Have you been charged with a crime in Colorado Springs?  If so, you need to hire a criminal defense attorney in Colorado Springs.   A good criminal defense attorney is the key to getting reduced charges and penalties, or having the case dropped entirely.   As managing partner of Winegar Law, Phil Winegar has handled more than 1,000 criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to 1st Degree Murder.   Phil brings a unique perspective to the defense of individuals accused of crime by drawing on his experience as a former Deputy District Attorney, an Alternate Defense Counsel and privately retained criminal defense attorney.

If you have been charged with a crime, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney who knows their way around the system.  Winegar Law has consistently helped clients avoid jail time, pay reduced penalties, and significantly reduce the negative consequences of being accused of a crime.

After being charged with a crime you have a decision to make.  Do you want to try and negotiate with the District Attorney yourself or do you want someone standing between you and the District Attorney fighting for your rights? If you are in a position to afford an attorney, you should absolutely hire a criminal defense attorney.   Why?  There are three primary reasons that you should hire an experienced  criminal defense attorney in Colorado Springs if you can afford one.

High Stakes: You are simply no match for the District Attorney. According to its 2019 Budget Request the District Attorney’s Office in Colorado Springs has approximately 226 employees made up of 81 prosecuting attorneys, 23 investigators and 123 support staff and an annual budget of approximately $15 Million. Navigating the criminal justice system is complex, confusing and often unfair. The Deputy District Attorney’s, Investigators, Paralegals and Support Staff assigned to prosecute your case all have one thing in common: Convicting YOU!  Every year they ask for, and usually receive, a bigger budget than the year before. Every year they ask for more money, more prosecutors, investigators, paralegals and support staff. They get more and more resources by convincing, if not scaring the county commissioners into believing they deserve more and by painting a bleak and frightening picture of our community. They prosecute over 30,000 citizens per year. They live and die by their statistics. They need to get “something” out of every case and every individual they prosecute. The elected District Attorney is a politician making approximately $230,000 per year plus an incredible benefits package.

They are a bureaucracy with no billable hour pressure like most attorneys. They can spend whatever time and resources they want to ensure they extract the harshest punishment from you. They will file motions to stack the deck against you. They will file motions to introduce unfair and prejudicial evidence against you that may have nothing to do with your case but will poison the judge and jury against you. For example, maybe you have two completely unrelated cases pending against you that have nothing to do with one another. The District Attorney will file motions attempting to join the two cases so the jury will hear negative irrelevant information about you during trial. The goal of course being to convince the jury that you must be guilty because after all where there is smoke there is fire.  At the same time, they will file motions to prevent you from introducing evidence helpful to your defense again to stack the deck against you in their effort to destroy you and your family. They will do everything in their power to prevent the jury from hearing the truth about your accuser and/or other witnesses against you. They will be painted as the saint and you the sinner.

Before you attempt to negotiate with the District Attorney on your own, ask yourself a few questions. Are you an experienced criminal defense attorney who understands the complexity of the law, affirmative defenses, inchoate defenses, how to object and defend against objections? Do you understand the Colorado Rules of evidence and how to make sure good evidence comes in and bad evidence stays out? Do you understand the rules of voir dire and how to conduct proper opening statements and closing arguments? Do you understand how to prepare and conduct direct and cross examinations of witnesses? Do you feel confident that you will be able to match the skills of an experienced, trained and seasoned prosecutor? Do you feel confident that you will be able to effectively and persuasively present your case to a jury and convince them to find you not guilty?

Experience: Winegar Law has the Experience you want and need. An experienced trial attorney knows how to handle all of those issues in the section above. You must be careful when choosing an attorney to represent you. Defending criminal charges is after all the most important thing in your life when it is happening to you. Not all attorneys are created equal. Do you want to put your good name and reputation in the hands of an inexperienced attorney? How about your freedom? Nearly all criminal offenses carry a potential county jail or prison sentence if you lose. Do you really want to put your freedom in the hands of an inexperienced attorney who is basically using your case to gain some on-the-job training?

