Practice Areas – Defense

There are two levels of criminal court in Clarksville. The first is General Sessions Court, which primarily hears any case which is not a felony. Anyone initially charged with a DUI, Public Intoxication, Domestic Assault, Shoplifting and other similar infractions will have their case heard in General Session, or “Little Court” as some refer to it. However, if the charges are bound over to the Grand Jury, the issue proceeds to Circuit Court.

In Circuit Court, sometimes referred to as “Big Court”, all felony charges are heard either by a jury or in a bench trial, wherein the Judge makes the decision without a jury. If a matter is bound over from General Sessions it will be considered by a grand jury as to whether or not to proceed in Circuit Court. Other cases originate in Circuit Court due to the gravity of the charge.

Regardless of the charge, or whether it is being heard in General Sessions or Circuit Court, we at Lehman Johnson, Attorneys at Law, PLC are prepared to vigorously defend our clients to see that their best interests are protected.

The Juvenile court system handles a wide variety of cases in both the criminal and the civil realms. Cases are heard within those court rooms on multiple issues such as child support, visitation (for non-married parents), temporary custody, truancy, unruly child, and criminal charges against minors. Juvenile Court is very different from Chancery, Circuit and General Sessions Court due to the fact that all its cases are directly related to minors, and therefore different types of guidelines and laws, particularly concerning privacy of minors. At Lehman Johnson, Attorneys at Law, PLC we are adept at navigating through these waters and will gladly assist you in managing your case in the most straight forward and timely way possible

DUI defense can be complicated, because it isn’t just a matter of handling the court hearings. DUI cases affect people’s personal lives and careers, not to mention driving records and automobile insurance. If you have a DUI or related matter rest assured that we will do everything within our power to achieve the best possible outcome to your case.

Traffic infractions have become a much more common problem than they once were. Citations for not using a seat belt, texting while driving, failure to have car insurance and other infractions can create a lot of hassle in daily life. We try to make the process of dispensing with such citations as simple as possible.