King County Criminal Defense Lawyer

You Can Fight Your Criminal Charges!

King County is home to more than 1,931,000 residents and is the most populous county in all of Washington State; it's also one of the nation's top 100 highest income counties to date. King County was originally named after William Rufus King, who happened to be the Vice President at the time that the Washington territory was created; however, in 1986 a motion was introduced by Ron Sims (a Democrat) and Bruce Laing (a Republican) to name the county after Martin Luther King, Jr. On February 24, 1986, the King County Council agreed to renaming King County in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Due to the fact that only states can charter counties, the change wasn't made official until April 19, 2005 when Governor Christine Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5332 into law. As of March of 2007, King County's logo changed from a royal crown to the image of King's face, as it remains today.

Back in September of 1911, the King County people voted to create a Port District, which is known as the Port of Seattle, King County's only Port District. Today, it is governed by five Port Commissioners who serve four-year long terms. Now, over 100 years old, the Port of Seattle operates the Sea-Tac International Airport, the Fishermen's Terminal, the North Pacific fishing fleet, two cruise ship terminals, three public marinas, 22 public parks and much more.

Criminal Defense Attorney Serving all of King County

My name is Jim Johanson and I am proud to serve the residents of King County in all of their criminal defense needs. I am more than your average defense lawyer, I am also a former prosecutor for Pierce and King County, and I have served as an assistant attorney for the City of Lynwood. Not only have I taken over 100 cases to trial over my twenty plus years in service, but I am also a former member of the Washington State Legislature where I served as Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Over my lengthy legal career in King County and all throughout Puget Sound, I have built strong relationships with local judges in the area. My state and federal criminal defense practice includes all types of misdemeanor and felony crimes in Washington State.

My practice areas begin with assault, battery and domestic violence charges. Since these types of charges often don't have any eyewitnesses to the crime in question and since they are often on a "he said, she said" basis, it's extremely important that your King County criminal defense attorney provide a strong and compelling case, one that triumphs over your opposition's evidence and testimony.

State and Federal Criminal Defense in King County

DUI charges are no joke; they can cost you up to $5,000 in fines, up to one year in jail and up to a one year driver's license suspension under some circumstances. A lot of people automatically think that once they are arrested for DUI, they can't fight their charges. This couldn't be further from the truth. With DUI, like in all other criminal matters, you have every right to fight your criminal charges and to fight to retain your driver's license. In the past, I have had many successful outcomes in DUI cases and I am prepared to challenge every aspect of your DUI case.

Theft crimes include shoplifting, burglary, carjacking, robbery and any other case where someone takes something without the owner's consent. Theft crimes can be prosecuted as misdemeanors or felonies depending upon the value of the goods stolen, and whether or not you used a weapon to commit the offense as in carjacking, burglary, or robbery. Once a weapon is involved in a theft crime, the assailant faces the likelihood of sentence enhancements.

Sex crimes often include non-consensual contact such as in molestation, incest, or rape; however, with many sex offenses, lack of consent isn't required and these include prostitution, pandering, solicitation, indecent exposure and statutory rape. The more serious sex offenses require mandatory sex offender registration which requires one to register wherever they live. If you are convicted of a registerable sex offense, you most certainly would face social ostracism, which could destroy your future employment opportunities and your reputation. Since so many allegations of rape and other sex crimes are baseless, it's absolutely critical that you have a meticulous attorney cross examine all evidence and eyewitness testimony against you.

King County Criminal Defense Attorney

In addition to the above, my firm also handles all types of drug crimes including: possession, sales, cultivation, manufacturing and trafficking. I also represent King County's youth that have been accused of committing juvenile crimes. If you are under investigation for an internet crime or for a white collar crime, I also represent clients in the state and federal courts. If you have violated any of the terms of your probation or if you are looking to clear your criminal records through an expungement, I can help you as well. I also represent clients against the most serious of violent crimes including manslaughter and murder. As a former prosecutor, I always use my in-depth knowledge of the criminal justice system to my client's advantage. I represent clients in King County and all throughout the greater Puget Sound area in all of their criminal defense needs. Please, don't hesitate to contact me at Johanson Law Group, Inc. without delay. The sooner I can get on board, the better your chances of turning your case around in your favor.

King County Resource Links

Criminal Defense Information Center 
King County Homepage 
King County, WA