Criminal conviction often carries a remarkably light sentence; usually a small fine, some community service, and no jail. That’s not the point. What really matters are the negative impacts a record of arrest or criminal conviction has on your career. You want to avoid a record of arrest or conviction itself from impacting your career.

An example of collateral consequence is a pre-pharmacy student arrested for possession of a small amount of cocaine. The crime is insignificant, but it has a huge negative impact on a career. 

My job is to focus on avoiding negative collateral consequences immediately. It’s done by knowing how charges and laws interrelate. It’s accomplished through negotiation and settlement. The goal is for you to avoid a record in the first place or to preserve earliest possible expungement to avoid negative impact to your career.

“I don’t want a lawyer to tell me what I can’t do; I hire him to tell me how to do what I want to do.”

– J.P. Morgan