Annapolis and Baltimore Family Attorney
Criminal accusations involving your family and domestic relationships need to be taken very seriously in Maryland, whether you believe the charges are founded or not. An accusation of domestic assault or child abuse can have a devastating effect on your reputation, your employment and your family relationships.
The early involvement of an attorney is essential to protect your freedom and your rights. Unfortunately, you can face serious consequences such as protective orders and removal of your child from your home before you are even convicted of a crime.
The following links offer more information about family and domestic cases:
- Domestic violence: Once made, charges of domestic violence can be difficult to recant and often require an aggressive defense. Our lawyers often represent people who need help getting their spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend out of jail after making a complaint of domestic violence.
- Ex parte protective orders: In Maryland, all a person needs to do to obtain a temporary protective order against you is convince a judge that he or she is in fear of imminent harm. These orders are called "ex parte" because the judge hears from only one side — the alleged victim.
- Child Discipline: A report from an overzealous teacher or neighbor or a vengeful ex-spouse can result in a visit from Maryland Child Protective Services to your home. If the case workers believe that allegations of abuse are credible, your children can be taken from your home.
Many times, a spouse or other person will obtain a "protective order" and request a "summons" or "warrant" from a commissioner for a criminal assault charge simultaneously. Police who come to a domestic violence scene look for "indicia" to determine if an assault has occurred. Many times, I will recommend that a defendant go to the commissioner's office to obtain their own charge of assault against the co-defendant.
Believe it or not the history of Domestic Violence with our Judicial System is long and tortured. These type of cases have always been around. The theory of how they are prosecuted really changed back in the early nineties as a result of the infamous O.J. Simpson case. Many counties across the country including many in Maryland created "Domestic Violence" prosecuting units in the States Attorneys office. The State Attorneys assigned to these cases specialized in Domestic Violence prosecutions. They became extremely aggressive in requesting jail and other severe penalties such as:
- Long term supervised probation
- Counseling requirements with groups such as House of Ruth
- Anger management forced classes
- Fines & other requirements
Simultaneously, the Maryland Legislature created new states such as "Protective Orders", "Peace Orders" and other statutes enhancing domestic violence crimes. Even today as we speak the Legislature is working on additional enhanced penalties for Domestic violence. For example, a spouse may now only raise their "marital privilege" not to testify in a domestic case one time in a lifetime . Relaxed hearsay rules such as the "excited utterance rule" and how it is applied pave the way for police to testify against Defendants. One thing is clear. If the police are called to the house they will usually file a criminal charge. They then leave your family to pick up the pieces and avoid incarceration.
My name is Jim Crawford. For the past 18 years, I have defended people in Baltimore, Catonsville, Annapolis, Bel Air and throughout Maryland who have been accused of child abuse, domestic violence and other domestic cases. I offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
Contact Me
To protect your reputation and your family relationships, contact me, Maryland family and domestic cases attorney Jim Crawford, before you talk to police or anyone else. I am available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To contact me, call 443-701-4525 or 866-635-0623.
