Handling Criminal Appeals in Ohio

Our criminal defense attorneys handle criminal appeals in all state courts in Ohio, including the Ohio Supreme Court. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima has successfully argued criminal appeals at all levels in the State of Ohio and our team has the knowledge and experience to argue your case if you or someone you know finds themselves in need of an appellate attorney. You can talk to an attorney at our Cincinnati, Lebanon or Oxford offices by calling us at 513-496-0134.

Appeals are very time sensitive and must be filed within 30 days from the date that the judgment entry of conviction is filed. It is very important, then, that if you are seeking an attorney to handle an appeal you contact us immediately so that our team can prepare your case.

Ohio is divided into twelve appellate districts. Most of southwest Ohio (with the section of Hamilton County which is in the First District) is in the Twelfth District Court of Appeals. These twelve appellate courts are the intermediary appellate court above the trial court but below the Ohio Supreme Court. Defendants have an automatic right to an appeal in these appellate courts, meaning if a Defendant appeals his or her case the appellate court must accept it. This is different from an appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court which, in most instances, has discretion whether to accept an appeal.

Steps We Take In An Criminal Appeal Case

If retained to handle your appeal, we will closely examine what happened at your trial. We will carefully analyze what happened and then ascertain the best path to take to obtain your goals. We will examine what impacted the outcome of your first trial. As experienced attorneys in many areas of criminal defense we know that anything can influence the outcome of a trial.

Some questions we ask are:

• Did you receive effective counsel?
• Was there an erroneous evidentiary ruling?
• Was the evidence used against you obtained legally?

Whenever possible we will seek to overturn your conviction. There are other avenues of relief such as having your case remanded for a new trial, pursuing a lesser sentence or taking steps to getting your rights restored.

We understand that your liberty and future are at stake. We take our responsibility as attorneys very seriously and do everything in our power to pursue the relief our clients need.

Get Knowledgeable Help Now

Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima has argued appeals across the State of Ohio, and has helped shape Ohio criminal law. The following are case cites of some of the cases that we have successfully handled in the Supreme Court of Ohio which made law in the state of Ohio:

• State v. Hochhausler, et al. (1996), 76 Ohio St. 3d 455
• State v. Shindler (1994), 70 Ohio St. 3d 54
• State v. Mayl (2005), 106 Ohio St. 3d 207
• State v. Niessen-Pennycuff (2012), 132 Ohio St.3d 416

Contact A Knowledgeable Criminal Appeals Attorney

If you find yourself in need of an experienced attorney for a criminal appeal, please contact us at 513-496-0134 for a free consultation.