Assault & domestic violence defense
Accusations alone can upend a life. These cases move fast. The defense has to move faster, and carefully.
Assault and domestic violence charges are among the most consequential cases in Wisconsin criminal court. Even a misdemeanor domestic conviction triggers a lifetime federal firearms prohibition, can mean jail, and leaves a record that follows employment, housing, and custody. These cases are also uniquely human: emotions run high, accounts conflict, and prosecutors often charge first and sort it out later.
The response isn't volume — it's a careful, early investigation of what actually happened, and a clear-eyed strategy for the no-contact order that is probably already reshaping your daily life.
Charges and proceedings handled here
- Battery: intentionally causing bodily harm (Class A misdemeanor).
- Substantial battery: substantial bodily harm (Class I felony).
- Aggravated battery: great bodily harm (Class E–H felony, depending on intent).
- Domestic abuse battery: battery against a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, or co-parent.
- Strangulation & suffocation: Class H felony, up to 6 years.
- Disorderly conduct (domestic): often charged alongside or instead of battery.
- Restraining order / injunction defense: temporary and permanent orders.
- Violation of a restraining order: criminal charges for alleged violations.
- Threats and intimidation: including witness intimidation allegations.
Wisconsin penalties
| Charge | Classification | Potential penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | Class A misdemeanor | Up to 9 months jail, $10,000 fine |
| Substantial battery | Class I felony | Up to 3.5 years prison, $10,000 fine |
| Aggravated battery (intent) | Class E felony | Up to 15 years prison, $50,000 fine |
| Strangulation | Class H felony | Up to 6 years prison, $10,000 fine |
| Domestic abuse enhancer | Adds to base charge | Maximum doubled; federal firearms prohibition |
Wisconsin's domestic abuse enhancer can double the maximum sentence of the underlying offense, and a domestic violence conviction triggers a lifetime federal firearms prohibition. Understanding those consequences before any plea is non-negotiable.
Defense strategies
Self-defense
Wisconsin law recognizes the right to defend yourself and others from imminent harm. Where that's what happened, the defense builds the record to prove it: witnesses, physical evidence, and the other party's history.
False and exaggerated accusations
Custody disputes, divorces, immigration pressure, and personal vendettas produce real false allegations. Motive, inconsistencies, and contradicting evidence all get investigated, respectfully and thoroughly.
The evidence itself
Photographs, medical records, 911 audio, body-camera footage, and witness statements often tell a different story than the criminal complaint. Someone has to actually look. We do.
No-contact order strategy
When an order separates you from your home or your children, the first project is often modifying it quickly, while protecting you from a violation charge in the meantime.
Protecting the record
Where resolution makes sense, the goal is an outcome that keeps a domestic violence finding off your record: a reduced charge, deferred prosecution, or dismissal.
Restraining order hearings
A domestic abuse injunction can issue on a low burden of proof, but its consequences are severe: removal from your home, no contact with family, surrender of firearms. Representation at both the temporary (TRO) stage and the injunction hearing, challenging the petitioner's evidence and presenting your side, is part of this practice.
Whenever you're ready to talk, someone steady is ready to listen.
The first conversation is free and confidential. It costs nothing to find out where you stand, and it's the first step toward getting your footing back.