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Few criminal convictions can damage a reputation as much as a child abuse conviction can. Accusations of hurting a child, whether your own child or one entrusted to your care, can have life-long effects, so it is important to move quickly to defend yourself when accusations like that are made against you.

Domestic violence prosecutions can be long and difficult.  Emotions often run high. When a prosecutor charges a crime as domestic violence, it’s a way of saying the complainant is one of the people closest to the defendant, one they are expected to protect and love. A defense to the accusation must be carefully planned and developed. Anyone who is charged is likely to want to know how a case proceeds– the steps from incident to trial, and any appeals that may follow.

For over two decades, Marshall & Saunders has specialized in representing those who have been accused of crimes of a particularly sensitive nature, including things like child physical abuse. 

Due process concerns lie at the very heart of the legal system. That’s why we’re devoting two posts to it. If you haven’t yet read the first one, we recommend starting with it. 

Due process concerns lie at the very heart of the legal system. The idea is that the legal system is supposed to follow certain procedures. A decision made arbitrarily might find facts accurately, and it might provide remedies that seem fair, but accuracy and fairness are much more likely if the system operates within procedures and every litigant has a right to those procedures. That’s due process. It’s guaranteed by both the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Section 3 of the Washington constitution.

Child sexual abuse allegations are among the most serious and frightening a person can face.