At Urbelis Law, we pride ourselves on helping people during difficult times even prior to any formal criminal charges. We regularly represent clients at clerk magistrate hearings, where we are usually successful at preventing formal criminal charges from even being filed. This has the practical effect of making the potential charges disappear, and as far as the law is concerned, it’s as if the alleged incident never happened. We also help guide clients through the police interview process when an interview is appropriate; it is never a good idea to attend a police interview without the presence of defense counsel.
We have proven success at probation surrender hearings. It you are alleged to have violated the terms of your probation, the potential could be jail time- even for something as minor as a missed payment to the court, or failure to notify probation of a change in your address. Whatever the reason, if your probation officer is trying to have the court find you in violation of probation, you need to consult with an attorney.
Our Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles practice is extensive, as we handle RMV hearings every week. We are well-known to the hearings officers at the Boston branch, where most hearings take place. Whether you are facing license loss due to a criminal charge or as a habitual traffic offender, we are here to help. It is important that you contact our office before you attend an RMV hearing. If you try to go in and represent yourself, without the appropriate documentation and/or legal argument, then you could lose your right to an appeal, or you may not be able to secure an appeal until several months, or even a year, down the road. By that time, the damage of not having your license could be detrimental. In our experience, just being represented by an attorney demonstrates to the hearings officer that you have taken the matter seriously and will pursue all available recourses in order to keep, or regain, your driver’s license.
While 209A restraining orders are civil in nature, a violation of the order is a criminal offense. Therefore, we are here to help you through the process if you have been served with such an order. The worst thing that you can do is contact the person who took out the order against you and try to work out your issues. This could literally land you in jail! Do not speak to this person, or his/her family and friends. Indirect contact could also be considered a violation of a court order. Let us review all paperwork and any orders that may currently be in effect. We will fight for your rights and work to prevent the order from issuing. It is important that you contact our office immediately upon receiving notice that someone has applied for a restraining order against you, as time is of the essence in these cases. If you are charged with violating a 209A order, then you absolutely need legal representation. Once the case is considered “domestic”, the district attorney’s office hands it off to a prosecutor who specializes in this area of criminal law. At this point, you need a criminal defense attorney to protect your rights
Our criminal records sealing practice is one of the busiest in Massachusetts. Attorney Urbelis has taught other attorneys on the ins and outs of the new criminal record sealing laws that took effect in 2012, and he even published an article in Lawyer’s Weekly specifically discussing their impact. If you have a criminal record of any kind, contact our office for a free consultation. It could change your life.
We often get calls from people who just recently found out they have an outstanding default or straight warrant. This could cause them to be arrested anywhere, at any time. Unfortunately, if your warrant is for an unresolved criminal matter, there is more to do than just “clear up the warrant.” While answering on the warrant will clear you from being arrested when you least expect it, you will still need to address the criminal charge(s) that caused the warrant to issue. This can become quite complex if you have several outstanding warrants out of many different courts. At Urbelis Law, we will help you through the process of clearing up the warrant, handling the underlying issue for the warrant, and helping you get back to your life.