SEVERSON & SMEAD, LLP

January 22, 2020

Our client was facing multiple charges of felony sexual assault that he adamantly denied when he came to Severson and Smead for help. From the beginning it was clear with that there would be no compromises.  Attorney Preston Smead has a lot of trial experience.  He carefully and strategically prepared the defense. At trial he attacked the state's witnesses and evidence and presented his client's defense and after deliberations the jury returned it's verdicts:  NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS. 

May 30, 2019

What if you were arrested for 3rd offense drunk driving and you weren't driving?  And what if they didn't believe you and they wanted you to plead guilty and go sit in jail for months for something you didn't do?  That's the situation our client was in when she came to Severson & Smead for help.  In a case like this one, there is nothing do to but prepare to fight the case at trial.  Fortunately, Attorney Preston Smead has extensive trial experience and a winning record of success.  On the day of trial, Attorney Smead attacked every shred of evidence that the State presented to try to prove our client was driving that night.  After deliberations the jury returned its verdict:              NOT GUILTY.

April 25, 2019

Our client was accused of two serious criminal charges, including a felony charge for eluding a police officer in a vehicle, when he came to Severson & Smead for help. Our mission was simple: do everything possible to fight the case.  Because of careful preparation and planning, and extensive trial experience, Attorney Preston Smead was able attack the state's case on several fronts. He succeeded in persuading the Judge to throw out one of the charges without allowing the jury to even consider it.  For the remaining felony charge, after a short deliberation, the jury returned its verdict:  Not Guilty. 

February 11, 2019

When our client came to us he was facing serious felony drunk driving charges and was very concerned.  At Severson & Smead, we fight for our clients every step of the way.  At an early stage in the proceedings, Attorney Preston Smead discovered a flaw and argued to the Judge that the case had to be dismissed because the state could not produce the proper evidence.  The Judge agreed and the charges were thrown out.

August 07, 2018

Our client was shocked to be accused of committing serious felony offenses against his teenage son.  He knew he hadn't done anything wrong but he also knew he needed a good lawyer to make sure he wasn't convicted of crimes he did not commit.  Attorney Brian Severson fought the charges all the way to trial and at the end of the day the jury did the right thing and found our client not guilty of all felony counts. 

July 27, 2018

When our client came to us he was facing serious felony drunk driving charges and the possibility of being sent away to prison.  Attorney Brian Severson's mission was to do everything possible to fight the case.  After carefully examining all the evidence, he discovered a flaw in a warrant that the police used to obtain crucial evidence from our client.  Once Attorney Severson brought this to the attention of the prosecutor, they had no choice but to drop all criminal charges. 

May 01, 2018

Sometimes when you are accused of a crime you didn't commit, the only place to find justice is a jury trial.   Our client was charged with a violent felony offense and he had no intention of pleading guilty to something he didn't do. Attorney Preston Smead understood the mission: no felony conviction.  After careful preparation, Preston skillfully persuaded the jury deliver the verdict we were looking for:  Not Guilty. 

December 20, 2017

Our client was arrested for drunk driving even though she maintained that she wasn't driving.  She hired Severson & Smead to fight the charges and to make sure she wasn't convicted of something she did not do.  After the prosecutor refused to drop the charges, the case went to trial.  Attorney Brian Severson skillfully presented the defense and clearly demonstrated to the jury that, despite the arguments of the prosecutor, there was no real proof that our client was driving.  After a short deliberation, the jury agreed and returned a verdict of Not Guilty. 

October 06, 2017

Can you imagine being accused of a sexual assault that you did not commit?  Neither could our client until it happened to him.  Fearful for his reputation, his future, and his freedom, he came to our firm and hired the services of Attorney Preston Smead. After careful review of every aspect of the case, Attorney Smead developed a game plan to fight the charges and then executed the game plan at trial. The verdict? Not Guilty.  

August 01, 2017

Our client was accused of a sex offense and he was understandably extremely concerned. He reached out to our firm and retained the services of Attorney Brian Severson.  After examining the evidence and preparing the case, Attorney Severson determined that the state's case was flawed. The state refused to drop the charges, however, and the case went to trial.  Attorney Severson fought the charges at trial and was able to clearly present the flaws in the case to the jury.  The jury agreed and returned a verdict of "Not Guilty".   Our client was extremely relieved to be exonerated and to move on with his life free of the stigma of a conviction for a sex offense. 

June 01, 2017

Our client was involved in a car accident and open intoxicants were found in his car.  He was subsequently arrested for drunk driving and was very concerned about the consequences that a conviction would have on his record and his driving privilege.  He retained the services of Severson & Smead, LLP, and attorney Preston Smead went to work to fight the case.  After several months of court proceedings the prosecutor eventually conceded and agreed that there was insufficient evidence to support a conviction.  The drunk driving charges were dropped.  Our client was very satisfied and we were happy to help. 

April 20, 2017

Our client retained the services of Severson & Smead, LLP,  after he was shocked to discover that he had been charged with multiple felony financial crimes.  He was adamant that he had done absolutely nothing wrong and was, in fact, the victim of the same crimes he was being accused of. Despite the state's accusations, we conducted our own investigation and preparation of the case for trial.  Our firm was ultimately able to show the prosecutor that the charges were unsustainable and all charges were dropped.  Our client was extremely pleased and relieved by the outcome.  

November 30, 2016

Our client was charged with an OWI first offense and from the beginning she was very concerned about her case and felt she had been treated unfairly by law enforcement. She came to Severson & Smead looking for help. After evaluating the case, Attorney Preston Smead was convinced that the prosecution was in trouble. Law enforcement had no apparent justification for stopping our client’s vehicle and the evidence did not appear to support a conviction for drunk driving. Attorney Smead litigated the matter aggressively and was prepared to fight the case at jury trial. Trial didn’t turn out to be necessary because the day before the trial the prosecutor called and conceded to drop the OWI for an inattentive driving ticket. Our client was very pleased!

September 21, 2016

When our client came to us he was charged with causing a criminal disturbance on the streets of his town.  Despite the fact his behavior was likely the result of an adverse reaction to new medication, the state initially wanted a criminal conviction.  Our client was understandably very concerned about facing possible jail time, fines and probation.  Attorney Preston Smead prepared to fight the case at trial and persuaded the court to allow us to present evidence showing that our client’s behavior was involuntary and unintended. On the eve of trial, the prosecutor conceded that a criminal conviction was not appropriate.  Our client paid a small forfeiture and was able to move on without any adverse consequences of a criminal conviction.

May 20, 2016

​Our client came to us after he was pulled over in Sauk County, Wisconsin, and a search of his vehicle turned up illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded firearm. He was charged with three crimes and faced up to 16 months in jail. Attorney Brian Severson was able to negotiate a settlement with the prosecutor in which the gun charge and the drug paraphernalia charge was completely dismissed, and that upon successful completion of counseling the drug charge will also be dismissed. The end result is no drug or firearm charge on our client's record, no jail time, and no probation.

April 25, 2016

Our client was charged with multiple offenses for possession of controlled substances and faced the threat of additional felony level drug charges.  Attorney Preston Smead was able to persuade the Judge to allow our client to have those offenses erased from the record upon payment of a modest fine.  Our client paid the fine and was able to maintain a clean record.

March 01, 2016

Our client was arrested and cited for Drugged Driving, technically referred to as Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Detectable Amount of a Restricted Controlled Substance, in Rock County, Wisconsin. Potentially facing up to 1 year in jail due to earlier OWI convictions, he came to us because we helped him through a prior case and he was very happy with the results. Before a case was formally charged in court, Attorney Brian Severson obtained and evaluated his blood test results, met with the prosecutor, and convinced him not to even file the charge against him.

February 25, 2016

Our client was a 19 year old with a bright future ahead of her until she was charged with a Felony Theft charge. When she came to us she was extremely concerned about the potential for jail or prison and the long term effects of a Felony conviction.  The state initially wanted her to plead guilty to the Felony charge but Attorney Preston Smead was able to persuade the prosecutor to a plea to a lesser misdemeanor charge for no jail, probation or fines.  After the anticipated completion of a diversion program, our client can expect to have the charge completely dismissed and she can look forward to a bright future with a clean record. 

February 01, 2016

Our client came to us after he was pulled over in Sauk County, Wisconsin, and a search of his vehicle turned up illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded firearm. He was charged with three crimes and faced up to 16 months in jail. Attorney Brian Severson was able to negotiate a settlement with the prosecutor in which the gun charge and the drug paraphernalia charge was completely dismissed, and that upon successful completion of counseling the drug charge will also be dismissed. The end result is no drug or firearm charge on our client's record, no jail time, and no probation.