Post-Conviction Relief

Arizona Post-Conviction Motions - Relief from Judgment

Arizona law provides a valuable opportunity for a criminal defendant to avoid the worst consequences of a criminal conviction immediately after trial without the need to file a formal appeal. If you have recently been convicted of an Arizona offense at trial and need to know your options, contact the Phoenix criminal defense lawyers at the Weingart Law Firm  for a free consultation.

We're an AV-rated* law firm with the experience and comprehensive knowledge of Arizona criminal trial procedure necessary to take full advantage of your post-conviction rights to relief. We examine the record of your trial to see whether any errors of law or obvious tactical mistakes or your trial counsel might have prejudiced your ability to receive a fair trial. Our experience allows us to argue persuasively that ineffective assistance of trial counsel--failure to investigate facts, engage forensic experts, or attack the credibility of a key witness based on prior statements, for example--might have denied you the benefit of a meaningful defense.

Post-trial motions are presented to the trial court to give the judge a chance to correct errors, order a new trial, or grant judgment for the defendant notwithstanding the verdict of the jury. Post-conviction relief proceedings are always heavily dependent on the facts of the given case and its procedural history, and trial courts are often willing to let mistakes go during the case to see if they have any harmful effect. When newly discovered evidence or a fresh look at a procedural ruling convinces the judge that the mistakes unfairly disadvantaged the defendant, they can and do reverse themselves in the interests of justice.

While motions for post-conviction relief are pending, the time to file a formal appeal of the conviction is stayed. Depending on the facts of the situation, this is also a good time to negotiate with the prosecution for a lighter sentence, conviction on a lesser charge, or other compromises that work to the defendant's definite benefit.

Arizona criminal trial lawyer Mark Weingart has tried more than 500 cases to juries over the course of his 30-year career, and knows how to examine the record of a trial for tactical mistakes, legal errors, and failures of overall strategy. To see how he can help you after an unfortunate result at trial of your criminal case, contact a criminal defense attorney at the Weingart Law Firm in Tempe.

* CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings evaluate two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.