Defense for a charge, notice or investigation

Hobe Sound Criminal Defense Lawyer

Understand what you signed or may sign next.

Katz & Associates represents adults facing criminal charges in Hobe Sound. A notice, payment option or plea form may ask for a quick response. We can review the document, explain the choice it presents and examine the accusation behind it.

Call with the paper and any due date. If you already signed, paid or sent something back, say what happened and when. Help with the defense can start before you have every record.

Call 772-933-5289 Discuss a charge or notice

Treasure Coast office meetings are in Stuart. Ask how to share the complete document before sending it.

Look beyond the printed charge

The form does not tell the whole story.

Katz handles drug offenses, DUI, theft, fraud and allegations of assault, battery or domestic violence. The firm’s Florida criminal defense practice covers misdemeanor and felony cases. Whether the case began with a notice or an arrest, counsel needs to check the facts behind the allegation.

Find the disputed fact

If a charge concerns an online message, whose account it came from may be only the starting point. Who used the account at that time? Who else had access? Preserve the full exchange and tell counsel what you know. Do not enter another person’s account to look for evidence.

Check how evidence was obtained

A stop, search or police interview may raise a legal issue. Katz can review whether the facts support a challenge. A motion to suppress evidence or statements needs legal grounds and supporting facts. An objection alone does not make the evidence disappear.

Connect that review to the next choice

Defense work can include seeking records, testing a witness’s account and preparing admissible evidence for trial. Ask what needs investigation and what each disputed point could change. When an offer arrives, compare its terms with the strengths, risks and work still ahead. The amount of a proposed fine is only one part of that decision.

Two different acts

Promising to appear is different from entering a plea.

Under Florida Rule 3.125, a notice to appear directs a person to answer an alleged offense at a stated place and time. It is available for specified misdemeanors and violations, with exceptions. It is not an option in every criminal case.

The appearance promise

The release signature is a promise to respond as the notice directs. It is not, by itself, a guilty or no-contest plea. Read the instructions on both sides and any attached pages. A signature in one place does not explain what another section asks you to accept.

The separate plea and waiver

The rule’s model form also has a separate plea section that gives up rights and can allow judgment and sentence without a trial. Have counsel explain what the actual form waives and what sentence it could permit. If it offers a payment route, ask whether paying also submits a plea or waiver.

Some county-court cases can proceed on a valid notice itself under Rule 3.140. Do not assume another charging paper must arrive first. Rule 3.125 provides for a warrant when a person who signed the notice fails to respond as directed.

If you have already responded

Find out what the court has actually accepted.

A mailed form, an online payment and an entered court order are different events. Give counsel the exact response and any receipt or confirmation. The next step depends on the document, what the court did with it and the current case record.

The plea rules set different requirements before and after sentencing. There is no universal right to cancel a signed plea. Seek advice promptly about the grounds and time limits that apply to your situation.
Call about a response already sent

Bring the sequence, not just the last page

Keep the complete notice or plea form, including the wording beside every signature.

Note when you signed, sent or paid, and save the receipt or delivery record.

Keep any later court notice, judgment or sentence so counsel can check what happened next.

Martin County follow-through

Keep the paper in step with the court file.

Compare the original notice with later filings

The Martin Clerk’s court records search provides dockets and available non-confidential documents. Later filings may add information that is absent from your first copy. Keep new notices together and ask counsel to check the current charge, orders and dates.

A payment counter is not a hearing instruction

The Hobe Sound Clerk branch at 11730 SE Federal Highway accepts traffic payments. The Criminal Division is at 100 SE Ocean Boulevard in Stuart’s Constitutional Building. Follow the actual hearing notice and current court instructions for where and how to attend.

Correct the right address record

The Clerk’s criminal questions direct case-address changes to the Criminal Division or its change-of-address form. The separate cash-bond address form concerns the depositor. Ask which record needs correction; do not assume a change to one updates every other record.

Confirm a date change before relying on it

The Clerk’s arraignment guidance describes a one-time request to move a misdemeanor arraignment by two weeks. Its guidance says further requests, other misdemeanor hearings and felony hearings require approval from the judge and assigned prosecutor. Consult your lawyer if you have one. A request is not a confirmed new date, and hiring counsel does not automatically excuse every appearance.

What to discuss with Katz

Clear advice should include the work ahead.

Michael Katz founded the firm in 2005. Katz’s stated approach centers on practical advice and explanations that fit the client’s circumstances. For this case, ask what counsel would review first, what preparation may follow and who would handle that work.

Discuss the scope and fee before agreeing to representation. Would the work include trial? Would a separate hearing require another agreement? Ask how the firm would keep you informed as the case changes, rather than judging the proposal only by its first step.

Read about Michael Katz and Katz & Associates.
Michael Katz Esq

Michael Katz

Firm founder

Two questions behind the paperwork

Evidence and plea consequences

Can counsel seek more than the notice itself?

Yes. A notice case can involve criminal discovery, the process for exchanging case evidence. The notice procedure includes witness and physical-evidence lists. Counsel can assess what else may be sought. Discovery has limits and can create duties for the defense too.

Does no contest mean there is no punishment?

No. With the court’s consent, a no-contest plea can allow a sentence without a trial. It is different from pleading not guilty and contesting the charge. The plea rules govern the court’s review. Ask what punishment and record consequences could follow; no contest does not promise a clean record.

Start with the decision in front of you

Bring the charge, the paper
and the date that matters.

Tell Katz & Associates what you received and what response you are considering. If you have already acted, explain that first. You do not need to know the name of a legal motion or have a complete defense before asking about representation.

Call Katz at 772-933-5289

For an office meeting, ask about the Treasure Coast location: 770 SE Indian Street, Suite A-16, Stuart, FL 34997.

Ask about a Hobe Sound defense

Provide your contact details and identify the charge or document. Ask the firm how to share complete papers.

If a court or license date is close, call instead of waiting for a form reply. Contacting the firm does not extend a deadline.
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This page offers general legal information. Advice about a response or defense depends on your facts and court file. Using this form alone does not make the firm your lawyer.