At the same time, just because an attorney has been around awhile or even decades does not necessarily mean they are competent or effective. We all know people who in various lines of work have done their job poorly. Yes, it is true that an attorney can be an ineffective poor-performing attorney their whole sad career.  You have to take the responsibility for vetting potential attorneys prior to hiring the attorney you trust and have confidence in. Be mindful that some attorneys are desperate and always looking for the next retainer. They accept fees that are too low to allow them to put the time and effort necessary to properly review, research and defend your case. They simply have too much on their plates to give your case the time and attention it deserves. Their practice is based on volume not competence or quality. At Winegar law we manage our case loads so that we can give every client the time and attention you deserve.

Results: Winegar Law gets results.

While it costs money to hire an attorney, it is extremely important that you don’t leave your life and freedom in the hands of an inexperienced, desperate or old, burned out attorney.  You want an attorney who is at the top of their game. Even minor charges can lead to very bad penalties or even jail time if not handled properly. Serious charges can leave you serving a long prison sentence while hoping your appeal springs you to start the whole process over. (appeals rarely work out)

If you have been charged with a crime, you need an experienced attorney that has the time to devote to your case.  A good criminal defense attorney will take the time to learn the facts of your case and ensure the best possible outcome.

If you have been charged with a crime, contact Winegar Law using the free consultation form at the bottom of this page.  We can discuss the facts of your case and provide you with an estimate of what it might cost to defend.  There is no cost for this free consultation and no obligation.  We will simply discuss your case and help you get a better understanding of how serious the charges are and what the costs might look like.

After you understand the importance of picking a private criminal defense attorney in Colorado Springs, you now need to select an attorney.   Picking the right criminal defense attorney in Colorado Springs is an important step.   At Winegar Law, we have extensive experience handling all types of criminal law.   Phil Winegar was previously a Deputy District Attorney so he understand how the system works from the inside out.

Case Load:  When hiring a criminal defense attorney, make sure they have the time to devote to your case.   Many attorneys, even private attorneys, will take on significant case loads and work to settle them as quickly as possible.  At Winegar Law we keep our case load at a manageable level so we can devote the time and resources to your case.

Best Results:  Many attorneys that represent criminal cases are not focused on the best possible outcome for their client.  Instead, they simply want to make a plea deal quickly and close out as many cases as possible.  At Winegar Law, we are focused on the end results for our clients.  We take the time to get to know you, understand your case, and then work extremely hard to help you get the best possible results from your case based upon the facts.

If you have been charged with a crime and you need an attorney, contact Winegar Law.   We offer free consultations.  We can discuss the facts of your case and help you better understand what type of penalties or jail time you might be facing.  A free consultation is a good way to determine if hiring a criminal defense lawyer makes sense for your case.

When hiring a criminal defense lawyer in Colorado Springs it’s important to pick one with experience.   At Winegar Law we have extensive experience in criminal law.  We have helped hundreds of clients navigate their criminal defense case.

Winegar Law has extensive experience in the following areas of criminal law:

If you have been accused of, or are being actively investigated for, any of the crimes above contact Winegar law.   Our firm will take the time to learn the facts of your case.   We’ll discuss your case and help you determine the best way forward.

To get started simply fill out the free consultation form below.  Our firm will quickly reach out!

Phil Winegar has handled hundreds of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to 1st Degree Murder. Phil brings a unique perspective to the defense of individuals accused of crime by drawing on his experience as a former Deputy District Attorney, an Alternate Defense Counsel and privately retained criminal defense attorney. Phil has been appointed by the State of Colorado to represent individuals around the state accused of offenses including First Degree Murder, Violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Prevention Act, Aggravated Robbery, Kidnapping and review of other attorney’s representation in cases in which the other attorney’s effectiveness was called into question. His experience includes filing decisions, plea negotiations, preliminary hearings, motions hearings, court and jury trials as well as grand jury case presentation. Phil understands how the prosecutors prepare their cases and what their concerns are.