To request an emergency consultation when stopped by law enforcement under suspicion of public intoxication or pending an arrest for public intoxication, please text the request to (319) 343-6841. I will not restrict this service to normal hours, will typically be available 11 pm - 2 am CST, and if I am able to receive calls and texts and not engaged in a fixed time commitment, I would typically approve the request and take your payment info for processing via LawPay (into IOLTA client account until service and accounting complete), then immediately advise you via phone.
This service comprises the phone consultation, which will be up to 30 minutes, regarding your rights and how to best preserve them during and/or immediately following the investigatory stop for suspicion of Public Intoxication; and how to properly Invoke them with Law Enforcement and avoid unwittingly saying or doing something that a Court may consider “voluntary waiver” and/or prejudice your case.
In your initial phone consultation, I will advise (or give you next steps for enabling me to advise) as to which packages and add-on services would apply to your case initially, and which might apply depending how the various stages of litigation proceeds.
1. If You’re Arrested and Charged, and/or Charged by Citation, Priority Contact with Law Enforcement to Obtain on Your Behalf Body and/or Dash Cam Videos of the Stop/Investigation, Any B.A.C. Test Results, and All Relevant Reports and Other Evidence to Raise Any Rights Violations, Preserve Anything from Which Your Best Defense Strategy
and/or Plea Negotiating Leverage Might Arise, and Expedite My Advice/Response and/or Optimize the Speed and Effectiveness of That of Any Potential Successor as Defense Counsel (Whether Public Defender if Eligible and Cost-Sensitive or Another Private Attorney if Case Needs to Go to Trial or You Prefer) and/or to Help You Select and/or Persuade Prospective Counsel to Take Your Case if You Desire a Local Private Attorney. Upon Receipt, Review of All Such Evidence.
2. If I’m Available and Granted Leave by the Court to Participate Telephonically, Representation at Your Initial Court Appearance During Which Eligibility for Appointment of a Public Defender to Replace Me (if Desired) and Terms of Pretrial Release from Custody (Whether on Your Own Recognizance & Promise to Appear for Court-Ordered Proceedings, For an Unsecured Appearance Bond/Contract to Pay Set Amount as Additional Penalty in the Event of a Failure to Appear, or For a Secured Appearance Bond (Bail) That Would Be Held and Forfeited as an Additional Penalty in the Event of a Failure to Appear (But Typically Not Required for Release on Public Intoxication Offense) ) Will Be Addressed with the Court.
Unless/Until You Select and Obtain Alternative Counsel:
3. If it is Reasonable to Argue Lack of Probable Cause, Draft/File/Serve* Written Motion to Dismiss Charge for Lack of Probable Cause. If Applicable, Include Therein or Draft Alternative
Motion to Dismiss Charge for Any Other Legally Grounded Basis in the Circumstances of Your Case.
4. Up to 60-Minute Phone Conference with You Discussing the Merits of Plea Bargaining, or Pleading Not Guilty and Preparing to Take Case to Trial; and if You Go to Trial, Merits of Choosing Jury vs. Bench Trial.
5. If Desired, Filing of a Not Guilty Plea (with or without jury demand) on Your Charge to the Court So as to Avoid a Need for Your Attendance of the In-Person Appearance Date on the Ticket to Plead and Schedule a Trial (if Case Goes to Trial, You Will Need to Attend Date(s) Subsequently Set by the Court for Trial and any Hearings or Pretrial Conferences).
6. Limited-Scope Representation in Discovery Matters, Appropriate Prosecution-Motion Responses, and Responding to Any Ongoing Plea Negotiation Offers, Through No Later Than Three Weeks Prior to the Pre-Trial Conference or Trial if No PTC. Representation Excludes All
In-Person Appearances and Services, Any Pretrial Motions Not Mentioned Above, and Does Not Include Appellate Services. If Experts and/or Investigators are Appropriate, Their Fees Are Also Not Included.
7. Up to 30-Minute Post-Discovery Phone Conference with You to Advise on Whether/How to Proceed with Me, Another Attorney, or Self-Represented.
This Package is Limited-Scope/Unbundled Representation and Does Not Include Representation in Any Other Aspect or Stage of Your Case.
Not all services apply to the facts and circumstances of every case. Where applicable, optional add-ons where the standard package has been purchased.
Request That the Court Rule Specific Evidence as Legally Admissible or Inadmissible Before Trial So That Any Complex Legal Issues Can Be Resolved Without Delaying or Prejudicing the Trial, and so Trial Strategy and Preparation Can Rely on the Court’s Decision.
