216.696.8700

Practice Group

Criminal Defense Attorneys

KJK’s criminal defense attorneys understand that criminal cases have the potential to change lives permanently. Those facing criminal charges risk losing their reputation, liberty, career and family. That is why with every client matter, regardless of size or complexity of the case, our clients receive a thoughtful and vigorous defense. Our criminal defense attorneys are passionate, hands-on and accessible to our clients, and guide them through the intricacies of the criminal justice system. 

We’re full-service criminal defense attorneys.

What We Do

Criminal Defense Legal Services

KJK’s criminal defense attorneys represent clients in state and federal courts around the country. Our clients include business executives, medical professionals, college students, and men and women who find themselves in situations where their liberty is at risk in some of the most challenging periods in their lives. Over the years, KJK’s criminal defense attorneys have become particularly experienced representing our most vulnerable clients with mental health and neurological disorders. 

The Criminal Defense Process

The criminal defense lawyers at KJK represent clients from the early stages of an investigation through trial and beyond, if necessary. By engaging with us early, we can work to identify evidence that may help avoid prosecution. However, prosecution cannot always be avoided. When criminal charges are filed, we aggressively build a defense. Often, KJK’s criminal defense attorneys work closely with highly respected experts who assist us in developing unique defenses. When a case cannot be resolved, our criminal defense attorneys have the experience and resources necessary to proceed to trial. 

Parallel Proceedings

At times, the criminal justice system and civil law intersect. When they do, KJK’s criminal defense attorneys have the ability to handle parallel proceedings. These proceedings include Title IX cases, professional licensing matters, domestic matters and employment disputes. 

Considerations in a digital age:

Computer & Internet Offenses

Computer and internet crimes consist of a variety of state and federal offenses. An effective defense of computer-related charges requires a deep understanding of the technology associated with the offenses – both in terms of how the crime is committed and how the crime is investigated by law enforcement. 

Our attorneys have years of experience defending computer and internet-related offenses. 

Despite what many may think, crimes committed online are often easy to detect and trace. For this reason, a successful defense of computer crimes often requires defense counsel to force the government to provide unconventional forms of evidence in the discovery phase of litigation and to raise complex and novel suppression issues. Additionally, to aggressively defend computer offenses, defense counsel must be well-versed in computer forensics. 

Types of computer and internet offenses we defend include: 

  • Importuning 
  • Online Solicitation 
  • Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter 
  • Violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 
  • Various forms of computer fraud and identity theft

How We Can Help:

Appellate/Post-Conviction Representation 

When errors occur in the trial court, a defendant must turn to the court of appeals. Because appellate / post-conviction representation is often a defendant’s last means of obtaining justice, appellate representation of the highest caliber is critical to a defendant’s future. 
 
KJK’s criminal defense lawyers are skilled in handling appellate litigation in state and federal courts across the U.S. We have drafted and argued winning appellate briefs that have resulted in convictions being vacated and new trials ordered. Because we regularly try criminal cases, we understand the errors that occur in the trial court, how to protect the trial court record, and how to identify winning appellate arguments. Our criminal defense attorneys continuously monitor case law from around the country to stay on top of legal trends. 

    Protect Your Reputation:

    Reputation & Crisis Management

    Being accused of or charged with a crime can have a dramatic negative impact on your reputation, especially in the digital age. It is essential that you do not delay taking action to protect yourself. KJK’s Reputation Management team can help you defend and reputation using a multidisciplinary strategy involving crisis management and internet defamation lawsuits.

    How We Can Help:

    Theft & Fraud-Related Offenses

    The criminal defense lawyers at KJK have extensive experience in defending clients charged with theft and fraud-related offenses. Theft offenses can be felonies or misdemeanors and generally involve the unauthorized taking of property from another. You can also be charged with theft by deception, by threat or by intimidation. Felony offenses involve the theft of goods or services of $1,000 or more and can be punished by a prison sentence. The level of felony offense depends on the value of property or services stolen. Misdemeanor offenses can carry a jail sentence of up to six months. 

