The Law Office of Michael R. Taylor, LLC

A criminal defense lawyer will almost always defend a defendant against any crime. If you are arrested or cited for a crime, you will probably find a criminal defense lawyer who can help you, regardless of the crime.

Missouri has a lot of criminal statutes. These crimes can be found in the Revised Statutes of Missouri. Sixteen of the 34 chapters in Missouri’s criminal code are dedicated to different types of crimes. Prosecutors can bring charges against anyone who violates any of these statutes, no matter how obscure.

Types of Crimes that a Criminal Defense Lawyer Works On

Most criminal defense lawyers will help criminal defendants with any charges they are facing regardless of the jurisdiction prosecuting them. This means most criminal defense lawyers will help you whether you are facing criminal charges in state court or federal court.

Missouri State Crimes

The Missouri statutes establish several broad categories of crimes. While a criminal defense lawyer might not work with people charged with every crime in the statutes, a criminal defense lawyer will see a wide breadth of crimes. Some categories of crimes that criminal defense lawyers often see include:

• Theft: This includes crimes such as shoplifting, embezzlement, and forgery. The basic element of these crimes is the unlawful assertion of control over the property of another. Robbery, which requires the use or threat of force also falls in Chapter 570.
• Offenses against a person: Chapter 565 includes unlawful actions against the body or reputation of another. Examples include homicide, assault, stalking, kidnapping, and invasion of privacy.
• Sex offenses: Chapter 566 categorizes these crimes by the motivation and victim. This chapter includes such crimes as rape, child sex abuse, and human trafficking.
• Property offenses: Crimes that include the invasion of your property include trespassing, burglary, and arson.
• Drug offenses: Possession and distribution of controlled substances fall within this chapter.
• Offenses against public order: This category includes crimes like rioting, terroristic threats, and vandalism.
• Morals offenses: Although the Missouri statutes do not use the phrase “public morals,” the crimes that traditionally fall within the definition of this phrase are illegal in Missouri. For example, prostitution, bigamy, incest, dog fighting, and gambling outside of a licensed casino are illegal.

Federal Crimes

U.S. criminal statutes are more limited in jurisdiction than state criminal statutes. Most U.S. criminal statutes are directed at multi-state activity or activities that use multi-state instruments like interstate telecommunications or transportation. As a result, commonly charged federal crimes include kidnapping where the kidnapper crosses state lines, drug crimes, wire and mail fraud, money laundering, terrorism, human trafficking, bank robbery, and conspiracy to commit federal crimes.

Types of Crimes that a Criminal Defense Lawyer Might Decline

Some criminal defense lawyers decline to handle certain cases. This is usually not because of any bias against certain criminal defendants. Instead, this is usually a practical decision based on the attorney’s areas of focus.

For example, many criminal defense lawyers choose not to handle infractions, like parking tickets and moving violations. Conversely, some criminal defense lawyers specialize in infractions and choose not to handle misdemeanor or felony charges.

Similarly, some criminal defense lawyers choose to limit their practices to Missouri state courts and will pass on federal criminal cases. Other lawyers, on the other hand, practice exclusively in federal court and choose not to handle cases in Missouri state courts.

Finally, some criminal defense lawyers focus on trial court work and do not handle appellate work while other lawyers work exclusively in appeals courts and choose not to handle cases at the trial court level.

Finding Out Whether a Criminal Defense Lawyer Will Work on Your Case

The best way to determine if a criminal defense lawyer is a good fit for your case is to meet with the lawyer and discuss your case. Besides determining if the lawyer will take your type of case, you can know if you are comfortable with the lawyer and can establish a good working relationship. The rapport you have with your lawyer is often a more important consideration when hiring a lawyer than whether the lawyer handles your type of case.

Contact us for a free initial consultation to discuss whether we can handle your type of case. I have over 25 years of experience as both a criminal attorney and a chief assistant prosecutor and use my experiences to navigate cases to a successful resolution.