Criminal Defense

On April 12 of this year, newly-elected Governor Tim Walz signed into law the new Minnesota Hands-Free Law, which broadly prohibits the handheld use of one’s cellular device while driving or operating a motor vehicle. (See https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ots/hands-free/Pages/default.aspx). The law goes into effect on August 1, 2019 and will remain in effect unless and until the legislature passes...

The criminal defense lawyers of Leverson Budke are Minnesota’s leading experts in Minnesota expungement laws. They have extensive experience and can point to many successes, even for very serious convictions. They provide free initial consultations to help you seal your criminal record, and every caller will speak to an attorney on the phone. But what exactly is expungement? What...

One of the most dedicated and experienced expungement attorney MN residents have to choose from. Consultations are free of charge.

You were charged with a crime. Your charges were dismissed by jury verdict, court order, or agreement with the prosecutor. So why is your arrest still showing up on a background check? Many Minnesotans are surprised to learn that potential employers can still see that you were charged with a crime even though they were never convicted of a crime. You may have searched your name on the court’s...

If you’ve been convicted of a crime, it’s unlikely that you were immediately shuttled off to prison. It’s more likely that you were placed on probation for a period of time and instructed to comply with certain conditions. Sometimes those conditions aren’t met. After all, life happens. In those circumstances, it’s usually best that you contact your probation officer as soon as you realize...

If you’ve been charged with a Minnesota DWI or DUI, the government has likely revoked your driver’s license. If you were charged with a DUI/DWI, and there was at least one aggravating factor, they likely took your license plates as well. Aggravating factors include having a child in the car with you, having an alcohol concentration over .16, and having a prior DUI/DWI offense within the last...

The Minnesota Supreme Court recently issued a decision impacting thousands of Minnesotans who sought to have a prior felony expunged from their record. In State v. S.A.M., the Court was tasked with determining whether a felony conviction, which was later reduced to a misdemeanor after the defendant successfully completed probation, should be treated as a felony or a misdemeanor for purposes...

Every day, hundreds of Minnesotans go to court to deal with a criminal charge. And every day, hundreds of people plead guilty to those criminal charges without once speaking to a defense attorney. If you’ve been charged with a crime, we understand that you probably just want to put it behind you and move on with your life. Unfortunately, there are often lingering consequences of which you may...

If you were charged with a felony but convicted of a gross misdemeanor, your Minnesota gun rights should not be affected. The federal government denies individuals the right to purchase, own, or possess a firearm if they have been convicted of a felony level offense. A “felony” is a crime punishable by more than a year in prison. However, even if you are charged with a felony, it’s possible...

You’ve been convicted of domestic assault in Minnesota; now what? If you’re a gun owner, you’ve probably done some research about how this particular offense will impact your ability to possess a firearm. Along the way, you’ve likely seen many confusing, and often conflicting, accounts. For example, a person convicted of a misdemeanor domestic assault is prohibited from possessing a firearm...