The Eichelberger Law Firm, PLLC

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The Eichelberger Law Firm, PLLC MISSISSIPPI CRIMINAL DEFENSE AND WORKERS' COMPENSATION ATTORNEYS We are motivated to succeed because of the impact that our work has on our clients’ lives.

When you feel as though the world has turned on you, it’s important to turn to someone you can trust. At Eichelberger Law Firm, PLLC, our Jackson attorney team is passionate about fighting for the best possible results on your behalf, whether your case involves workers’ compensation or criminal charges. With more than two decades of collective experience and thousands of cases handled, our criminal defense lawyers in Jackson, MS have established a record of excellence and success. Approaching each set of circumstances with sensitivity and determination, we build a case that is tailored to meet our clients’ needs.

10/12/2026

Once your case is in circuit court after an indictment, special rules apply, and they open up some powerful tools. Your lawyer can file motions for discovery and compel the State of Mississippi to hand over evidence to help build your defense. A subpoena duces tecum is a command from the court requiring a third party to give you something, either physical or digital. Phone records are a great example, and they come up often in felony cases. Your lawyer can also issue regular subpoenas, called subpoenas ad testificandum, which require witnesses to show up and testify. And after an indictment, motions to suppress evidence, motions to quash certain parts of the indictment, and motions to dismiss the indictment are all available too.

10/11/2026

After the judge reads the jury instructions to the jury, it's time for closing arguments. Just like throughout the trial, the state goes first and the defense goes next, and then the state gets a rebuttal opportunity. Closing arguments can be as short as 10 to 15 minutes, or they can run an hour or more per side.

10/10/2026

During jury selection, each side gets a set number of peremptory strikes to remove potential jurors. In a capital case, meaning there's a possibility of life imprisonment, each side gets 12 strikes. If the maximum punishment is less than life, each side gets 6. Those strikes can be used for nearly any reason, as long as it's not based on race or gender. You can't strike all of one race or all of one gender. A race-neutral reason might be striking a non-gun owner in a gun case, out of concern they'd hold the defendant's gun ownership against them. Here's how it works in practice: the first available 12 jurors are tendered to the state, which uses its strikes first. Replacements are added to the end, and then the 12 are tendered to the defense, which uses its strikes the same way. It goes back and forth until 12 people are accepted. After that, the court moves to alternates. The number is up to the judge, but 2 alternates with 2 strikes per side is typical. Once the jury is selected, they're seated and sworn, and opening statements begin.

10/09/2026

Once a jury is selected, they're seated and sworn by the judge, and then come opening statements. These aren't opening arguments. Each side tells the jury what they expect the evidence to show. The state goes first, and the defense can either go next or wait until the start of its case in chief. About 99% of the time, the defense goes right after the state, because we want the jury to hear our side before the state starts calling witnesses.

10/08/2026

After the state's rebuttal or the defense's case in chief, the jury is given instructions. Before that, the parties get together with the judge and say what they think the jury should be told about the law. Each side may agree or disagree, and so may the court, but ultimately it's up to the judge which instructions go to the jury. The instructions are statements of law: this is how you are to decide the case, and this is what matters in this one.

10/07/2026

After an indictment in Mississippi, a felony case can end in three ways: the state dismisses the charges, there's a plea (either agreed upon or an open plea), or the case goes to trial. Dismissal by the state is the rare one. Sometimes a judge orders it after granting a motion to dismiss. Sometimes the state dismisses after a motion to suppress is granted and they lose the evidence they need. And occasionally, the state can be convinced there isn't reason to believe a person committed a crime, and they change their mind even after the indictment.

10/06/2026

In circuit court, the first thing that happens after an indictment is the arraignment, and in some courtrooms it can be waived, meaning you don't necessarily have to be there. But that's up to the individual judge. Mississippi has 82 counties and currently 22 circuit court districts, and each district, and sometimes each judge, has different procedures. Even here in Hinds County, some judges allow you to waive your arraignment and some won't. That's why it's so important to speak with someone who practices felony criminal defense in Mississippi and knows your particular courtroom. At the arraignment itself, your lawyer will tell the judge you've been served with a copy of your indictment, you've read it and understand it, and you wish to waive a formal reading, enter a plea of not guilty, and ask for a trial date. If you're out on bond, your lawyer will ask that you remain free on the same bond. If you're in custody, your lawyer may ask for a bond to be set or reduced, depending on your circumstances.

10/05/2026

A lot of people believe that getting charged with DUI in Mississippi automatically suspends your license. It doesn't, in just about every instance, that's simply not true. Doesn't matter if you refused the breath test or submitted and blew way over the limit. Your license isn't automatically suspended at that moment. There are other steps that have to happen first.

10/04/2026

There's a big misconception out there that getting charged with DUI in Mississippi automatically suspends your license. It doesn't, whether you refused the test or blew way over the limit. If you refused, you're looking at a possible administrative license suspension, but that's not automatic either. The Department of Public Safety has to review your file first to decide whether there was probable cause to ask you to submit a breath sample in the first place. If they believe there was, they send a 10 day letter stating that, with your suspension length depending on your prior DUI history, and a future date when the suspension will begin. There's a way to potentially avoid it: file a petition within 10 days of the date of that letter challenging their probable cause finding. Win that challenge, and the suspension doesn't happen at all.

10/03/2026

Your license is not automatically suspended just because you're arrested and charged with DUI in Mississippi. If you blow over the legal limit, your physical license gets taken, but you'll receive a receipt that serves as a valid license for 30 days. Within that window, one of two things has to happen: either you go to trial (which almost never happens that fast), or you request an extension of your driving privileges from the judge. Request it, and the judge will almost certainly extend those privileges until trial. If you're found not guilty, the suspension goes away entirely. If you're found guilty or you non-adjudicate, the suspension tied to that outcome absorbs the original one. Bottom line: an arrest alone doesn't suspend your license, there's a real process, and real steps you can take, before that happens.

Address

1640 Lelia Drive Suite 120
Jackson, MS
39216

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+16012927940

Website

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