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Las Vegas Criminal Defense Lawyer for Out of State Visitors

The Tourist Trap: Out of State Visitors Arrested or Cited While on Vacation

Las Vegas is a very popular tourist destination that sees over 42 million tourists per year on average. With recent professional sports team additions such as the Las Vegas Knights and The Raiders, it is altogether likely that there will be even more tourists visiting Las Vegas in the future.

Las Vegas is also a place that promotes excess and indulgence. The advertising slogan of “What Happens Here, Stays Here” long ago become a household phrase. That marketing campaign ran strong for nearly 14 years and was only finally retired after the October 2017 shooting at the Mandalay Bay. Journalist Wil Fulton wrote a great article detailing the success of the advertising campaign and its impact on society titled “How ‘What Happens in Vegas…’ Changed the Way an Entire Generation Goes on Vacation."

So it seems unfair at the very least for a city that promotes illegal activities such as drug use or prostitution through their advertising campaign to then arrest people when they do exactly what the advertisements promised them Las Vegas had to offer. Many of these people really are not aware that what they are doing is illegal, or at the very least not aware that what they are doing would be as serious as it is.

If you have been arrested as a tourist, contact Ferris Law now for the help you need.

Cases We Handle

We have had many clients who are charged with the felony offense of possession of a controlled substance who thought that at worst they would be guilty of a misdemeanor and issued a citation. Similarly, we have had clients who genuinely believed that prostitution was legal in Las Vegas, which is a reasonable mistake when you consider the fact that it is legal in all but two of the counties of Nevada.

Whatever the charge, being cited or arrested for a crime while on vacation is a horrible experience, and the stress and embarrassment is only further compounded by the added concerns about having to take time off of work and paying for travel just to come back for a future court date.

Needless to say, a person who is cited or arrested while on vacation has a unique set of issues to deal with above and beyond all of the standard issues that are associated with being accused of a crime.

Common concerns include:

  • How can I take more time off of work?
  • I just used all of my vacation time to go to Las Vegas. What will I tell my employer?
  • Will I need to come to Las Vegas multiple times for my case? I can’t afford to travel back and forth to Las Vegas for multiple court dates.

The good news is that in most instances, we are able to waive a person’s appearance and stand in on their behalf. In the majority of cases that we handle for out of state clients, we never need them to be physically present in the courtroom. This saves the client lots of time and money both in having to pay for travel as well as lost wages for the time that has to be taken off from work.

In the rare instance where a client’s appearance would be required, Ferris Law is able to schedule a date that is convenient for the client and do it with enough advance notice so that the client is easily able to arrange for time off from work and then also get the cheapest travel accommodations possible.

We have handled a multitude of cases for people who reside out of state and we are well-versed in their specific needs and concerns. We have also handled many cases for international clients and are very familiar with the added concerns that a potential conviction would carry in regards to travel visas, work permits and a person’s ability to enter into other countries with stricter entrance requirements such as Canada.

Call (702) 710-8882 today to schedule your case consultation with Jennifer Ferris, our Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer.

Our Recent Victories

Our attorney uses the experience she has with particular crimes, judges, and prosecutors to properly advise clients on realistic outcomes and to best anticipate possible strengths or weaknesses in their case. Having this experience allows us to read through fact patterns and quickly pick out all viable defenses that are most favorable to the client. For these reasons and more, we have achieved many favorable results in a wide range of practice areas.

  • Case Dismissed Battery Domestic Violence
  • Case Dismissed Charged with Battery with Use of a Deadly Weapon Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm
  • Case dismissed Charged with Battery with Use of a Deadly Weapon Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm
  • Case Dismissed Charged with Malicious Destruction of Private Property
  • Case Dismissed Robbery with a Deadly Weapon
  • Reduced to Misdemeanor Charged with Home Invasion
  • Reduced to Battery Charged with Attempt Murder with a Deadly Weapon
  • Reduced to Misdemeanor Charged with Battery with Use of a Deadly Weapon