Top best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Louisville | 46 available

Scott C. Cox and Michael Mazzoli are among Kentucky’s top criminal defense attorneys. Since the formation of the law firm of Cox & Mazzoli, PLLC in 2001, they have become one of the premier legal practices in the state of Kentucky focusing on criminal defense. They’ve both been recognized as standing in the top rank of their profession by such authoritative sources as Best Lawyers in America, Kentucky Super Lawyers, and Louisville Magazine.. Scott Cox was named in Best Lawyers as a pre-eminent criminal lawyer in 2008-2014.  Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected criminal attorney peer review publication in the legal profession. A listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers.. Scott Cox has also been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell as one of the best criminal attorneys in the United States. Mr. Cox has been rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell every year since 1996. This indicates that his peers consider him to be one of the best criminal lawyers in Kentucky and that he has the highest ethics. Mr. Cox was further recognized as one of the best criminal lawyers in America with his. induction in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2011.. Cox & Mazzoli have secured extraordinary results in some of the Kentucky’s highest profile criminal cases. They emphasize legal services designed to prevent criminal charges from being filed. They have been successful in persuading investigators to drop charges against their clients, or to grant immunity to their clients. They frequently gain dismissal of formal charges before trial as well. And, if litigation is unavoidable, they excel as trial lawyers and appellate practitioners. They have won notice as being attorneys who are talented in front of a jury, as trial lawyers, and in front of a computer, as writers and researchers.. Scott and Mike handle cases in all federal jurisdictions nationwide, and all counties in Kentucky. They handle criminal cases arising under both state and federal law, and practice in both trial and appellate courts. They handle complex prosecutions and white collar crimes; mail and wire fraud; money laundering; major narcotics offenses; securities fraud; insider trading; tax evasion; health insurance fraud; bank fraud; mortgage and loan-related fraud; environmental crimes; maritime offenses; computer and internet crimes; and property forfeiture matters. Their skills have made them the attorneys for many Fortune 500 companies, including the world’s largest corporation; they have represented physicians, attorneys, law professors, and accountants; their clients have included judges, law enforcement officers, and elected officials.. Scott has been listed in the top fifty attorneys in Kentucky by Kentucky Super Lawyers, and was described as one of city’s top two criminal defense attorneys by Louisville's Courier-Journal. In United States v. Heath, Scott won reversal of a conviction on Fourth Amendment grounds; in United States v. Sadolsky, he set national precedent for treating gambling addiction as a ground for reducing a federal defendant’s sentence; in United States v. Payne, he secured the reversal of a conviction on the grounds that parole officers illegally searched the client’s property. In one case, Scott won a judgment acquitting his client, and then successfully forced the United States government to pay the client’s attorney fees. As Assistant United States Attorney, Scott led the investigation and prosecution of several national-profile kidnapping cases, and came to national attention for bringing murderer Mel Ignatow to justice. Mike was named one of the top five criminal defense attorneys in Louisville in 2007 (Louisville Magazine), has been listed in Kentucky Super Lawyers  two years in a row, and is named in Best Lawyers in America. He was the lead attorney for oral argument, and the author of one of the principal briefs, in United States v. Rice, a leading wiretap case in the Sixth United States Circuit Court of Appeals. He won the appeal in United States v. Cherry, in which Sixth Circuit upheld one of the largest reductions of a prison sentence ever awarded in the circuit. He won before the state Supreme Court in Reyes v. Hardin County, a case involving the limits of sovereign immunity. As Assistant United States Attorney between 1994 and 1999, Mike was trial attorney in successful prosecution of Belle of Louisville sinking; was chief of forfeiture division; and worked in all of the sections of office’s criminal division (fraud, drugs, and general crimes).. Mr. Cox is a graduate of the Department of Justice's Trial Advocacy Course and the Department's course on Federal Grand Jury Practice.  He has attended seminars on money laundering in Los Angeles and Federal Evidence in St. Petersburg, Florida.

I have over 25 years of experience in criminal law.  I began my career in 1986 as Chief Narcotics Prosecutor in the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office (Louisville's first "Drug Czar").  I have developed an intimate knowledge of how prosecution works, and I use this knowledge to aggressively manage a client's defense.. Criminal investigations can devastate people's lives.  Overzealous prosecutors can make good people feel bad, and questions raised during investigations can color the opinions of colleagues, friends and relatives.  I believe defending a client is not just about the legal issues - it's personal and emotional.  In order to provide the best defense, it is important to really care about the client - to walk a mile in their shoes.

I first became interested in becoming a lawyer after reading books about noted trial lawyers such as Gerry Spence, Race Horse Haynes and Melvin Belli.  I was inspired by their stories to go to law school even though I had already graduated from college and owned a successful business.  I sold my business, was admitted to law school and dedicated myself to learning everything I could about being a courtroom lawyer.. I learned that trying a case well is a skill that can’t be learned just from books.  It takes a  lot of experience in a courtroom to really develop the ability.. I have now been a trial lawyer for over 27 years.  My first jury trial took place in 1987-an acquittal on a DUI case.  Since that time, I have tried many cases in both State and Federal Courts ranging from murder and drug trafficking down to accusations of stealing a pack of gum from Krogers.  Most cases settle without the need for a trial but I believe my clients receive more favorable offers of settlement because Prosecutors know that if an offer is not fair, I will not hesitate to go to trial and that I have the skills and experience to obtain a favorable outcome.

I am a trial lawyer in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, and have been practicing law for over 32 years.  I practice in a wide variety of fields, including criminal defense, attorney and judicial misconduct defense, DUI law, traffic tickets and citations, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and prescription pill defense, personal injury, bankruptcy, wills trusts and probate, administrative law, divorce, child custody, supprt and visitation (including pet litigation), and  the general practice of civil and criminal law. I have been lecturing both live and virtually on legal issues regularly for the past 23 years.

Admitted to practice in Kentucky since October 2002. Admitted to practice before the United States Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky. Admitted to practice before the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Admitted to practice before the the United States Supreme Court. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Brandeis School of Law. Former President of the Brandeis Moot Board. Former Notes Editor of the Brandeis Law Journal

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Criminal Defense attorney serving clients in Louisville and surrounding areas.