A PCRA petition is only as strong as the evidence behind it. Courts do not grant relief based on allegations — they grant it based on facts. And in post-conviction practice, the facts that matter most are often the ones…
Two of the most-searched post-conviction topics in Utah are expungement and post-conviction relief — and they are frequently confused. This confusion is understandable: both address the aftermath of a criminal conviction, and both involve court proceedings that can change the…
Not all guilty pleas are the same. Utah’s criminal procedure recognizes several distinct plea types — including the standard guilty plea, the Alford plea, and the no contest (nolo contendere) plea — and each creates a different relationship between the…
A witness who testified against the defendant at trial has come forward and said they lied. Their testimony — which may have been the prosecution’s central evidence — was false, and they are now willing to say so under oath….
One of the most significant practical limitations of Utah post-conviction relief is that there is no general right to appointed counsel in PCRA proceedings. Unlike the Sixth Amendment right to counsel that applies at trial and on the first direct…
A criminal conviction does not affect every defendant equally. For non-citizens — lawful permanent residents, visa holders, DACA recipients, and undocumented individuals — a Utah conviction can trigger consequences that far exceed the criminal sentence itself: deportation, permanent bars to…
Lotus Appellate Law handles appeals throughout Utah, serving clients in all counties and courts across the state including:
