Possible Solutions

Prompt Intervention with the Prosecutor:

There are times when your attorney can intervene on your behalf prior to the State’s decision to prosecute. This “pre-filing” action could result in the State Attorney’s Office declining to bring formal charges against you. There are many examples where a defense attorney’s involvement in providing the prosecutor with the client’s side of the story or the names of witnesses resulted in a positive outcome.

Diversion Programs:

You may be eligible to participate in the Pre-Trial Intervention program. Your satisfactory completion of this diversion program mandates that the charge be dismissed by the Judge.

Plea Bargains:

Your attorney can negotiate an agreed upon outcome with the prosecutor in an effort to structure a deal that can minimize your exposure to jail, fines or driver’s license ramifications. Such negotiations can often avoid the stigma and permanent record of a formal conviction.

Withholding of Adjudication

Achieving a “Withhold of Adjudication” in your case can result in a period of probation, but avoids a formal conviction.  This outcome would permit you to thereafter truthfully state that you were never convicted of the offense. A St. Petersburg / Clearwater criminal defense lawyer can often negotiate such an resolution with the judge or prosecutor assigned to your case. 

Pleas in Absentia

This remedy provided by Florida Law would restore you to the position you occupied before being arrested or charged with a criminal offense. A sealed record can, in most circumstances, allow you to truthfully deny the incident ever even occurred. The information about your case is no longer accessible to inquiring members of the public or future employers.

If you or someone you know in Pinellas County, Florida needs the assistance of an experienced St. Petersburg / Clearwater Criminal & DUI Lawyer, call The Law Offices of Russo & Russo, P.A. today at 866-718-1893, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:

Frank Russo

EDUCATION:

• University of South Florida, 1977, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration
• Southwestern University School of Law, 1982, Juris Doctorate

• Florida
• Colorado
• United States Supreme Court

• Recognized by other attorneys as a Leading American Attorney, American Research Corporation
• AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell, the Highest Attorney Rating
• Awarded “Legal Elite” Honor by Florida Trend Magazine
• Defense Bar Representative, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration DUI Gold Standards Committee
• Former Pinellas County State Prosecutor
  
• Representing persons charged with criminal offenses since 1986
  
• Certified Intoxilyzer Operator
  
• NHTSA Certified to Administer Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises
  
• Awarded highest attorney rating of “Superb” by Avvo.com lawyer rating service
  
• President at Meta Progress Corp. - Makers of DUI Pro Software
  
• Certificate of Achievement, National College for DUI Defense Course at Harvard Law School
  
• Recognized in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers - Criminal Trial Practice

Marc Pelletier

EDUCATION:

• Virginia Commonwealth University, 1998, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
• Stetson University College of Law, 2002, Juris Doctorate

• Florida

• Agency Service Award 2003, Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit
• Certificate of Achievement, National College for DUI Defense at Harvard Law School
• Certified Intoxilyzer Operator
• NHTSA Certified to Administer Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises
• Teaching Fellow at Stetson University College of Law
• Former State Prosecutor
• Former onsite Advisor to Law Enforcement at DUI Checkpoints
• Best of St. Petersburg 2008 Award, Attorneys Category, U.S. Local Business Association

Charged with DUI?

We May Be Able to

Keep You Driving

But You Must Act Quickly!

If you submitted a breath sample of .08 or above, or you refused to blow into the Intoxilyzer machine, your driver’s license was administratively suspended at the time of your arrest. If your license was valid prior to your DUI arrest, we may be able to secure a driving permit for you. This would allow you to continue to lawfully operate a vehicle. But, you must act quickly. A close reading of your DUI citation reveals that you must make a written request for a DHSMV Hearing within 10 calendar days. Our office can file the appropriate legal documents to begin this process.

Let Your DUI Arrest & Concerns Become Our Responsibility

If you have been charged with DUI, there may be some potential consequences that are causing you particular concern. We invite you to meet with us so that we can learn what goals and objectives are most important to you. Together we can tailor a strategy that is focused on attempting to achieve the best possible outcome according to your individual needs. We will always put the focus on what is important to you.

Let Russo & Russo Help Answer Your Questions

Your Driving Privilege

• Can you drive legally now?
• Should you immediately enroll in the DUI course?
• Can steps be taken to provide you with a driving permit for work?

Your DUI Court Case

• Can your case be reduced by the prosecutor to a lesser offense such as reckless driving?
• What are the various strengths and weaknesses of your case?
• Did the officer have a valid reason to stop you?
• Can the breath test results or your refusal be ordered not admissible in court?
• Can we secure and review the video tape taken on the night of your arrest?

We Made it Our Business to Know
Law Enforcement’s Business

We are Former State Prosecutors… Who learned Street-Level DUI Enforcement Tactics from the Inside. As a former state prosecutor, Marc Pelletier served as a Legal Advisor to law enforcement at DUI roadblocks. Frank Russo was one of only two Pinellas County DUI Defense Attorneys selected in 2006-2007 to serve on the Pinellas County National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s DUI Gold Standards Committee.

We are Trained & Certified Intoxilyzer Operators… Who own the same breath testing devices used by law enforcement. We can carefully investigate whether non compliance with administrative rules, improper maintenance or calibration could form the basis to prohibit the admissibility of your test results in court.

We are Certified in Proper Roadside Field Sobriety Testing… So we can review the video tape of your field sobriety tests to see if they were properly administered and interpreted fairly. Flawed field sobriety tests could lead to your charge being reduced to the lesser offense of reckless driving.

We are Graduates of the National College for DUI Defense at Harvard Law School… Who stay on top of ever changing DUI legislation and DUI related appellate court decisions. We have carefully prepared exclusive videotapes, instructional packets and client handbooks that will help you complete court obligations well in advance of your own case being heard by one of our local judges. Your “head start” can often expedite the reinstatement of your driving privileges and reduce costs.

Make Russo & Russo Your DUI Defense Strategy…

Call Us to Schedule A Free Consultation