Fort Lauderdale Violent Crimes Lawyer

We Can Help You Protect Your Rights

If you are accused of committing a violent crime in Florida, you can face severe penalties if convicted, specifically incarceration. Often, though, the consequences go beyond jail or fines – you may find it difficult to find a job or a place to live with a violent crime conviction on your background check. If you are charged with such an offense, you need an attorney to help you protect your rights.

At The Hoffman Firm, our attorney is the dedicated legal advocate that our clients need during crucial junctures in their lives. He has the time, experience, and legal skill to develop a personalized legal strategy that optimizes the potential for a better outcome in your case. It may be possible to mitigate or eliminate your responsibility for the charges against you, but you must reach out to our violent crimes lawyer in Fort Lauderdale to learn more about how we may be able to help.

Schedule a consultation with our lawyer when you contact us online or call 954-524-4474 today! 

Violent Crimes in Florida

In Florida, there are many different types of acts or behavior that are considered to be criminally violent. Although most people associate violence with harming or killing another person, a violent crime can merely involve the threat of violence against an alleged victim.

Commonly prosecuted violent crimes in Florida include the following:

• Murder
• Manslaughter
• Assault/Aggravated Assault
• Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer
• Resisting Arrest
• Hate Crimes
• Carjacking
• Kidnapping
• Battery/Aggravated Battery

If you are charged with any of these or another violent crime, immediately seek legal counsel. At The Hoffman Firm, our violent crimes lawyer in Fort Lauderdale has more than 20 years of experience helping people like you in difficult legal situations.

With our guidance and representation, it may be possible to reduce or eliminate your charges, mitigate the impact of a conviction, or successfully defend you in court. No attorney can guarantee results, but we strive to take a personalized approach to our clients’ cases that can help them secure agreeable outcomes.

Penalties for Violent Crimes in Florida

Violent crimes can be charged as misdemeanors, felonies, or “wobble” between the two, depending upon the circumstances of the incident. Appropriately enough, these are called “wobblers.”

Whether a violent crime is charged as a misdemeanor or a felony will determine the severity of the possible penalties.

Misdemeanors are less serious than felonies and carry jail sentences of up to a year, although many minor misdemeanors may not involve jail time at all.

Felonies are more serious crimes that are penalized with years of prison time, often involving several or many years of incarceration. The most severe felony is aggravated murder, which is a capital crime punishable by execution in Florida.

The ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law in Florida

In 2005, Florida enacted its “Stand Your Ground” law. This law can legally shield someone against criminal liability for using violence – including deadly force – when they believe it is necessary to do so to avoid being killed or seriously harmed, or to prevent another person from being killed or seriously harmed.

Under Stand Your Ground, there is no “duty to retreat,” which means that if someone is attacked in a location where they have a right to be in, they are not legally required to attempt to run away before they can legally use violence to stop or prevent someone else’s attack.

If you are involved in a situation where you used violence in self-defense, immediately contact a violent crimes attorney in Fort Lauderdale. Even if the police haven’t arrested you, you must consider getting legal counsel to ensure your rights under the Stand Your Ground law are protected.

For more information about how The Hoffman Firm can help, please contact us online today!