Cofer Luster Law Firm fights hard for clients in Tarrant County
If you’ve been charged with a crime at either the state or federal level in Tarrant County, Texas, you need skilled criminal defense attorneys with a proven track record of success on your team. For more than a decade, some of the best Fort Worth Criminal Defense Attorneys of Cofer Luster Law Firm have been practicing in a broad range of criminal defense areas, with deep experience in both state and federal jurisdictions.
Comprised of longtime friends and fellow jurists Cody Cofer and James Luster, Cofer Luster Law Firm brings a passion for criminal defense and a fighting spirit to the table that has resulted in thousands of clients enjoying favorable legal outcomes.
Many criminal defense attorneys shy away from taking on the risks of trial. While this is an easy way to inflate a law firm’s numbers, it is often not the ideal strategy for the client. Cofer Luster Law Firm is different. Cody Cofer and James Luster are always willing to go all the way on behalf of their clients, taking cases to trial where that is what is in the client’s best interest. This is a far riskier strategy for a criminal defense attorney to follow, exposing the firm to the real prospect of outright losing at trial and possibly not getting paid by a jailed or indigent client. But both Cody Cofer and James Luster are strongly convinced that a full willingness to try cases in court is the only way to ensure the strongest defense for their clients. At the Cofer Luster Law Firm, we bring to you some of the best criminal defense attorneys in Fort Worth.
Federal criminal defense attorney in Fort Worth, Texas
If you believe that you may be under investigation by a federal agency or if you have already been charged in a federal case, now is the time to get in touch with Cody Cofer.
Cofer has successfully defended hundreds of clients in federal cases, in which the client was charged with crimes ranging from tax evasion to bank robbery. In addition to serving as the Henderson County prosecutor, he acted as an assistant public defender for the Northern District of Texas. This experience as a federal public defender allowed him to experience a breadth and volume of cases that many Texas criminal defense attorneys will never see in their entire careers.
Having sat on both sides of the courtroom, Cofer, as a Criminal Defense Lawyer, understands not just how to mount an effective defense but also how the prosecution thinks, anticipating their moves before they make them. He has been formally recognized as an expert in his specialty as criminal law, receiving the coveted Board Certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. While this title has a pedestrian-sounding name, few lawyers meet the strict trial-experience qualifications and multiple recommendations from judges and other jurists that the certification requires. Some of the most experienced criminal lawyers in Fort Worth are here to fight for justice.
All this means that getting Cofer on your side when you are facing federal criminal charges is the best move you can make.
Federal criminal defense attorney in Fort Worth, Texas
James Luster’s extensive experience as both a criminal defense attorney and prosecutor at the state level complements Cody Cofer’s acumen as a federal criminal defense attorney in Fort Worth. Luster specializes in all of the most frequent crimes that Tarrant County residents face, including:
- Driving while impaired or under the influence.
- Drug charges, including possession of marijuana.
- Shoplifting, including charges ranging from misdemeanor to felony theft.
- Evidence tampering.
- Felony conviction appeals and expungements.
- Robbery.
- Burglary and many other less-common crimes.
Luster has been in private practice since 2014 and was a state prosecutor before that. He has helped thousands of clients to successfully resolve their cases and avoid jail and fines.
Free Consultations: How to Find the Best Criminal Defense Attorney
If you are reading this, then you are likely doing research to find an attorney near you that is right for your case. Most people start by simply Googling “best criminal defense attorney.” Online research about which attorney is the best for your particular case is a great place to start. But reviewing a law firm’s marketing material cannot be the end of your decision-making process. You need to make a short list of lawyers schedule phone or in-person consultations. Our law firm provides both free consultations.
When your life has been shaken by a criminal accusation or investigation, it is completely natural to frantically seek the comfort of getting a lawyer on your side. Your instincts are right. This decision needs to be approached with urgency but also great care. The Government has immense resources and a substantial head start. A great deal can be gained or lost in the first few days (sometimes hours) of a criminal case. We are not here to only protect our clients when the cameras are surrounding us at the courthouse steps. We are hear from the first moments to mitigate the damage criminal charges can do to your life.
We closely monitor our case load, and we evaluate whether potential clients are a good fit for our firm. To provide energetic and meticulous criminal defense, we cannot represent every person that reaches out to us. Take advantage of our free consultation. We are going to listen to you, work to understand you, and develop strategies and tactics to achieve your goals.
Dealing with federal criminal charges
The U.S. Constitution establishes the federal courts and defines their jurisdiction. Federal courts hear a wide range of cases involving the constitutionality of laws, commerce between the states and other matters of exclusive federal jurisdiction. The federal courts also handle some very specific areas of criminal law. These include many drug cases, cases involving counterfeiting, bank robberies and crimes committed on the grounds of some federal institutions and, of particular note, most cases of white-collar crime.
If you have become the target of a federal investigation or have been charged with a crime at the federal level, it is imperative that you retain competent legal counsel. Cody Cofer ranks among the most experienced and skilled federal criminal defense attorneys in the Lone Star State. He understands the complexities and unique challenges that confront those who are facing charges at the federal level. If you have been charged or may be charged with a federal crime, your best move is to contact us and ensure that you have skilled legal counsel on your side.
Federal versus state criminal defense
The vast majority of criminal cases in the United States are handled at the state level. This is reflected in the more than 30 million cases that are filed each year at the state level versus only about 1 million at the federal level.
