Criminal Law
From misdemeanors to felonies, we will be with you every step of the way to protect your legal rights.
Municipal Courts
Common Pleas Courts
Juvenile Courts
For help with your criminal or juvenile issues, contact the experienced attorneys at Alexander, Wagner & Kinman for a free consultation.
This information is intended to provide broad, general information about the law and is not intended to be legal advice. Before applying this information to a specific legal problem, readers are urged to seek advice from a licensed attorney.
From misdemeanors to felonies, we will be with you every step of the way to protect your legal rights.
Municipal Courts
- Ohio’s municipal courts are trial courts located in counties and townships throughout Ohio. There are more than 120 municipal courts in Ohio.
- Depending on the size of the municipality, a municipal court may have a traffic/criminal division, which generally hears traffic offenses and misdemeanor criminal cases.
- The court process starts with the arraignment. At the arraignment (the defendant’s first appearance in court), the defendant is informed of the charges and enters a plea of guilty or not guilty. After the arraignment, the case is usually randomly assigned to one of the municipal court judges, who oversees the case to its conclusion.
- In a misdemeanor criminal case, the defendant has a right to a jury of eight people, and all eight must agree to a verdict of guilty or not guilty. A criminal defendant who would rather have a judge hear his or her case must waive the right to a jury both in writing and verbally, in open court.
Common Pleas Courts
- Ohio’s courts of common pleas are trial courts, and there is one common pleas court for each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
- If the defendant's case is not resolved through plea bargaining, we will not hesitate to go to trial.
- Trials can be held either to a jury or to a judge. In a felony criminal case, the defendant automatically gets a jury of 12 persons, and all 12 must agree to a unanimous verdict of guilty or not guilty. If a criminal defendant does not want a jury trial, and would rather have a judge determine the facts of the case, he or she must waive his jury right both in writing, and in open court.
Juvenile Courts
- Your child can become involved in the juvenile justice system by committing a delinquent or unruly act.
- A delinquency is an act that if committed by an adult would be a crime (either a felony or misdemeanor). A status or unruly offense is illegal when done by a juvenile, but not a crime for an adult(for example truancy or running away).
- If your child is charged with a delinquency or unruly offense, he/she can be detained by juvenile court in a secure facility. Your child may enter the juvenile court system by the police arresting him/her and filing a complaint with the court. Other people may also file a complaint at juvenile court against your child if they believe your child has committed a delinquent or unruly offense.
For help with your criminal or juvenile issues, contact the experienced attorneys at Alexander, Wagner & Kinman for a free consultation.
This information is intended to provide broad, general information about the law and is not intended to be legal advice. Before applying this information to a specific legal problem, readers are urged to seek advice from a licensed attorney.