The Courtroom Is Our Battlefield.

Burglary / Residential Entry

Burglary is a misunderstood crime, often confused with robbery, residential entry and even trespass. If you have been accused of burglary, you may not be guilty of anything, or you may be guilty of a lesser charge, like residential entry. For example, over the years (believe it or not) our firm has represented a number of clients accused of the same type of crime: a drunk person forgets the house where he is staying and enters the wrong home. Oftentimes, they will then raid the refrigerator before passing out on a couch. This is not burglary, although the actual homeowner may feel it is when she wakes up and sees an unknown person sleeping on her sofa. A classic burglary, on the other hand, often involves someone breaking into a home through a door or window with the intent to steal items in the home. Fingerprints, eyewitness identification or even home video surveillance may be part of the evidence.

We have successfully defended clients accused of burglarizing someone’s home. How do we do it? Every case is different. In one case, for example, we explained that the finger-prints were present for another reason not related to burglary. This required much work in the investigative phase of our representation before we came up with the defense. In another successful burglary defense, we convinced the jury that the clients had no intention of committing a felony, but merely was trying to scare the homeowner. This required depositions of the homeowner and his children before determining the strategic course of action.

Burglary cases require a thorough knowledge of the law combined with experience to know which facts to focus on to secure the best outcome. We have even convinced prosecutors to not file burglary charges because we were hired so quickly following the arrest. Our reputation for going to trial, plus a quick investigation saved our client even facing charges. When trying to get the best outcome your lawyer better have a reputation for going to trial or the prosecutor may push you around rather than offer a good deal or a dismissal. We have successfully taken a wide range of cases to jury trial, including burglary, and that can make all the difference in the world.