A Criminal Lawyer Who Knows Leon County Court
The law is the same everywhere in Florida. How a case moves is not.
The Second Judicial Circuit has its own rhythms. Which assistant state attorney handles which charge, how a particular judge rules on a motion to suppress, whether a first-time offense is a realistic candidate for diversion, and who to call before a filing decision gets made.
A criminal lawyer who appears in the Leon County Courthouse every week knows those answers. One who drives in from another circuit is learning them on your case.
Zach Ward’s Background
Zach Ward has practiced criminal defense in Tallahassee for more than a decade. He is a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Tallahassee Bar Association, and criminal law is the focus of his entire practice.
That focus matters more than a long list of practice areas. A criminal attorney handling a dozen different kinds of law is spread too thin. The prosecutor on the other side of your case does this every day.
Criminal Charges We Defend in Tallahassee
Most people arrested in Leon County are facing one of a handful of charges. Each has its own defenses, sentencing exposure, and path through the court.
DUI Offenses
A DUI case often turns on whether the stop was lawful. The field sobriety test and the breath or blood result can also be challenged. Refusals and license suspensions follow separate tracks.
Drug Offenses
Drug charges range from simple possession to trafficking. In trafficking cases, the weight of the drug can trigger a mandatory minimum sentence. Many cases turn on whether the search was legal.
Felony Charges
A felony charge carries the longest possible sentences. A conviction can also cost you firearm rights and other civil rights long after the sentence ends.
Violent Crimes
Violent crime charges include assault, battery, and weapons offenses. Penalties rise when someone is injured, or a weapon is involved. A strong defense starts with the evidence.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence cases move faster than most charges. A no-contact order often takes effect before anything is proven. That order can keep you out of your own home.
Theft Crimes
Theft charges range from petit theft to grand theft and burglary. The dollar amount of the property usually decides how serious the charge is.
Sex Crimes
A sex crime conviction can require registration as a sex offender. That registration often lasts long after any sentence ends.
Probation Violations
A probation violation is more serious than it looks. The standard of proof is lower than at trial. A judge can impose a sentence up to the original maximum.
What to Do If You Have Been Arrested
The hours after an arrest matter more than almost anything that follows. Four things protect you, and none of them require legal knowledge.
- Stop talking. Give your name and identifying information. Nothing else.
- Ask for a lawyer clearly. Say “I want a lawyer,” then stop. Do not ask whether you need one.
- Call someone on the outside. Family needs to know where you are and start working on bond.
- Write down what happened. Write down the time, the officers, what was said, and what was searched. Memory fades fast under stress.
Police are permitted to mislead you during questioning, and often do. A conversation that feels helpful usually ends up in a report a prosecutor reads later.
Florida requires a first appearance before a judge within 24 hours of arrest. Having a criminal attorney involved before that hearing changes what happens, particularly on bond.
Why Clients Choose Cowhey + Ward
Plenty of firms list criminal defense among their services. Fewer build a practice around it.
- A dedicated criminal attorney. Criminal defense is Zach Ward’s practice area at the firm.
- Local court knowledge, built from appearing in the Second Judicial Circuit week after week.
- Direct access to your lawyer, rather than updates relayed through staff.
- Early intervention, including contact with prosecutors before charges are filed where that is possible.
- Honest assessment, meaning you hear what the state has to prove and where its case is weak, not a sales pitch.
Cowhey + Ward is a Tallahassee firm with an office on East 7th Avenue, serving Leon County and the surrounding circuit.