H. Michael Steinberg has 42+ years of experience practicing Colorado criminal law. Mr. Steinberg strives to stay current with the ever changing aspects of criminal law issues and updates resulting in his extensive knowledge of successful criminal defense as well as appellate work. He is also an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyer's Association, and the Colorado and Arapahoe Bar Associations.

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By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Drug Crimes Criminal Defense Lawyer – Attorney

Helping Colorado Judges Understand The Opioid Crisis - How Defendants Get HookedThere are many reasons why people are charged with drug crimes in Colorado. The most recent epidemic of heroin possession cases can, in large part, be tied to the opioid crisis. Understanding how many those accused of the illegal possession of serious controlled substances such as heroin come to use and possess this drug is critical to defending these cases in Colorado criminal courts.

First – How Opioids Affect The Body

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By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer – Attorney

Why Isn’t My Lawyer More Aggressive With The JudgeWhy Isn’t My Lawyer Getting More Aggressive With The Judge? The perception that a criminal defense lawyer is not “fighting for you” in court because the lawyer is well known and well received by the District Attorney/Prosecutor is a common flaw in the thinking of persons uninitiated to the criminal justice system.

The advertisements that flood the internet and our television screens of flamboyant “pit bull” trial lawyers prey on those who believe the more aggressive you appear with a Judge for example – the better the result.

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Impersonating a Peace p Police Officer In Colorado -18-8-112.jpg
By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer – Attorney

Michael Maher was a trained firefighter with an associates degree in the sane field. He had a degree from a fire academy and was certified in wild land fire fighting. What he didn’t have was permission to fight the two fires he has now been prosecuted for in Colorado.

Impersonation of a firefighter or police officer is a crime in Colorado. The law is found Impersonating a Peace Officer under C.R.S. 18-8-112:

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A study published serveral years ago revealed something new – women – not men – are more likely to find themselves in an incident of road rage.

A company that goes by the name of the Harris Interactive – found that – women – not men – were far more likely to fly off the handle on the morning commute.

More than 3,800 commuters were surveyed – all were full-time workers and of these 83% drove to their workplaces. The study intentionally ignored self-employed and “government job” workers.

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Quietly – in the night – the Colorado State Legislature “ended” a crime that – as a prosecutor – I only prosecuted one time in 13 years. Criminal Libel.

Colorado Repeal of Criminal Libel .

Senate Bill 12-102, repeals the crime of criminal libel.

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By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer

To understand the Colorado “retreat to the wall”  rule – you have to examine the case of  Idrogo v. People decided by the Colorado Supreme Court in 1991:

Here is the rule:

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By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer

The Colorado Deferred Judgement and Sentence

A deferred judgment and sentence is almost always offered to a first offender – a person who has no criminal history.  It provides for that person, after a period of probation, to withdraw his or her plea of guilty and to seal – (clear) their criminal history after the successful completion of the deferred.

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By H. Michael Steinberg Colorado Criminal Defense Lawyer

In the United States Supreme Court, Berghuis v. Thompkins,  a majority of the Court further curtailed an individual’s right to silence under the 5th amendment by requiring the suspect to fully and articulately state the exercise of his/her right to remain silent.

The Defendant, Thompkins argued in his appeal, that his confession was obtained in violation of the Fifth Amendment and that he was denied effective counsel at trial.

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After 42+ years of practicing Criminal Law In Colorado it is time to intelligently address the issue of the mentally ill and their treatment in the Colorado Criminal Courts.

The costs of continually ignoring this problem are staggering.

The Denver Daily News wrote recently (March 3, 2009) that Colorado could ultimately save millions of dollars by improving mental health services for mentally ill people involved in the criminal justice system, says the group that represents Colorado’s 17 community health centers.

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