Criminal Defense
Charged with a crime, or worried you might be? Plain-English guides to defending yourself — DUI and DWI defense, your rights as the accused, how criminal defenses and motions work, serious charges and how they are fought, and appeals after a conviction. Criminal law and penalties vary by state, so always confirm the rules where your case is.
Browse by situation
262 guides on DUI defense, your rights as the accused, charges, and appeals across 11 topics.
DUI & DWI Defense
Arrested for driving under the influence? What DUI and DWI mean, field sobriety and breath tests, refusing a test, penalties by offense, license suspension, and the common ways a DUI is fought.
26 guides →Building Your Defense
Your rights as the accused and how a defense is built: what to do if arrested, common defenses, motions to suppress and dismiss, plea vs.
29 guides →Serious Charges & Defenses
Serious charges and how they are defended: drug distribution, weapons, theft and burglary, fraud and white-collar, homicide, conspiracy, and federal vs.
40 guides →Appeals & Post-Conviction
After a conviction: how criminal appeals work, withdrawing a guilty plea, post-conviction relief, new-trial motions, ineffective-assistance claims, habeas corpus, and overturning a wrongful conviction.
8 guides →Consequences of a Conviction
The fallout beyond the sentence: how a criminal charge or conviction can affect immigration status, jobs, professional licenses, housing, financial aid, custody, travel, and security clearances.
12 guides →DUI Laws by State
Drunk-driving penalties are set state by state: the per se BAC limit, whether refusing a breath test triggers an automatic license suspension, first-offense fines, jail, and ignition-interlock rules, the lookback period, and the short deadline to fight an administrative license suspension.
45 guides →Juvenile Defense
When a minor is charged, the rules are different: how juvenile court works, a child’s rights during arrest and questioning, when a case gets moved to adult court, dispositions and probation, status offenses, and a parent’s role.
14 guides →Bail, Sentencing & Punishment
The liberty side of a case: getting released before trial and fighting a high bail, plus how sentencing really works — mandatory minimums, guidelines, the sentencing hearing, concurrent vs.
24 guides →Domestic Violence Defense
Accused of domestic violence? The defense side: what happens after a mandatory arrest, why the alleged victim cannot simply drop the charge, no-contact orders, false allegations, and how a DV charge affects your gun rights and immigration status — plus the defenses and diversion programs that may apply.
9 guides →Sex Crime Defense
Accused of a sex offense? Defense-side, plain-English guides: how these charges work and why they are prosecuted so hard, consent and age-of-consent law, what sex-offender registration means, false accusations and your remedies, and the specific charges people face.
10 guides →Gun Rights Restoration by State
Lost your firearm rights after a conviction? State-by-state guides to getting them back — the restoration mechanisms each state offers (petition, expungement, pardon, certificate), waiting periods, and which convictions are permanently barred.
45 guides →Latest criminal defense guides
- Juveniles and Police Interrogation Rights
Kids have the same Miranda rights as adults, but courts weigh age when deciding if a juvenile was "in custody" and confessions can be unreliable.
- Arson Charges Explained
Arson charges explained: degrees, insurance-fraud arson, how cause-and-origin expert evidence works, and how a defense lawyer challenges it.
- Alternative Sentencing: House Arrest and Work Release
Plain-English guide to house arrest, work release, weekend jail, and treatment court as alternatives to jail time, and how to request one.
- Jury Selection and Your Right to a Fair Jury
How jury selection works: voir dire, cause challenges, peremptory strikes, and why Batson bars race or sex discrimination in picking your jury.
- Wrongful Convictions and How They Get Overturned
How wrongful convictions happen and the real legal paths to overturn them: DNA testing, innocence projects, conviction integrity units, and habeas corpus.
- Should You Testify in Your Own Defense?
Whether to testify is entirely your choice: the Fifth Amendment right not to, why silence can't be held against you, and the real pros and cons.