Felony Attorney in Hinesville

Serious Charges, Real Stakes, Focused Defense

A felony charge in Hinesville can affect your freedom, your family, your job, and your future. You might be trying to make sense of an arrest, a serious accusation, or paperwork from Liberty County Superior Court, and wondering what happens next. In this moment, having a calm and experienced felony attorney on your side matters.

At Balbo & Gregg, Attorneys at Law, PC, we represent people facing serious criminal charges across Coastal Georgia. Our our attorneys have more than 60 years of combined legal experience, and we have resolved thousands of cases in state, federal, and military courts. We work with civilians and military members, and we understand how high the stakes can be when a felony case puts your record, your rights, and your career on the line.

If you are facing felony charges, the time to act is now. Our Hinesville felony lawyer provides aggressive, local representation designed to protect your freedom. We offer a free consultation—Call (866) 580-3089 or contact us through our online form to begin building your defense.

Felony Charges We Commonly Defend

In Georgia, a felony is defined under the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) as any crime punishable by death, imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for more than 12 months. This stands in stark contrast to misdemeanors, which carry a maximum of one year in a local jail. Georgia does not utilize a lettered classification system (like Class A or Class B) for most adult crimes; instead, the law categorizes offenses by their specific statutory degrees and the severity of the act.

Examples of felony cases we handle include:

• Drug possession with intent to distribute
• Drug trafficking
• Drug manufacturing
• Serious traffic and vehicular cases such as vehicular homicide or felony-level hit and run

In Georgia, the potential sentence for a felony depends on the specific offense, any mandatory minimum terms, and whether the person has prior convictions. For service members and veterans in this region, the impact on military status and benefits can add another layer of concern. We review these factors with you so you have a clearer picture of the possible outcomes and the decisions that may lie ahead.

Penalties and Collateral Consequences of Felony Convictions in Georgia

The consequences of a felony conviction in Georgia are divided into the sentence handed down by the judge and the "collateral" damage that occurs automatically under state and federal law.

• Direct Penalties: Beyond the mandatory minimums of 1 to 25 years, you face substantial fines, a minimum of one year in a state prison (not a local jail), and years of intensive supervised probation.
• Loss of Firearms Rights: Under both Georgia and Federal law, a felony conviction results in a lifetime ban on possessing or even being in a household with a firearm.
• Voting and Civil Rights: You lose the right to vote, serve on a jury, or hold public office. In Georgia, your voting rights are only restored after the full completion of your sentence, including all probation and the payment of all fines.
• Employment and Housing: Many employers in Georgia are legally barred from hiring felons for positions involving children, healthcare, or financial trust. Landlords frequently use felony records as a basis for automatic denial of a lease.
• Professional Revocation: Licenses for nurses, teachers, contractors, and commercial drivers are almost always suspended or revoked upon a felony entry of judgment.

Why Our Felony Defense Team Is Different

When you are choosing a lawyer to handle a felony case, experience in serious criminal litigation is essential. At Balbo & Gregg, Attorneys at Law, PC, our attorneys bring more than six decades of combined legal experience to each case. We have handled thousands of matters in criminal, military courts, and civil courts, and that history gives us perspective on how felony cases actually move through the system.

Our firm was founded by attorneys A.J. Balbo and Chester J. Gregg, both of whom previously served as prosecutors in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Their work as JAG prosecutors gave them direct insight into how the government investigates and builds cases. Today, we apply that understanding when we defend people accused of serious crimes, including evaluating evidence, anticipating the state’s arguments, and identifying weaknesses in the prosecution’s theory.

Attorney Chester J. Gregg has conducted more than 1,000 bench trials in state courts and has extensive jury trial experience in military, federal, and state forums. Attorney A.J. Balbo has represented clients in high-profile matters, including the federal trial related to the Ahmaud Arbery shooting and a case connected to the events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol. These experiences reflect our comfort in high-stakes, high-pressure situations.

We have been serving clients from our offices in Hinesville and Richmond Hill since 2006. Our connection to this community and to the many military families who live and work here informs how we approach each case. We know that behind every file is a person, a family, and a future that deserves careful attention.