CRIMINAL APPEALS
A Successful Record Of Overturning Unjust Convictions And Sentences In Illinois
The bang of the judge’s gavel is not necessarily the end of the story. If the proceedings were unfairly prejudiced or corrupted, you may have grounds to appeal a jury’s verdict or a judge’s ruling.
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The law firm of Stone & Associates in Waukegan handles criminal appeals in state and federal cases. Criminal defense attorney Jed Stone is recognized in Illinois and around the United States for his appellate abilities, from exonerations based on DNA evidence to a landmark decision that changed Illinois law.
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Tireless Advocating For Those Accused … And Convicted
Jed Stone has reversed criminal convictions and won new trials for clients, including first-degree murder cases, and scaled back overly harsh or incorrectly applied prison sentences. He draws on nearly 40 years of criminal defense experience to research and craft compelling appellate arguments. As a reflection of his authority, Mr. Stone wrote the chapter on preserving the trial record for appeal in the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) guidebook “Defending Criminal Cases.”
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In People v. Lynch, Mr. Stone argued that a homicide victim’s propensity to violence should be fair game in a defendant’s claim of self-defense. (Prior to that case, a reputation for violence could be introduced only if the defendant had already been aware of the other party’s violent tendencies.) The Illinois Supreme Court agreed with the argument and changed the law. More than 25 years later, Mr. Stone still gets questions about this case and self-defense strategies from lawyers across the U.S.
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Do You Have Grounds To Appeal?
You cannot necessarily appeal an unfavorable result of a criminal trial. An appeal requires evidence that you were denied justice because of judicial error, prosecutor misconduct, jury tampering, or ineffective counsel of the lawyer who represented you.
We can analyze the trial record to determine if you could benefit from an appeal. For a free initial consultation with an accomplished criminal appeals lawyer, call our Waukegan office at 847-336-7888 or contact us online.