Lafayette Criminal
Defense Attorney

Bruno Lilly LeClere

Compassionate Defense for Lafayette, CO Criminal Charges

Criminal suspects in Colorado have the right to an attorney. We encourage everyone to choose their defense lawyer wisely. With an inexperienced lawyer, you could end up convicted of a crime and face the stiffest sentence possible. Make the right choice, and a trusted legal advocate will hold the prosecution to their burden of proof, obtaining the best outcome available for your case.

Contact Bruno Lilly LeClere, PLLC, today. One of our experienced Lafayette, CO criminal defense attorneys can meet to discuss the charges and possible sentences. We can then map out a strategy for defending you from these accusations.

Our Lafayette, CO Criminal Defense Practice

We have broad experience defending people from misdemeanor and felony charges. Some of the cases we handle for our Lafayette clients include:

DUI/DWI/DWAI

Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol is illegal in Colorado. Sadly, it’s easy to get picked up for what is an out-of-character mistake. Contact our firm as soon as you are arrested. DWI cases are not as “open and shut” as many people fear, and our Lafayette criminal defense attorney can explain more about how we defend these cases in a consultation.

Drug Charges

The War on Drugs continues in Colorado, and thousands of people get picked up for simple possession of small amounts of drugs. If you were arrested, please call our firm. A Lafayette criminal defense attorney can handle your possession, manufacturing, or trafficking case.

Violent Crimes

The state reserves the harshest penalties for crimes of violence. Simple assault, aggravated assault, manslaughter, and homicide are some of the most serious criminal charges a person can face. It is vital to begin building a strong defense so that you do not spend decades in prison.

Parole Hearings

Any violation of the terms of parole could result in revocation and time spent behind bars. Contact our firm to discuss whether we can defend you at a parole revocation hearing.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence charges are serious. You could face time in jail and other penalties if convicted. Unfortunately, many domestic violence accusations are false but arise in the context of divorce or separation. You deserve a zealous advocate in your corner to defend you and protect your good reputation.

Protection Orders

Colorado allows people to seek protection orders when they fear for their safety. Many protection orders are awarded “ex parte” without a hearing. If you are subject to an order, you must follow the terms, otherwise you could be jailed. Reach out to our firm for assistance.

Juvenile Justice

The criminal justice system treats juveniles differently. However, every child deserves an attorney to help guide them through the juvenile system and discuss different options for rehabilitation. Call to speak with our Lafayette criminal defense attorney.

Sex Crimes

Any sex crime accusation could shred a person’s reputation. These are difficult cases to defend, so it is critical to “lawyer up” as soon as possible. Bruno Lilly LeClere, PLLC, has the experience you need to defend against any sex crime accusation, from rape to the possession of child pornography.

Harassment and Menacing

Harassment is the repeated act of bothering or annoying someone, such as taunting or following them around. The state also criminalizes menacing, which involves threatening someone so that they fear imminent fear of injury or death. Many defendants are shocked to be prosecuted for mere words. Let us discuss possible defenses.

Traffic Offenses

Traffic offenses include speeding, drag racing, careless driving, and reckless driving. No traffic offense is too minor. Any conviction could result in time behind bars, as well as steep fines. You should consult an experienced defense attorney to discuss whether to fight the charges.

License Suspension

Losing your license can make it much harder to get to school or work. Many drivers face suspension for amassing too many points, or for being arrested for drunk driving. We fight to keep our clients legally behind the wheel.

Will You Go to Jail?

Our clients express a common fear: they will end up behind bars, unable to go to work or school or even see their family. Young parents fret about being away from their children, and older adults worry about who will watch over their elderly parents.

In Colorado, felonies and misdemeanors carry the possibility of time in jail or prison. Even a Class 2 traffic misdemeanor could net a defendant 10 days in jail. Whether you end up behind bars will depend on the offense you are charged with, along with other factors, such as your criminal history. We can offer more individualized advice in a consultation at our office. Even when the law allows for a jail sentence, we might argue for probation or a different sentence.

Common Defenses for Our Clients

Every criminal defendant has a right to raise a defense on their behalf. Our experienced defense attorneys comb through the factual record to identify which strategies are best. Once we know the strength of the evidence against you, we get to work dismantling it. Instead of throwing arguments against the wall to see what sticks, we raise a defense that works with the facts of your case.

Let’s run through some possible defenses:

• Lack of criminal intent. Many crimes require that you have a guilty state of mind, such as an intent to harm someone or recklessness regarding their safety. We can argue you had no such guilty mind.
• Alibi. You might have been somewhere else when a crime was committed. We can have an alibi witness testify to this fact or submit video evidence of you being at a restaurant or ATM when a crime was committed miles away.
• False accusation. The accused might be biased against you, or else they could simply be confused. We can provide a different perspective on their testimony.
• Entrapment. The police could induce you to commit a crime you otherwise wouldn’t have committed. For example, the police could bribe you to commit a crime or threaten you. We will raise entrapment as a defense in these cases.
• Self-defense. A person can use force in defense of themselves or another person, depending on the facts. You might also be able to use force to defend against the theft or destruction of property.
• Police misconduct. Officers must follow the law when performing investigations. Unfortunately, they often trample all over a defendant’s constitutional rights, which carries consequences. We can ask a judge to suppress any evidence obtained illegally.
• Coerced confessions. A confession is only valid if you give it freely. The police might have threatened or intimidated you into confessing, or they failed to give obligatory Miranda warnings. If we suppress a confession, many cases fall apart.
• Lack of probable cause. The police need probable cause before they can arrest you. Otherwise, we can ask the judge to suppress all evidence found subsequent to the arrest.
• Brady violations (hiding evidence). The prosecution needs to turn over helpful evidence upon request. Sometimes, exculpatory evidence has a way of falling through the cracks. We can ask a judge to dismiss the charges.
• Reasonable doubt. You can only be convicted upon showing proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We can often cast doubt on the credibility of witnesses and the integrity of physical evidence.

This is only a sampling of the most common defenses. The arguments we make are driven by the facts of your case.

Should You Simply Request a Public Defender?

Some defendants might qualify for the services of a public defender. But there are real advantages to hiring your own attorney:

• Undivided attention. Public defenders juggle hundreds of cases at once. It’s tough to do complete justice to a client when your attention is pulled in 100 different directions.
• Experience. Our managing attorney, Havilah Louise Bruno Lilly, is a former prosecutor with decades of experience in criminal law. She sees cases through the eyes of a prosecutor, which helps her pinpoint weaknesses in the case against you.
• Thorough investigations. We never accept the state’s narrative of what happened. Instead, we always search out evidence that they might have overlooked, such as alibi witnesses or physical evidence.
• Effective advocacy and negotiation. Our Lafayette defense attorneys lean on their experience to strategically build a defense and negotiate a plea deal. A novice public defender lacks this experience.

Call our firm today to discuss how we charge for our services. You get one chance to prove your innocence, and a criminal defense attorney in your own corner is an excellent investment.