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.
Revocation and modification of probation in Vermont is controlled by Vermont Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1. The Rule outlines the procedure when a defendant has violated her probation. The Rule is below: a) Revocation of Probation. (1) Preliminary Hearing. Whenever a probationer is held in custody on the ground that Read more…
Attorney wellness is a frequent topic of conversation at Vermont bar events. Awareness around attorney mental health has steadily gained over the last eleven years since I was first admitted to practice. I received a call earlier this week from a Boston University student who was contemplating going to law Read more…
This a brief summary from FindLaw about the right to a jury trial: The right to a jury trial is one of the most important rights that a criminal defendant has in the United States. Because a jury trial can differ vastly from a trial where a judge presides over Read more…
Discovery is an important part of the criminal defense process in Vermont. After a defendant is arraigned the prosecutor must produce copies of (or provide access to) the specific evidence in the State’s possession that the prosecutor believes can prove the defendant’s guilt of the charged crime. During discovery the Read more…
The purpose of motions in criminal defense is to communicate with the court and other parties. It is the way you ask for what you want (suppress evidence, continue a hearing, compel the production of discovery/evidence, dismiss the charges, etc). Motions may be made verbally or in written form. The Read more…
Probable cause is a legal concept in Vermont criminal cases. To be arrested for DUI, or any crime in Vermont, probable cause that an individual committed that offense must exist. To establish probable cause, police officers must be able to point to objective circumstances leading them to believe that a Read more…
Last week I was driving down Pearl Street in Burlington. There was a woman crossing in the crosswalk and so I stopped to let her cross. A young man was pulling out of a parking space and into the roadway behind me. He didn’t see me stopped in the road Read more…
FindLaw has created a good summary of how criminal defense strategies develop between attorney and client. The following is excerpted from here. A criminal defense strategy for your criminal prosecution will emerge as your criminal defense attorney finds out more about what the prosecutor plans to do in your case. Read more…
Clients are often nervous about what they should wear to Vermont criminal court. Whether it is for an arraignment or testify as a witness it is appropriate to dress business casual or business attire to court. It is not necessary to wear a full suit to court, but there is Read more…
Indigent criminal defense in Vermont is provided through the Office of the Defender General. The Defender General began providing services to Vermont in 1972. The Defender General provides constitutionally required representation to needy persons charged with serious crimes. At Burke Law we work with the Defender General to help provide gaps Read more…