You don't know where to start.
Start here.
One call. One lawyer. A plan before your first court date.
James Robbins has sat at both tables.
Marine Corps veteran. Former prosecutor and public defender. Retired Minnesota Guard judge advocate.
Midwest Defense
Criminal defense in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in Maple Grove.
You don't know where to start. Start here.
Midwest Defense. Criminal defense in Minnesota and Wisconsin, from Maple Grove. Marine Corps veteran. Former public defender & prosecutor.
What happens now
The next three days, in plain words.
Most people who call have never been in trouble before. This is what is coming, so nothing surprises you.
- Tonight
If you were arrested
A judge must see you within 36 hours, not counting the day of arrest, Sundays, and holidays. If you were released with a ticket, or with nothing at all, charges can still arrive by mail. Do not assume it went away.
- The first appearance
Nothing is decided that day
The judge reads the charge and your rights, and sets bail or conditions of release. For Maple Grove and the northwest suburbs, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors are heard at the Brookdale courthouse in Brooklyn Center. Felonies go downtown.
- The DWI clock
A DWI is two cases
The criminal charge, and your license. You have 60 days to challenge the revocation, and the temporary license they handed you lasts 14 days. Miss the window and the revocation simply runs.
- Before any of it
Say you want a lawyer
Do not talk about the case with police, on jail phones, or online. Say you want a lawyer. Then call one.
The free consultation
What the free consultation actually is here.
You talk to James.
Not an intake desk, not a paralegal. The lawyer who would stand next to you in court.
It is confidential.
What you tell him is privileged whether or not you hire him. Nothing you say here goes anywhere.
You leave knowing three things.
Your deadlines, your realistic options, and the flat fee. If you do not need a lawyer, he will tell you that too.
Fees are flat and quoted before any work starts. Payment plans are possible. No hourly surprises.
What we defend
Any charge, in state or federal court.
- 01
DWI and alcohol offenses
First-time and repeat DWI, test refusal, license revocation, plate impoundment, criminal vehicular operation.
- 02
Drug charges
Possession, sale, possession with intent, trafficking.
- 03
Assault and domestic assault
Assault, domestic assault, no-contact orders, threats, weapons.
- 04
Violent crimes
Robbery, homicide, and the charges that come with them.
- 05
Sex crimes and Title IX
Criminal sexual conduct allegations and campus proceedings.
- 06
White collar and federal
Fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, cases in U.S. District Court.
- 07
Juvenile and gun charges
Firearm charges and cases involving minors.
- 08
Expungement
Sealing what can be sealed under Minnesota's Clean Slate law, and petitioning for the rest.
- 09
Military
Courts-martial, nonjudicial punishment, separation boards, and administrative actions.
- 10
Government and internal investigations
Target letters, grand jury subpoenas, search warrants, licensing board inquiries, and internal investigations for small organizations. Read more
- 11
Demand letters and civil disputes
Not a criminal matter: letters to collect what you are owed, cease and desist letters, responses to a letter you received, and the civil case when a letter is not enough. Read more
The whole job
Right now everything is swinging.
Press and hold to steady it
Will I go to jail?
For most first offenses in Hennepin County, jail time is stayed, meaning it hangs over probation rather than being served. It depends on the charge and the facts. James will tell you straight.
Will I lose my license or my job?
The license fight has its own clock and its own hearing, and a public defender cannot take it. Your job depends on what ends up on your record, which is the thing we are protecting.
Will this follow me?
A dismissal can be sealed automatically. A conviction for DWI or domestic assault cannot. What you plead to matters more than anything else in the case.
Your lawyer
He has sat at both tables.
James Robbins is from Newport, Minnesota, ten minutes south of St. Paul. He enlisted in the Marine Corps out of high school and served ten years as an electronics communication technician and a martial arts instructor.
He left the Marines for law school at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, then spent years as an assistant public defender and private defense counsel, representing thousands of clients on everything from misdemeanor driving offenses to multiple counts of first-degree murder. He is also an experienced family law attorney and formerly practiced as a CHIPS attorney in child protection cases. He has served as a civilian prosecutor, so he knows how the other side builds its case.
As a judge advocate in the Minnesota National Guard, he deployed to Kuwait as a prosecutor and legal advisor to military commanders. He has since retired from the Guard. He has taught as an adjunct professor at St. Cloud State University and represented Soldiers facing administrative action from the Army.
He is licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin, in state and federal court. He answers his own phone.
- Answers his own phone.
- Trial lawyer, not a plea machine.
- Marine veteran. Retired Guard JAG.
- A plan built for your case, not a template.
If it is your son, your husband, your daughter
You can make the call for them.
Most calls we get come from a parent or a spouse, often late on a Friday. Here is what helps tonight.
Find them.
The Hennepin County jail roster is online and updated hourly.
Bail.
Cash bail can be posted any hour at the Public Safety Facility in downtown Minneapolis. Cash only, no change given.
Jail calls are recorded.
Tell them not to talk about the case on the phone. Just that you are getting a lawyer.
Who the client is.
You can hire the lawyer and pay for the defense. Your family member is the client, and some things stay between them and James.
Two systems
One lawyer who has worked in both.
A civilian charge does not stay civilian when you are in uniform. Your command can act on its own, even if the court case is dismissed. James spent ten years enlisted and years more as a Guard judge advocate, where he served as a prosecutor. As a civilian he has been both a prosecutor and a public defender. He knows what a charge does to a clearance, a promotion, and a career, and he has worked both sides of the dual track.
You do not have to explain the chain of command to him.
- 01Courts-martial and Article 32 hearings
- 02Nonjudicial punishment, Article 15
- 03Separation boards and administrative actions
- 04Minnesota's Veterans Restorative Justice Act, which can defer prosecution for a service-connected condition and dismiss the case on completion
- 05Hennepin County Veterans Court
Straight answers
The questions people ask at 2 a.m.
Do I need a lawyer for a first DWI?
I blew over. I'm guilty anyway. Why pay a lawyer?
Can my wife or husband just drop the charges?
Is the consultation really free?
What does it cost?
I have a job, so I do not qualify for a public defender. Now what?
My court date is next week. Is it too late?
A detective left a card and wants to hear my side.
Will this be on my record forever?
I am in the Guard. Will my unit find out?
Start here
Tell James what happened.
Free, confidential, and answered by the lawyer. If it cannot wait, call.
651-808-033511670 Fountains Dr, Ste 200
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Get directions
Meetings by appointment
Licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin