Criminal litigators who also specialize in cases involving mental illness can be difficult to find, as it is an extremely narrow practice. While finding an experienced and adept trial attorney is very important in a criminal case, charges that revolve around mental health challenges can involve complicated legal defenses and dynamic practical considerations. Will the attorney you hire be able to communicate effectively with a symptomatic client? Will he or she need assistance researching and dissecting defenses that may apply to the case? Are there concerns about competency that may require evaluation and hospitalization?

Hiring supplemental counsel to assist lead trial counsel in these situations can help mitigate the concerns that come with mental illness in the criminal justice system. It may help facilitate evaluation, or open channels of communication with doctors and other professionals in the hospital system, with whom we have built relationships for almost two decades. It may offer a perspective to judges and prosecutors that lead counsel may not have considered. In short, it is a way to supercharge the defense team in criminal cases involving mental health.

A lawyer also provides you with an objective view of your legal dilemma.  Even attorneys faced with their own legal problems won’t represent themselves for this very reason.  Having a professional in the field who can step back from your situation and offer calm, informed, and solid advice can often be the difference between making a good legal decision and one that might cause you harm.

Our firm has close to twenty years of experience in the field of mental health and the criminal justice system and has handled hundreds of these cases. At The Gage Law Firm, we never stop researching and absorbing the law, as the legal landscape can change with a single court decision.  It is our mission to provide you with the most cutting-edge and informed legal advice possible and to be an advocate who not only can stand up to your opponent, but who also can provide you with the confidence that you are making the right legal decisions.