Stephen L. Richards

I hired Mr. Richards to represent my husband on an appeal from a Post Conviction. During oral argument, he was well prepared, knowledgeable, and effectively argued the crux of our case. He thoroughly dissected the constitutional claims before the Court and was swift in response to questions that were... raised. It is clear from his performance, that he is well accustomed to arguing in the Appellate Court. I highly recommend him.

Mr. Richards was our second lawyer. Our family was grasping to find a good lawyer. We found such a person. After reviewing our case, he decided to take it on. My brother was looking at 31 years in jail. He took the case and as of today my brother is out of jail. Mr. Richard knows the law, and... he fought hard for his release. He believed in him.

We hired Mr. Richards based on a referral, and throughout our interactions with him we trusted his advice, integrity, high standards, interactions with court personnel, legal advice and knowledge, and advocacy. He is firm, direct, thorough, and available for answering our questions about the court an...d legal process.

Mr. Richards definitely knows all there is to know about Criminal Law. Prior to hiring Mr. Richards, we had hired two other attorney's that failed miserably at getting justice for my son (a first time offender) who had gotten arrested for tying to be a drug dealer in Southern Illinois. With only one... Appeal left, I located Mr. Richards on the AVVO website and simply knew by the reviews written about him and his photo that he was our one last shot at justice for our son. We are so happy that we hired him. Overall, Mr. Richards was able to convince the court to reduce my son's sentence which will allow him to return to freedom in 2016. Mr. Richards was attentive, responsive to our questions & concerns and very knowledgeable about the justice system as a whole. We are so happy that we hired him. If you are considering hiring Stephen L. Richards - you're on the right path.

I was arrested and accused of burglary / theft felony. I was facing 15 years of prison and had to switch lawyers as my previous one said the case could not be won. Atty Richards was very pleasant, did not make any promises but seemed certain that a better deal may be reached. He was very well known t...o the entire court house (judges, attorneys and staff) which always helped with getting our preferred schedules. He also knew which judge would be likely to issue a more favorable verdict or which prosecutor will be more likely to settle the case without trial. In the end he navigated these details so perfectly that we were offered only 2 years of second chance probation and 30 hours of community service. DOWN FROM 15 YEARS!!! I am very grateful. He also offers flexible payment plans which is important for those who due to arrest history are not employed on regular basis. His charges are comparable with industry standards although his service is definitely above that. Do not let his appearance fool you... Atty Richards looks like a good, old fashioned, absent-minded college professor but is knowledgeable and fierce during his arguments. Well worth the money.