Sentencing and Appeals

Recent Supreme Court decisions have changed the face of federal sentencing. Prior to 2005, sentences in the federal system were strictly controlled by a system of legislated rules - sentencing guidelines - that set limits to sentences judges could impose. These guidelines remain in place, but are now advisory. With the entire area of sentencing in flux, informed negotiation with the Government over sentencing is all the more vital to ensure the optimal plea agreement and sentence for the client. It is a difference that can be measured in years. An appellate attorney's practical knowledge of how the guidelines should apply in the new legal environment is essential. Hilder & Associations, P.C., has the experience to work effectively for the lowest sentence possible. Because of this the firm has successfully negotiated downward departures - reduction in sentences - for clients in numerous cases.

Criminal trials, and pleas, as well, are tense affairs at which serious mistakes are often made leading into wrongful conviction and punishment. Appeals and post-conviction petitions give the defendant the opportunity to reverse trials and sentences tainted by error. Hilder & Associates, P.C., specializes in direct appeals, and in seeking relief through federal habeas corpus applications. Habeas corpus is a type of appeal that gives the client the opportunity not only to review the trial record, but to introduce evidence that his or her trial attorneys may have failed to discover. Our lawyers' track record in this most complex area of appellate practice, on the most serious of cases - death penalty appeals - is notable. As of August 2005, in every case on which a court has passed judgment so far, our clients have been afforded some form of relief, including relief from conviction and sentence.

Practice Area Overview