Why These Las Vegas Criminal Lawyers?
We help connect consumers with top-rated criminal defense attorneys in Las Vegas. To determine which are the best of the best, we scored each criminal defense attorney or law firm across a half-dozen metrics covering three categories. Each firm or attorney’s results were analyzed to bring you a handpicked list of the very best criminal defense lawyers in Las Vegas.
- Attorneys reviewed: 26
- Top picks: 5
If you or a loved one have been arrested, do not delay seeking the assistance of an attorney. The sooner an attorney can get involved in your case, the better your chances of having a strong defense.
The attorney you hire may start right away, studying the authorities’ against you, doing legal research, and preparing legal motions. That’s why the sooner they begin, the better, as they work to chip away at the prosecution’s case against you.
Skilled criminal defense attorneys in Las Vegas handle everything from DUIs to simple misdemeanors to white-collar crimes to violent felonies. Get the best legal defense in Las Vegas by choosing from this list of best criminal defense attorneys.
Read the profiles below and choose the attorney or law firm that best aligns with your needs.
Best Las Vegas Criminal Defense Lawyers
Here are the best criminal defense law firms and attorneys in Las Vegas:
- Jay “Chip” Siegel
- Cofer & Geller
- Gary A. Modafferi
- Las Vegas Defense Group
- Ross C. Goodman
Best Las Vegas Criminal Defense Lawyers for 2021
If you or a loved one are looking for an outstanding criminal defense attorney in Las Vegas, these lawyers are the best of the best.
Jay “Chip” Siegel
601 S 7th Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 430-7531
Attorney Jay “Chip” Siegel has spent nearly 30 years in the legal profession, and criminal defense remains his primary practice area, though he spent the early part of his career as a prosecutor. Siegel has been honored by a variety of legal organizations, including the National Trial Lawyers, and he maintains a 10.0 rating on Avvo.
Siegel’s primary practice areas include crimes that are common across the country like assault, DUI, drug charges, and more, as well as those that are more unique to Las Vegas, such as casino markers, prostitution, and casino pool parties.
Visit law firm website: https://www.legalchip.com/
Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Law-Office-of-Chip-Siegel-Esq-424617774250869/
Cofer & Geller
601 S 10th Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 777-9999
The two attorneys of Cofer & Geller have devoted their practice entirely to criminal defense. They have practiced in local, state, and federal courts, and are well-equipped to handle cases in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada.
Primary practice areas include drug possession, DUI, probation violations, sexual assault, theft, batter, drug trafficking, prostitution, and more. In addition, Cofer & Geller can assist individuals in having their records sealed after they’ve been convicted and served their time.
Visit law firm website: http://defense.vegas/
Gary A. Modafferi
612 S. 3rd St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 327-3033
Attorney Gary A. Modafferi has a lengthy and distinguished legal background that began in the Honolulu City/County District Attorney’s Office, where he was a deputy district attorney. Though he practices on the other side of cases now, that prosecutorial experience comes in handy when it comes to dismantling cases against his clients.
Modafferi represents clients accused of high-profile crimes, such as murder and organized crime, and he has experience in death penalty cases. He has also represented individuals charged with drug-related crimes and was instrumental in changing medical marijuana laws in the state of Nevada.
Visit law firm website: https://www.notguilty.vegas/
Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Law-Offices-of-Gary-A-Modafferi-456893934496036/
Las Vegas Defense Group
2970 W Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Phone: (702) 333-1600
The six attorneys of Las Vegas Defense Group have vast and diverse experience in the criminal justice system. They boast more than a century of combined legal experience, and in 2020, the firm was named the best criminal defense firm by the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Primary practice areas include domestic violence, grand larceny, battery, solicitation for prostitution, casino markers, drug charges, and more. The firm’s attorneys have been repeatedly honored by the National Trial Lawyers, and they have a 10.0 rating on Avvo.
Visit law firm website: https://www.shouselaw.com/nv/defense/
Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LasVegasDefenseGroup
Ross C. Goodman
520 S 4th St. STE #200
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 383-5088
Attorney Ross C. Goodman is a Las Vegas native whose roots in the city run deep. His mother is serving her third term as the city’s mayor, while his father served three terms in the same office. Goodman has a 10.0 rating on Avvo and has been honored by Super Lawyers and the National Trial Lawyers.
Goodman’s primary practice areas include DUI, drug crimes, and domestic violence, which are all quite common in Las Vegas, as the city consists of many tourists and other visitors. In fact, 60% of Goodman’s clients are from other parts of the world.
Visit law firm website: https://www.goodmancriminaldefenseattorney.vegas/
Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GoodmanCriminalLawyer/
What Types of Crimes Are Most Common in Las Vegas?
Just over 55,000 crimes were reported in Las Vegas in 2019, the most recent year for federal data on crime across the country. More than 80 percent of those crimes were related to theft or destruction of property, including burglary, larceny-theft, auto theft, and arson. Larceny-theft alone accounted for more than half of all crimes in the city.
Adjusting those figures to account for the size of the city’s population creates an adjusted property crime rate of almost 2,800 per 100,000 residents and a violent crime rate of about 530 per 100,000. Both rates are considerably higher than the overall national rates of about 2,100 per 100,000 and 367 per 100,000, respectively, but that’s typical for a major city.
Crimes in Las Vegas, by number and per 100,000 people
| Crime | Number | Per 100,000 people |
| All violent crimes | 8,854 | 531 |
| Murder | 84 | 5 |
| Rape | 1,439 | 86 |
| Robbery | 2,118 | 127 |
| Aggravated assault | 5,213 | 313 |
| All property crimes | 46,197 | 2,771 |
| Burglary | 10,646 | 639 |
| Larceny-theft | 28,240 | 1,694 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 7,311 | 439 |
| Arson | 125 | 7 |
Compared to other Nevada cities with available data, Las Vegas tends to have relatively high crime rates. Information was available for 12 cities in the state, and Las Vegas ranks no lower than fourth in any crime category. However, the city ranks first in the state only twice, for its overall property crime rate and for its arson rate, though data for that crime was quite limited. Expanding our view to the national level, Las Vegas ranks in the top 15 among the 60 biggest cities in the nation for five crime categories with its highest ranking a sixth place due to its population-adjusted rape rate. The city is also eighth for burglaries and 13th for robberies.
Like many other major American cities, Las Vegas has seen a rise in crime over the past couple of years. So far in 2021, the number of homicides in the city has risen by 60 percent over 2020 levels.
It’s important to note that police- and FBI-reported data does not cover closed cases or incidents for which a person was convicted.