Defense and Representation Services
The engagement is adapted to the nature of the matter and its procedural stage. The services described correspond to specific actions within the practice areas, are illustrative and do not limit the general scope of professional representation.
Criminal defense must respond to the condition of the person involved, the context in which the events occurred, and the legal, personal, asset-related and institutional risks arising from the proceeding.
Defense of individuals
Representation of individuals under investigation, arrested, indicted, charged or prosecuted for offenses of varied nature, from the earliest actions through trial and the corresponding appeals.
Consult this serviceDefense of public officials
Defense of current and former public officials in investigations related to the exercise of their duties, government contracting, the handling of public funds, and administrative decisions with possible criminal relevance.
Consult this serviceDefense in investigations and proceedings involving allegations of membership, collaboration, financing or conduct connected with criminal organizations, including Organized Armed Groups —GAO—, Organized Criminal Groups —GDO—, Residual Organized Armed Groups —GAOR— and other high-impact structures. The practice covers matters involving conspiracy to commit a crime, drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, the use of nominees or front persons, and related offenses.
Scope of the defense
The classification of a structure as an Organized Armed Group —GAO— or an Organized Criminal Group —GDO— is not merely descriptive. It may affect the investigative mechanisms available, the duration of pretrial detention, the applicable grounds for release and the jurisdiction of the judge involved in the matter. The defense includes examining the existence and characteristics of the alleged organization, the specific position attributed to the person under investigation, the individualization of the alleged conduct, and the factual, evidentiary and legal grounds relied upon to connect that person with the structure. The mere attribution of membership, collaboration or proximity to an organization does not replace proof of individual criminal responsibility.
Other institutional classifications
Investigations may also refer to Residual Organized Armed Groups —GAOR—, Organized Common Crime Groups —GDCO— and Organized Armed Structures of High-Impact Crime —EAOCAI—. These institutional, operational or public-policy classifications must be distinguished from the legal categories expressly governed by Law 1908 of 2018 and may not be applied automatically without establishing their basis and consequences in the specific case.
Proceedings covered
The engagement may include urgent proceedings, interrogations, charging hearings, applications for pretrial detention, jurisdictional disputes, applications for release, trial preparation, appeals and coordination with asset-related defenses or asset-forfeiture proceedings arising from the same facts.
Legal reference: Law 1908 of 2018 and Supreme Court of Justice, Criminal Cassation Chamber, AP3406-2023.
Consult this serviceEarly intervention makes it possible to anticipate risks, preserve evidence, and prepare a response before procedural decisions produce effects that are difficult to reverse.
Preventive criminal defense
Risk assessment before an arrest, indictment or formal charge, aimed at preserving evidence, anticipating scenarios and preparing a timely legal response.
Consult this serviceArrests and urgent actions
Assistance with arrests, raids, searches, seizures, interrogations and preliminary hearings, subject to professional availability.
Consult this servicePre-trial detention and release
Defense against requests for pre-trial detention, substitution or revocation of measures, release due to expired deadlines, and other actions related to restrictions on liberty.
Consult this serviceAssistance during interviews and questioning
Preparation and legal assistance in questioning, interviews and statements with possible criminal relevance, with prior assessment of risks and guarantees. The decision to testify, remain silent or answer specific questions is made after reviewing the particular circumstances of the matter.
Consult this servicePlea agreements and early resolution mechanisms
Assessment and negotiation of plea agreements, opportunity principles, guilty pleas and other early resolution mechanisms when legally convenient. These mechanisms are not promoted automatically: they depend on the available evidence, criminal exposure and defense alternatives. Their possible asset-related, disciplinary, tax, administrative and reputational effects must also be assessed.
Consult this serviceReviewing a decision requires precisely identifying the legal, evidentiary or procedural error and using the appropriate mechanism within the corresponding deadline.
Appeals and second instance
Preparation, argument and opposition of appeals against judgments and other decisions affecting liberty, evidence or the progress of the case.
Consult this serviceCriminal cassation
Review of second-instance judgments, assessment of viability, selection of the applicable ground, structuring of grounds, and filing of cassation petitions before the Supreme Court of Justice.
Consult this serviceAction for review
Assessment and filing of actions for review against final judgments when one of the extraordinary grounds provided by law is met.
Consult this serviceConstitutional protection (tutela) in criminal matters
Protection of fundamental rights affected within criminal investigations and proceedings, including actions against judicial rulings when the exceptional requirements are met.
Consult this serviceCassation, the action for review, and the writ of protection (tutela) are not new instances. Their viability depends on meeting specific legal and technical requirements.
Some matters require prior, independent technical analysis before defining a strategy, filing an appeal, or taking on representation. These assessments have their own scope, methodology and fees, and are quoted separately from the initial legal consultation.
Specialized Legal Assessments
Documentary and strategic evaluations aimed at establishing risks, legal viability and possible courses of action before taking on a matter or representation.
The viability analysis does not include drafting the appeal, the cassation petition, or subsequent representation, unless separately and expressly engaged.
Criminal representation also covers the protection of victims' rights and the defense of assets affected by precautionary measures or asset forfeiture proceedings.
Victim representation
Representation of victims during the investigation and criminal proceeding, with participation in hearings, evidentiary requests, protection of rights and comprehensive reparation.
Consult this serviceAsset forfeiture
Defense of owners, companies and good-faith third parties in asset forfeiture proceedings, precautionary measures and seizures affecting real estate, companies, accounts and other assets.
Consult this serviceRepresentation in criminal matters with a transnational dimension, cooperation requests, and risks arising from proceedings initiated in other jurisdictions.
Extradition and international judicial cooperation
Advice and representation in extradition requests, international legal assistance, transnational arrest warrants, and coordination with lawyers in other jurisdictions.
Consult this serviceINTERPOL red notices and alerts
Legal assessment of red notices, international alerts, and detention risks arising from international criminal cooperation mechanisms.
Consult this serviceCorporate defense requires simultaneously understanding the criminal proceeding, the corporate operation, the asset exposure, and the reputational impact of the matter.
Internal corporate investigations
Confidential investigation of facts with possible criminal relevance, evidence preservation, interviews, legal exposure assessment, and recommendations for the organization.
Consult this serviceCorporate criminal defense
Representation of companies, officers and executives in investigations related to business decisions, contracting, financial transactions and regulatory compliance.
Consult this serviceCriminal and reputational crisis management
Coordination of the legal response to investigations with public, institutional or corporate impact, considering the criminal, asset and reputational risks arising from the matter.
Consult this serviceStrategic second criminal opinion
Independent review of the strategy, the indictment, the charges, evidentiary decisions, judgments or appeals prepared within an ongoing proceeding. The second opinion does not automatically replace the lawyer currently handling the matter, nor does it involve contacting them without the client's authorization.
Consult this serviceCoordination of parallel proceedings
Coordination of the criminal strategy with disciplinary, tax, administrative, corporate or sanctioning proceedings arising from the same facts, avoiding contradictions and anticipating consequences in other settings. The engagement focuses on strategic coordination with the criminal defense; standalone representation in other specialties is subject to the engaged scope.
Consult this serviceCriminal compliance and risk prevention
Design and review of compliance programs, criminal risk maps, investigation-response protocols, training for executives, and assessment of controls against corruption, fraud and money laundering. Scope is defined based on the organization's size, activity and level of exposure.
Consult this serviceA second opinion does not automatically replace the lawyer currently handling the matter.
Initial case assessment
Every matter requires establishing the procedural stage, deadlines, available documentation and the scope of representation needed. Initial consultations, specialized assessments and professional representation are distinct services, quoted according to their scope.