Criminal Defense Attorney - 50 Years of Experience
Massachusetts Criminal Attorney
Georgia Criminal Attorney
SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (SCLC)-Drum Major For Justice, 1982
2002 COTI Award, Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, awarded to lawyers in the most significant criminal case of the year, for work in State of Georgia v. Timothy Dawson, 274 Ga. 327 (2001).
2005 COTI Award, Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, awarded to lawyers in the most significant criminal case of the year, for work in State of Georgia v. Dekelvin Martin, 278 Ga. 418 (2004).
Who you choose as your criminal defense lawyer is not a decision to be taken lightly. If you are convicted of the crime, you could be left facing outrageous fees or even jail time. Thomas M. West has the experience necessary to help navigate you through the criminal legal system. Thomas M. West has 36 years of experience in both state and federal criminal law.
Some of his more notorious criminal cases include: The Bath Tub Strangler Case, Walraven v. State, 255 Ga. 276(1985); The Alday Family Murder Case; The Doom Gang Cases; Goodwin v. Balkcom, 684 F.2d 794 (11th Cir. 1982); The Olympics Army Reserve Cases; Dawson v. State, 274 Ga. 327 (2001) (Electric chair declared cruel & unusual punishment); The Lita Sullivan Murder Case; The Bautista Ramirez case (accused of killing police officer Hugo Arrango). Mr. West brings the same level of expertise and zeal to the defense of less notorious, but equally important, cases such as drug cases, theft, armed robbery and DUI.
Areas of criminal representation:
- Drugs
- Synthetic Drugs
- Drug Possession
- DUI
- Murder
- Felony Murder
- Nonviolent Crimes
- Sex Crimes
- Armed Robbery
- Burglary
- Theft
- Assault and Battery
- Kidnapping
- White Collar
- Habeas Corpus
- Appeals
- Post Conviction
- Motions for new trial
- Jury Trials
- Negotiated Pleas
- Reckless Conduct
Criminal Defense Philosophy
Criminal cases present unique issues. Defense lawyers represent both the not guilty and the guilty. In some cases the client may have committed a crime, but the prosecution cannot prove that crime, or law enforcement or the prosecution have committed legal errors in the case causing the case to be dismissed. In many cases the prosecution over reaches, charging crimes that are too severe. Sometimes this will backfire on the prosecution and cause a jury to be sympathetic to the client. Often times the job of the defense attorney is to simply lessen the penalty in cases where guilt can be proven by the prosecution. In my practice every case is unique but the first goal in every case is to investigate the case in order to stop the charges from being filed if possible. If it is too late to stop the charges or not possible for other reasons the next goal is to produce and protect defense witnesses and evidence. This must be done quickly. As an example: If the client is hit in the head by a policeman during a struggle which leads to criminal charges the first thing to do is to have the client’s injuries photographed and the client examined by a medical doctor. The sooner the better. The defense cannot rely on law enforcement or the prosecutor to develop the evidence. The defense must develop the defense evidence such as the testimony of the doctor mentioned above.
Contact us about your legal matter today!
Attorney Thomas M. West defends clients facing criminal charges in Georgia and Massachusetts. Cases in other states can be handled on a pro hac vice basis in most circumstances.