    Examples of theft and fraud-related offenses that we defend include:

      • Workers Compensation Fraud 
      • Medicaid Fraud 
      • Identify Theft 
      • Burglary 
      • Robbery
      • Receiving Stolen Property 
      • Workers Compensation Fraud 
      • Medicaid Fraud 
      • Identify Theft 
      • Burglary 
      • Robbery
      • Receiving Stolen Property 

      We’re here for you:

      Sex Offenses

      A mere allegation that an individual committed a sex offense can be life-altering. Few crimes trigger more public outcry and command more media coverage than sex offenses, including rape and sexual assault. KJK’s criminal defense attorneys understand the serious nature of these offenses and provide our clients with a skilled and aggressive defense. 

      Typically, our clients charged with sex offenses have no prior criminal history and little experience with how the criminal justice system operates. Clients are surprised to learn that one person’s word against another’s can provide enough evidence for the filing of criminal charges. 

      To effectively combat allegations of sex crimes and build a defense, we utilize private investigators, computer forensic examiners and medical professionals. These types of cases involve a defendant’s colleagues, family members or friends, and thus, a successful defense requires an ability to navigate people’s sensitivities in the collection of exculpatory evidence. We are particularly skilled at uncovering evidence that is favorable for our client and that law enforcement investigators never even looked for, let alone identified. 

      Examples of sex offenses that we defend include: 

      • Coercion & Enticement 
      • Gross Sexual Imposition 
      • Importuning 
      • Rape 
      • Sexual Assault 
      • Sexual Battery 
      • Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor 
      • Voyeurism 

      How We Can Help:

      OVI / DUI

      If you are arrested for OVI in Ohio (Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence) formerly referred to as DUI (Driving Under the Influence), your driver’s license will be suspended if you refuse a test or test at or over the “legal limit.” The suspension is called an Administrative License Suspension (ALS). The length of the ALS depends on how many OVI convictions you have had in the past six years and/or how many times you have refused to submit to a chemical test in the past six years. The more OVI convictions and/or test refusals in the past six years, the longer the period of the ALS and the longer the waiting period for limited driving privileges during the ALS. 

      There are many potential defenses that can be raised in an OVI case. We have successfully defended many OVI cases resulting in a dismissal or reduction of the charges from the offense of OVI. Our criminal defense attorneys can provide you with more information about the potential penalties associated with OVI/DUI offenses during a free consultation on the facts of your case. 

        Ways you Can be Charged with OVI / DUI

        There are several different ways that you can be charged with OVI in Ohio, formerly referred to as DUI: 

        • You can be charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them without failing or refusing a chemical test. 
        • You can be charged with operating a vehicle at or over the “legal limit” in Ohio – .08%, which means that at the time of operation you are accused of having a concentration of alcohol, certain controlled substances or metabolites of certain controlled substances in your blood, breath or urine. 
        • You can also be charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them and refusing to submit to a chemical test when you have had one or more OVI’s within the past 20 years. 
        • If you are under 21 years old, you can be charged with Operating a Vehicle Under the Age of Consumption. This means that and at the time of operation, you are accused of having a concentration of alcohol in your blood, breath or urine which is at or over the “under 21 legal limit” in Ohio – .02%. 
        Potential Punishments and Penalties of OVI / DUI

        There are many laws concerning the punishment that results if you are convicted of OVI, and some penalties are more severe if you have prior OVI convictions. There are several types of punishment including: 

        • A mandatory minimum jail sentence of three days (many courts permit a 72hour driver intervention program in lieu of jail) up to a maximum of six months in jail. 
        • A mandatory fine. 
        • A mandatory license suspension. 

        Criminal Defense

        ATTORNEYS

        Susan C. Stone

        Partner

        Kristina W. Supler

        Partner

        Anna E. Bullock

        Associate

        Dayna M. Hloska

        Senior Counsel

        Susan C. Stone

        Partner

        Kristina W. Supler

        Partner

        Anna E. Bullock

        Associate

        Dayna M. Hloska

        Senior Counsel

        Contact

        CLEVELAND OFFICE

        1375 East Ninth Street

        One Cleveland Center, 29th Floor

        Cleveland, OH 44114-1793

        216-696-8700

         

         

        COLUMBUS OFFICE

        10 West Broad Street

        One Columbus Center, Suite 2500

        Columbus, OH 43215

        614-427-5731