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Katz & Associates | Orlando, Florida
You can get legal advice before you answer police questions or enter a plea, your formal answer to a charge. Katz & Associates defends people in Orlando and Orange County. We help you understand the charge, review the state’s case and choose how to respond.
Call 407-802-5289 or request a defense consultation. Tell us about any hearing or written deadline.
Orlando office on South Kirkman Road
Florida law firm since 2005
Call 407-802-5289
The first hearing after an arrest deals with different issues from an arraignment, where you respond to the charge. Later hearings have their own purpose. Check the notice for the event you must attend.
The Orange County Clerk says felony cases are processed at the downtown Orange County Courthouse. Misdemeanor cases may be processed at other clerk sites. These are different classes of crime. The clerk directs you to your papers to find the arraignment location.
The downtown courthouse is at 425 N. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. That is not the right place for every hearing. Orange County also has separate first-appearance information for people booked into jail.
The Ninth Judicial Circuit serves Orange and Osceola counties. Being in the Orlando area does not tell you which county will hear a case. Read the county, case number, date and place on your papers. If the details do not agree, ask your lawyer or the clerk to check them before the hearing.
A charge sets out what the state says happened. It does not prove the case. A defense lawyer can explain what the state must show and test the proof for each part of the charge.
This may mean checking a police account against video or asking what a witness could see. A message may make more sense when the full exchange is read. A stop, search or statement may raise a legal issue too. The full record matters, not just the facts that help one side.
The firm’s Florida criminal-defense practice explains the broader process. Here, the aim is to connect that process to your Orlando case and the choice you face next.
We review the stop, what police saw, the tests and the charge. Bring the court papers and any notice about your license. They may call for separate steps.
The drug involved, the search and the claim of possession all need review. Being near an item does not, by itself, prove that it was yours or under your control. The exact charge sets the facts the state must prove.
Who owned an item, who gave permission and what you meant to do may matter. So can the value and records of a sale. Keep receipts, messages and agreements as they are. You can explain what they mean without changing them.
The order of events, what witnesses saw and any injuries may affect the defense. Follow a release or no-contact order as written. Under Florida law, a no-contact order stays in force while you are on pretrial release unless the court changes it. Another person’s invitation does not change the order.
We can discuss the charge, the work it may need and whether the firm can take the case.
A DUI can put your driving rights at risk through a state agency process as well as a court case. Under section 322.2615, the request for formal or informal review must be made within 10 days after the suspension notice is issued. Asking about restricted driving rights is a separate option under the law.
A later court date does not extend that period. Bring the notice and tell us about any past suspension. Ask what you may drive on now and which options fit your record.
Ask what you would admit, what sentence is proposed and what rules you would have to follow. A plea may also raise questions about your job, travel, a work license or immigration status. Some of those issues need advice beyond the criminal case.
If a fact is in dispute or a record has not been checked, ask how it could affect the advice. Discuss any grounds to challenge the state’s case and what the challenge could achieve. You should know the reasons for a proposed step and what is still unknown.
Ask who would handle the case, how you would get updates and what the fee covers. Be clear about which work is included.
Send both, with copies of the papers. They can refer to different records. The firm can check what is available and what else it needs.
Not going to jail does not tell you how serious the charge is. You may still have to attend court. Have the charge, date and required response checked.
Ask the firm how to send it. A report or court notice can help focus the discussion. Include full pages so a date or court term is not left out.
Not always. An injunction can be a separate court case with its own terms and hearing. Tell the firm about both cases so it can discuss what help you need for each.
Yes. An old case can affect the advice and risks in a new one. Share the old case details you have, even if that case is closed.
Katz & Associates lists its Orlando office at 5401 S Kirkman Road, Suite 665, Orlando, FL 32819. Call 407-802-5289 to discuss the charge, any court date and what you need to know before you decide.
Contact the firm to arrange a conversation. You can ask for help even if you do not yet have a complete file.
