. Alternatively, a criminal defendant may be sentenced to a “to serve” sentence. A “to serve” sentence can be served in Read more…
In Vermont you can be charged for LSA (leaving the scene of accident) if you do not stop and provide your name, residence, license number and the name of the owner of the motor vehicle to the owner of any property that you damaged in an accident (even if you Read more…
DNA Evidence is often used in Vermont criminal cases. It is a piece of the evidence puzzle. An interesting article on how DNA can actually lead to wrongful convictions can be found here. FindLaw has complied the following review of DNA evidence: One of the most reliable forms of evidence Read more…
Unless you are on a secure attorney line, you should assume jail phone calls are being recorded. Jail phone calls are not secure. If you make incriminating statements about a crime on a jail phone call – those statements may be used as evidence against you at trial. If you Read more…
Vermont recognizes the insanity defense. The following article written by Cornell Law School summarizes the concept succinctly. Insanity defense Overview The insanity defense refers to a defense that a defendant can plead in a criminaltrial. In an insanity defense, the defendant admits the action, but asserts a lack of culpability Read more…
We often speak of Miranda warnings, but it’s a bit tricky to understand what they are and what they protect. What does Miranda protect in Vermont criminal defense? Miranda warnings are one of the most misunderstood concepts in Vermont criminal defense. Miranda protects an individual who is custody from making Read more…
A plea offer or plea deal is an agreement by the prosecutor in a criminal case to resolve a defendant’s case for a specific reduced charge, punishment or fine that is less than what the defendant could face if he took his case to a jury trial and lost. Prosecutors Read more…
Home detention is a pretrial option that allows a defendant awaiting trial to be in the custody of the Department of Corrections but living at home. Pursuant to Vermont statute home detention “means a program of confinement and supervision that restricts a defendant to a preapproved residence continuously, except for Read more…
A criminal subpoena is an order for testimony, documents, or other tangible things to be produced to a specific person (typically a party of the criminal court case) at a specific place and time. Criminal subpoenas are governed by Vermont Rule of Criminal Procedure 17. Rule 17 states: (a) For Read more…