McCollum Hodgkinson & Nikitas, LLC - Experienced Lake County Illinois Defense Attorneys

Choosing a lawyer to handle a Criminal, DUI, Juvenile or other charge can be one of the most important decisions you make in your life.  Criminal convictions can be life-changing.  The background and experience of your lawyer can make the difference whether you are free or locked up in jail or prision, have a career-disabling conviction on your record or come out of the case with no permanent record, have a driver's license or face years without legally driving, and many other permanent or long-term consequences.  Sorting through the misleading information on the web is vital to your future.  We help clients on a daily basis, and it is always with a focus and consideration on the long-term needs of our clients.   

What qualities and experience should you be looking for in a lawyer to defend you or a loved one against a Criminal, DUI or Juvenile Court case:

• Do the lawyers have extensive, practical experience defending somone charged with the particular type of Felony, Misdemeanor, DUI or Juvenile case you have?  A lawyer who has worked for years -- drafting and arguing motions, presenting witnesses, negotiating dispositions, doing trials -- will know what is the best way to defend you.  Different circumstances, clients, and prosecutors require different tactics, and an experienced attorney doesn't make the mistake of either being too aggressive or too accomodating when dealing with the State. The lawyers at McCollum Hodgkinson, PC work together and each have the background and experience you need.
• Have the lawyers been both a  prosecutor and a defense attorney?  Lawyers who have extensive prosecution experience understand what is needed to attack the State's case.  Lawyers who have worked as prosecutors in Lake County will know the police departments and police officers, and generally will have greater credibility before the Judge who will hear your case.  A defense attorney with extensive prosecutorial experience will have presented witnesses and experts in court and know what makes the prosecution's case weak or strong. Both Steve McCollum and Dan Hodgkinson are well-know former prosecutors with extensive experience.
• Does the lawyer know the court system in Waukegan where Felony, Misdemeanor and DUI cases are heard in Lake County?  A lawyer who has years of involvement in the Court system through the Lake County Bar Association and other committees and groups will have a much better knowledge of the people and procedures in Lake County.   
• If the case involves a juvenile petition, has the lawyer ever been a juvenile court prosecutor or defense lawyer in the Lake County Juvenile Court in Vernon Hills, Illinois?  Juvenile court is very different than adult court, and each Juvenile Court is different.  It is important to know the rules, procedures, and personnel in that particular court system.  Steve McCollum was the Chief of the Juvenile Division and has practiced extensively as a defense attorney in Juvenile Court.  Dan Hodgkinson was an Assistant State's Attorney who handled felony and misdemeanor juvenile cases for the State's Attorney in Lake County and who currently represents many minors charged with offenses in Lake County.