Criminal Defense Lawyers in Illinois

Kathryn L. Harry & Associates, P.C. - Criminal Defense

3535 North Pulaski
Chicago, Illinois 60641
USA

(630) 472-9700

www.youraffordabledefense.com

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Law Firm Overview Free Consultation

Kathryn L. Harry & Associates, P.C., is an experienced criminal defense law firm providing quality legal defense at an affordable price. We successfully represent people in Chicago and the suburbs, DuPage County, Cook County, Will County and Kane County, making us familiar with the courts and their policies. Additionally, we defend people at the Daley Center and all branch courts in Cook County, Maywood, Rolling Meadows and Bridgeview on a regular basis.

Our defense attorneys provide attentive service and quality legal representation for clients facing misdemeanor or felony criminal charges. We know that even seemingly small crimes can result in a criminal record that will affect you for the rest of your life. We take your case as seriously as you do.

At the law office of Kathryn L. Harry & Associates, P.C., we help you to understand the charges against you and the possible consequences. We will work with you to develop an effective defense strategy, to reduce the charges against you, to increase your odds of winning at trial or to minimize consequences of a guilty plea or finding of guilty after a trial. We also help people expunge their criminal record or arrest.

Our defense attorneys have more than 15 years of criminal defense experience, including trials, plea negotiations and dismissals of cases. They are dedicated to resolving your case as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Skillful legal defense doesn't have to cost your life savings. Experience doesn't cost, it pays.

You have rights and options. We can help you choose the right course of action for your case.

Practice Areas

Additional Practice Areas: Speeding Ticket; Running a Red Light; Running a Stop Sign; Camera Generated Tickets; Reckless Driving; Driving With Expired License Plates or Registration; Driving With a Suspended License; Driving With a Revoked License; Driving Without Insurance; Seat Belt Violations; Construction Zone Speeding; Violation of Order of Protection.

Practice Areas Description

Kathryn L. Harry & Associates, P.C. offers legal representation in the following practice areas:

- DUI

There are two aspects to an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. One aspect is civil in nature and involves your driving privileges while your dui case is pending. The other aspect is the criminal defense part. Even though this may seem like double-punishment for one crime (a violation of the Double Jeopardy clause of the Constitution), the Illinois Supreme Court recently held that a summary suspension of a driver's license is not punishment and therefore does not violate the double jeopardy clauses of the Illinois or U.S. Constitutions.

- Traffic Violations

It is possible to receive court supervision on two moving violation tickets in a 12-month period. Pleading guilty to a third ticket may cause you to have a conviction on your record. If you are over 21 years old, three convictions received in a 12 month period will result in a suspended license. By having a traffic tickets lawyer early on, you may be able to avoid a conviction, thereby avoiding a loss of driving privileges.

- Speeding Ticket

Our traffic attorneys have seen an increase in Speeding tickets and Speeding in a Construction Zone charges in Pulaski County, Illinois. These tickets levied in this small county with few practicing lawyers appear to be designed to slow traffic and to generate revenue for Pulaski County. Some say this area is a "speed trap".

- Construction Zone Speeding

Illinois takes construction zone speeding violations seriously. If found guilty, the first offense will cost the driver $375. The second violation will cost $1,000 plus a 90-day license suspension. If you have been charged with a construction zone speeding violation, contact a traffic tickets defense lawyer.

- Revoked/Suspended License

If you have been charged with driving while your license is suspended or driving while your license is revoked, contact our suspended license defense lawyers. We can look into how or why your license was suspended or revoked and work to correct the problem.

- Seat Belt Violations

A seat belt violation is considered a non-moving violation in Illinois. If you plead guilty to it, you may receive a sentence of court supervision - and that can mean one less supervision available to you for a moving violation and one step toward a license suspension. Protect your driving privileges. Contact a seat belt violation lawyer about your ticket.

- Expungements

If you have been arrested, charged or prosecuted, your felony and/or misdemeanor criminal record is part of the public record which can be viewed by anyone. Your current employer, potential employer, family and friends all have access to public records. If you have an arrest on the books, it is available to them, even if the case was dismissed or you were placed on court supervision or told the case would not be on your record by the judge or another attorney.

- Assault / Battery

Many people who call us after they have been charged with assault are puzzled. "I didn't hit anyone," they tell us. "How can I be in so much trouble?" If something you said (or allegedly said) caused another person immediate fear, you could be charged with assault. Criminal defense attorneys Kathryn L. Harry Associates have handled many felony and misdemeanor assault and battery cases in the Chicago, Illinois, area. We know how important it is to get a criminal defense lawyer on your side as quickly as possible.

- Domestic Violence

Domestic battery is defined as the unlawful touching or harming of a member of the family, a member of your household, a person you are dating, or a person you have a domestic relationship with (the other parent of your child, for example).

- Retail Theft & Shoplifting

When a store employee challenges you by asking you to return to the store because they think you stole an item or switched price tags, they are not held to the same standards as police officers. They do not have to advise you of your rights before taking statements from you. Many accused shoplifters think that if they write a statement, the problem can be settled quickly without police involvement. You are not obligated to give store personnel any information. In many cases the police are called regardless of whether you cooperated with store personnel.

- White Collar Crimes

White collar crime is a term originally used to describe criminal activity by members of the upper class in connection with their professions. Today, the most common definition of white collar crime no longer focuses on the social status of the offender but rather on the type of conduct involved: illegal acts using deceit and concealment to obtain money, property or services, or to secure a business or professional advantage. Many different types of people find themselves facing charges for a white collar crime, from church bookkeepers to business executives. The person may never have done anything illegal before but when they found themselves in difficult circumstances - facing serious debt or struggling with a gambling or drug addiction - they make a risky and bad decision. Or an employee may find himself faced with a merely investigation of stealing from an employer.

- Drug Crimes

In Illinois, drug crimes cover a broad range of offenses involving controlled substances, from possession and sale to manufacture and distribution. Depending on the particular circumstances of a case, these offenses can result in a broad range consequences, including probation, prison, jail, property forfeiture and participation in a court-ordered drug treatment program.

- Criminal Sexual Offenses

If you're facing sex crime charges, you want and need a lawyer who will really treat your case as the most important case. In criminal matters, specifically sexual offenses, having experience and being proactive can be pivotal to the outcome of your case. In protecting your rights, we can help reduce bail conditions, get appropriate motions to suppress evidence, provide emotional support to loved ones, perhaps even obtain motions to dismiss the case.

- Juvenile Justice

For decades in Illinois, 17-year-olds have been told that they are not old enough to vote, sign contracts or buy cigarettes, but they have been treated by the Illinois courts as old enough to be sent to adult court and adult jail. As of January 1, 2010, that has changed. A new Illinois law has taken effect making age 18 the cutoff between adult court and juvenile court for youth charged with misdemeanors, like retail theft, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, text messaging sexually explicit material, criminal damage to property, battery and other criminal offenses.

- Weapons Charges

Whether you were charged with violating the Illinois unlawful use of weapons law for possessing firearms in an unlawful manner, or for using something as a weapon when committing another crime, you need a strong defense. We can handle any type of unlawful use of a weapon case, including those involving felons in possession of weapons, people carrying weapons to prevent burglaries or to protect themselves while out and about. No matter what the situation, we are happy to help.