Susan Christie Ciaravella

I began litigating criminal cases in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court during my second year of law school. My career has spanned over two decades and includes extensive trial experience as a criminal defense attorney (both private practice and public defense) in the District Courts of Orleans and Jefferson Parishes as well as Federal practice in the Eastern District of Louisiana and as a prosecutor in Orleans Parish. My vast experience as a criminal defense attorney ranges from representing individuals facing the death penalty to charges of simple possession and everything in between.

I spent eleven years of my legal practice in North Carolina practicing both family and criminal law. My practice in North Carolina focused on family law with a primary focus on complex child custody cases, separation and divorce, domestic violence, child support, and property division. My criminal practice included private and public defense in both State and Federal courts as well as criminal appellate defense. 

Every case is unique. As such, the attorney and client should prepare a legal strategy to account for the unique facts and circumstances of each particular case.

In criminal cases, the State bears the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. An effective criminal defense attorney seeks to build a strong attorney-client relationship and to determine if investigative action should be taken shortly after arrest. Once/if formal charges are filed, an extensive case review and legal analysis should be conducted to determine what strategy is best given the client's criminal history (from a risk assessment perspective), the strength of law enforcement's investigation, and other necessary factors. Together the attorney and client determine which strategy is best to provide the possible defense and mitigate risks.

In family law matters, my experience has taught me that in most instances, the optimal goal in family law litigation is amicable settlement. No one wins in the division of assets and family. Negotiated settlement promotes accountability and allows parties to conserve valuable time, energy, and financial resources, bringing the closure necessary for parties to move forward with their lives in a new positive direction.  There are, however, situations where this is not possible and litigation is required to enforce valuable rights.  In those cases, I always present as a strong, unwavering, knowledgeable, strategic advocate seeking the best possible outcome based on the facts and the law.