Category: Criminal Trial

Can police use informants? Police can use confidential informants, and have been using them for decades.  The law ebbs and flows regarding disclosure of the identity of confidential informants, but that’s really the only issue we regularly encounter in the law. A confidential informant is a secret source who, through a contact law enforcement officer,…

Fourth Amendment searches Searches are one of the ways criminal cases involve the 4th Amendment. Initially, 4th Amendment case law revolved around a citizen’s property rights.  A citizen’s property rights become involved when the government physically intruded on “houses, papers, or effects” for the purpose of finding information (a search).  Early 4th cases focused on…

Grand Jury The Fifth Amendment says “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger…”…

Alibi – it’s one of the more common legal terms you’ll hear on the news or in popular culture.  But what does it actually mean?  And how can you use it to your advantage when preparing a defense to criminal charges?  This post will examine the alibi defense and its practical applications for your criminal…

Is gambling legal in Wisconsin?  What is the definition of gambling?  What penalties do you face if charged?  This post will answer these and other questions about gambling in Wisconsin. Gambling – What is it? Gambling in Wisconsin is regulated in Section 945 of the Wisconsin Statutes.  First, we need to define a few terms. …

Burglary vs. robbery explained. This is a question frequently asked of our criminal defense attorneys in Milwaukee, WI.  What’s the difference between burglary and robbery?  Frequently people use the terms interchangeably.  Unfortunately, they’re not the same. One of our top criminal defense attorneys explains burglary vs. robbery in this blog post.  If you are charged…

Operating a vehicle without owner’s consent: the charge for stealing a car in Wisconsin Section 943.23(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes prohibits operating a vehicle without owner’s consent: “…Whoever intentionally takes and drivers any vehicle without the consent of the owner is guilty of the following:” a first offense a Class H felony.  A second or…