Union County Common Pleas Court

Court Information

Having dealt with the Union County Common Pleas Court for almost 10 years, we’ve defended a variety of cases there, from aggravated murder, to robbery, to arson, to possession of drugs and anything else that falls under the criminal spectrum.

Judge Don W. Fraser and Union County Prosecutor David Phillips ensure that court affairs are run fairly and efficiently.

Court Process Information

Your case begins with an arraignment, which is where your charges will be read in front of Judge Fraser and you will plead “not guilty,” “guilty” or “no contest.” One advantage of hiring a Union County criminal defense attorney  from Luftman, Heck & Associates is that you do not have to show up for your arraignment during inconvenient hours and can instead leave the pre-trial work to us.

If the police issue a warrant for your arrest, we can work toward getting this set aside and having an arraignment instead, or minimize your time spent in jail or bond amount if that isn’t feasible.

The final step before your hearing with a judge or jury trial is the pre-trial. Before this date, we’d gather evidence; then, at the pre-trial, we’d talk with Prosecutor Phillips about any issues that came up, such as illegal search and seizure. If he agrees that there are issues, then we can work on lessening the offense to one that doesn’t carry mandatory jail time, or make a joint recommendation for no jail or prison time, or change your charge to something that won’t show up on your record.

If the case is not resolved after this, it would proceed to a motion hearing (a hearing where the judge issues the verdict) or a jury trial.