Motion to Reschedule Trial or Hearing Where Court Sets Trial Date That Would Cause You Undue Hardship or Leave Inadequate Time to Prepare Defense.
3. Drafting and Filing an Individualized Trial Brief Opining to the Court the Construction of the Statute Alleged to Have Been Violated and Arguing for the Most Favorable Interpretation of What the Prosecution Must Prove to Convict.
IRCP 2.73(3) Appeal of Final Conviction/Sentence to District Court. Briefing Only, Excludes Any In-Court Oral Arguments and Any Proceedings if Remanded, Where Applicable. Stay of Judgment requires deposit of appeal bond with the Court; after deduction of fine, surcharges, and court costs if ruling affirmed, the balance will be returned, and if overturned on appeal the bond is generally returned.
Appropriate Post-Conviction Motions and IRCP 2.73(3) Appellate Representation in Appeal from Final Judgment to District Court by Right (Briefing Only; Excludes Any In-Court Oral Argument if Request by the Court, and Any In-Court Proceedings if Remanded). Attorney fees exclude appeal bond deposit, the $75 court filing fee, and the ~$2.75/page transcript production fee.
For simple misdemeanors, appeals to the Iowa Supreme Court require leave of the Court sought through an Application for Appellate Review, which is typically only granted where the issues in the case involve unsettled legal questions that are important for lawyers and trial judges to have precedent to guide them on. This is the only way to appeal pretrial rulings prior to conviction/sentencing, and to appeal the District Court's decision on an appeal. Briefing; Excludes Any In-Court Oral Argument
An Application for Interlocutory Review asks the Iowa Supreme Court to hear an appeal of a collateral or pretrial order, not a final judgment of conviction and sentence. The Court may decide the application without reaching whether the lower court erred in its decision, and typically will only grant the application where reversal on the issue raised would moot the need for the case to go to trial, a trial would cause undue harm, and the issues are important to create precedent for.
An Application for Discretionary Review asks the Iowa Supreme Court to hear an appeal of the appellate decision the District Court makes if the conviction is appealed and affirmed. The Court may decide the application without reaching whether the lower court erred in its decision, and typically will only grant the application where the issues are particularly important to create precedent for to guide attorneys and lower Courts.
Either of the above appeals, if granted, can be transferred after briefing to the Iowa Court of Appeals at discretion of 3-Justice Panel. Their decision can be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court through a similar process and principles as for discretionary review above.
The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. This disclosure is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Iowa. Memberships and offices in legal fraternities and legal societies, technical and professional licenses, and memberships in scientific, technical and professional associations and societies of law or field of practice do not mean that a lawyer is a specialist or expert in a field of law, nor do they mean that such lawyer is necessarily any more expert or competent than any other lawyer. All potential clients are urged to make their own independent investigation and evaluation of any lawyer being considered.
No attorney-client relationship is formed by using this website or prior to (unless and until) a written representation or unbundled service agreement is executed. Please do not send any information or materials that you wish to remain confidential and/or subject to any privilege to any attorney through this site until you have been approved for an intake and new client consultation, at which point requested information will be treated consistent with the rules of professional responsibility pertaining to prospective clients. The Rules and Privileges for Current and then Former Clients will only attach if and when a written representation or unbundled service agreement has been executed.
Consistent with the Iowa Rules of Professional Responsibility, all online payments collected by this office as a deposit for prospective services or expenses will be via the LawPay Clearinghouse and will be deposited into a Client Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA), where it will remain sequestered until the fee is earned and/or the expenses are incurred per the terms of the service agreement (hourly fees are earned as those hours are spent, even if the matter is ongoing; fixed fees are not earned until the work is complete or the fee is forfeited due to client-initiated termination of the attorney-client relationship or cancellation after substantial work has been performed or I have made reasonable reliance to my detriment, or due to service agreement prohibited client insistence on some action or inaction that I reasonably deem to violate the law or the Iowa Rules of Professional Responsibility). Clients are entitled to an accounting of funds debited from IOLTA deposits on request. Net Interest Proceeds from Funds in an IOLTA are donated to a state fund to sponsor legal aid for indigent persons. Payments for services that do not need to be scheduled to a fixed timeslot may alternatively be made by check or money order, which would be deposited into the Client IOLTA account similarly. All Rates and Prices Quoted on this Website Must Be the Net Receipt into the IOLTA and Do Not Include Third-Party Clearinghouse Processing Fees For the Method of Payment Used, If Any. Those Fees Should Be Treated as an Immediately Incurred and Nonrefundable Expense, Not an Attorney Fee.
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.