Juvenile Cases

If a juvenile has been charged with a criminal offense, hiring an attorney as soon as possible is imperative!

After a juvenile has been “charged” with a criminal offense, the case is often first set in for an “intake” meeting at the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). After that informal meeting with the intake officer, the parent or guardian, and the juvenile, a decision is made whether to informally dispose of the case at DJS or refer the case to the State’s Attorney’s Office for further action. If a case is referred to the State’s Attorney’s Office, they will then file a petition with the juvenile court alleging that the juvenile is delinquent and a formal legal process begins.

Having an experienced criminal defense attorney who is familiar with the juvenile justice system is imperative. Intake meetings are often scheduled on short notice. If a family is able to retain our firm in enough time, we often attend the intake meeting with the juvenile and their parents. At that meeting, we advocate for the juvenile and provide assistance and alternative suggestions in attempting to resolve the case at intake. Our goal is to stop the case from proceeding any further.

Our law firm has also been very successful in getting juveniles who are charged as adults, waived back down to the juvenile courts and not tried as adults, protecting their record.