But even though any U.S. citizen is far less likely to be charged with a federal crime than a state crime, being charged at the federal level or even being under investigation by a federal agency is often an extremely serious matter. The biggest mistake that we see among clients is the failure to recognize the seriousness of their situation until it is too late to mount an effective defense. Once a client has been convicted of a federal crime, the chance of a successful appeal is dramatically less than the chance that they could have had their charges reduced, sentence sharply cut or their case dropped altogether by having contacted us the second they suspected that they may be under the eye of a federal agency.
While federal crimes tend to involve physical violence much less frequently than state crimes, the sentences that are handed down can be more severe than those received by violent felons at the state level. Additionally, federal sentences are subject to strict completion mandates. Federal inmates are eligible for a 15 percent good-time reduction. But this only means that someone who receives a 10-year federal prison sentence might be released after eight and a half years. All of this means that avoiding a federal felony conviction should always be the priority.
Those charged in federal court also form a considerably different profile from those at the state level. People who are charged in federal court tend to be far better educated as well as occupying higher social strata. They are frequently respected members of their communities and often have no prior criminal convictions. These factors can also lead those who are targeted by federal investigations to underestimate the potential severity of the situations they face. But the frequently non-violent nature and respectable qualities of the targets of white-collar and other federal criminal investigations belies the potentially life-destroying consequences that not fighting these charges with every available legal weapon can easily bring.
If you’re even possibly being targeted by federal investigators, call us now
Federal investigations tend to be slower but also far more thorough than investigations by city or county police departments. And because federal cases require evidence sufficiently strong to secure a grand-jury indictment, federal agencies tend not to pursue investigations unless they know that they can build a case that is strong enough to both get an indictment and win a conviction.
While not all federal cases that are lost at trial result in draconian sentencing, the types of crimes that are prosecuted in federal court are usually those that have serious social ramifications, such as undermining the public trust in financial institutions or publicly traded companies as well as crimes involving the distribution of dangerous drugs or those that threaten the foundations of the U.S. banking or monetary system. These crimes are viewed as serious threats to the broad public order. And those who are found guilty of committing these crimes are often handed decades-long sentencing as a conspicuous deterrent. Federal court is also the only jurisdiction that routinely hands out determinate life sentences for non-violent crimes, particularly those involving the habitual engagement in illegal drug trafficking or severe breach of the public trust.
The good news is that a criminal defense attorney like Cody Cofer has the experience and skill to manage the byzantine federal court processes, including meeting the strict deadlines, onerous written pleading requirements and other labor- and knowledge-intensive idiosyncrasies of the federal courts. Additionally, Cofer as an experienced criminal defense attorney is always willing to take his clients’ cases to trial, no matter how great the risk or long the time commitment. Right off the bat, this means that federal prosecutors know that they will have a more difficult job cut out for them. And this can make them more amenable to a favorable plea agreement or an outright dismissal of charges.
The hundreds of federal cases in which Cofer has successfully advocated on behalf of his clients include common areas of federal criminal law, such as:
- Oil- and gas-related crimes.
- White collar crimes, including accounting fraud.
- Securities fraud
- Government benefits fraud.
- Drug conspiracy and drug distribution.
- Child pornography.
- Enticement cases, particularly those involving entrapment.
- Tax evasion and tax fraud.
- And general fraud.
Proven track record defending clients from the most serious charges
Cofer has helped dozens of clients defend themselves against so-called drug conspiracy charges. In many cases on which he has worked, his clients did not fully understand the seriousness of the charges against them. Indeed, in many drug-related cases, the clients truly believed that they hadn’t done anything wrong.
But due to expansive federal drug laws, any person who is involved in any capacity with drug trafficking or those who are engaging in drug trafficking may be charged as if they themselves had committed the most serious crimes of their associates or organization. In the Lone Star State, this doctrine is known as the law of parties. While the law of parties or its equivalents do not exist in every state, for residents of Tarrant County, the risk of being charged as an accomplice with the same crime with which the main suspect in the case has been charged is high, at both the state and federal level.
Particularly in drug cases, this is an area where having a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney can immensely improve one’s chances of having charges reduced or dismissed. And in cases where that is not possible, juries will often hesitate to apply the law of parties at trial, provided that the attorney has illustrated throughout the proceedings that their client is not a hardened career criminal or that they had no real criminal intent.
James Luster has successfully defended hundreds of clients against shoplifting and DWI charges
Over the last decade, many jurisdictions have pushed to have shoplifting treated as a civil infraction rather than a serious crime. However, in Tarrant County, shoplifting items valued at over $100 is a jailable offense, and stealing items valued at more than $2,500 is considered a felony. Shoplifting merchandise that is valued at greater than $30,000, which may be treated cumulatively, is a first-degree felony that is punishable by up to life in prison.
Making these extremely harsh potential sentences even worse, shoplifters with prior convictions may receive sentence enhancements that effectively lower the dollar threshold for any length of imprisonment. This means that the optimal defense of someone who is charged with a $500 theft as a first-time offender will often be very different from that of someone charged for the same theft who is a habitual shoplifter.
James Luster has gotten hundreds of clients’ shoplifting charges reduced or dismissed through meticulous legal research and using sound courtroom strategies. He understands the holes that often arise in a prosecution’s case and how to best exploit them, particularly where there are opportunities to have faultily collected evidence suppressed.
We are here to serve you
At Cofer Luster Law Firm, we are here to ensure that you get the best possible defense available. We are a winning team of Fort Worth criminal defense attorneys, having helped thousands of clients to successfully navigate the peril of the criminal justice system. And we have the track record to prove it.
Let us help you resolve your legal troubles as quickly, inexpensively and painlessly as possible. For a free initial consultation, please contact us today.
