Criminal defence lawyer in Georgia - defence from the start of the investigation to the enforcement of the verdict
Criminal procedure in Georgia is adversarial: the prosecution and the defence are equal parties and the court is the referee. This means nobody will "investigate" in your favour - evidence for the defence is gathered only by your own lawyer. A criminal defence lawyer is therefore not a jurist who sits next to you at the hearing; they are an independent investigator, a negotiator and a courtroom advocate in one person.
This page explains what happens in a Georgian criminal case stage by stage and where it is really decided, which articles of the Criminal Code our defenders work with, what rights you have as an accused person or as a victim, and what the fee consists of. Below you will find the list of verified criminal defence lawyers and links by city. For foreign nationals the procedure is the same - what differs is the need for an interpreter, consular notification and a lawyer who reports to you in English.
Verified criminal defence lawyers
Each has active status in the Bar Association register and criminal law as their primary specialisation. The card shows the city, languages and the consultation fee.
No published lawyers in this category yet
That does not mean we cannot help. Call us - we will match you with a specialist for a remote consultation or from a nearby city.
Call: 568 330 318The 6 stages of a criminal case in Georgia and what the defender does at each
Most cases never reach a verdict - they are decided at the second and third stage. That is why the lawyer must be involved from the beginning, not "once the trial is scheduled".
Opening of the investigation
A case starts with a report or a complaint. At this stage you may be a witness without knowing that you are the focus. The defender establishes what your real status is and prepares your position before the first interview - what you say now follows the case through the whole process.
Charges and detention
A detained person must be charged within 48 hours and brought before a court; the court decides on the pre-trial measure within the next 24 hours. At this hearing the defender argues that custody is not necessary - with evidence of residence, employment and family, and an offer of bail or another alternative. This is where it is decided whether you conduct your case from home or from a cell.
Investigation and exchange of evidence
After charges are brought the defence has the right to gather its own evidence: interview people, request documents, commission expert reports. The parties exchange their materials no later than 5 days before the pre-trial hearing. Half of the defender's work happens here - what is not obtained now will not appear in court.
Pre-trial hearing
Held within 60 days of the charge if the accused is in custody. The court decides which evidence is admissible and whether there is a sufficient basis for trial. The defender moves to exclude unlawfully obtained evidence - a search without a warrant, an interview without a lawyer. Cases often collapse exactly here.
Trial on the merits
Before a judge or, for serious categories, a jury. Cross-examination of witnesses, expert testimony, examination of evidence. The defender does not "ask questions" - they expose the contradictions in the testimony. In a jury case, selecting the jurors and speaking to them in plain language is a separate skill.
Verdict, appeal, enforcement
A conviction is appealed to the Court of Appeals within one month of the verdict being announced, and the appellate judgment to the Supreme Court. At sentencing the defender asks for a suspended sentence, deferral or mitigation; during enforcement - for early conditional release. The case does not end with the verdict.
Articles of the Georgian Criminal Code our defenders work with
The charging decision names an article number. Here is what it means and which category of defender you need - each category has its own evidentiary specifics.
Economic and financial
Fraud (Art. 180), misappropriation and embezzlement (Art. 182), money laundering (Art. 194), tax evasion (Art. 218). The case stands on documents - the defender must be able to read a financial expert report and understand an accounting audit.
Drug offences
Illegal purchase and possession (Art. 260), use and small quantities (Art. 273, 273¹). Decisive factors: the quantity, the legality of the search and the expert report. Since 2017 many small-quantity offences have been decriminalised - the defender checks this first. Foreign visitors are frequently charged under these articles.
Violence and bodily harm
Violence (Art. 126), domestic violence (Art. 126¹), grave and less grave bodily harm (Art. 117, 118). The quality of the medical expert report and the limits of necessary self-defence (Art. 28) are the two main battlegrounds.
Road traffic
Violation of traffic safety rules (Art. 276) resulting in injury or death. Vehicle expert examination, speed and braking distance calculations, obtaining video recordings in the first days.
Cybercrime
Unauthorised access to a computer system (Art. 284), interference with data (Art. 285, 286). The rules for obtaining digital evidence are as strict as for a search - cases often fall apart on a procedural breach.
Official and corruption offences
Abuse and excess of official authority (Art. 332, 333), taking and giving a bribe (Art. 338, 339). These cases often rest on covert recordings - their legality and the question of entrapment are the defence's main arguments.
8 rights of the accused that the investigator will not remind you of
A breach of any of these is an argument for the defender to exclude evidence. Know them before your lawyer arrives.
- The right to silence
- Giving a statement is not your obligation and a refusal cannot be used against you. "If you have nothing to hide, just tell us" is a psychological technique, not a legal argument.
- To know the substance of the charge
- On detention you must be told what you are accused of and under which article. A vague "we will see, we will find out" is a breach of procedure.
- An interpreter
- If you do not speak Georgian at a working level, the state appoints an interpreter free of charge. A record signed without a translation is contestable. A lawyer who speaks your language is not a substitute for the interpreter - the interpreter is a separate procedural guarantee.
- Notification of detention
- You have the right to have your family or a close person informed immediately of where you are. A foreign national has the additional right to have their consulate notified.
- Access to the case materials
- No later than 5 days before the pre-trial hearing you receive all of the prosecution's evidence. A "surprise witness" at trial is excluded by law.
- A jury
- For categories of crime defined by law you may request a jury trial. You make this choice together with your defender - strategically it is not always an advantage.
- A copy of the search record
- A search requires a court order, or in urgent cases a prosecutor's decision which the court reviews within 24 hours. A copy of the record is your right.
- To change your lawyer
- A state-appointed defender can be replaced by a lawyer of your choice at any time. Declining the state defender does not stop or harm the case.
A criminal lawyer for the victim - when the case is not being investigated
In Georgia the victim is not a party to the proceedings - the prosecution is conducted by the state. In practice this means that if the prosecutor decides to close the case or not to prosecute, the victim receives a letter and nothing more. The criminal lawyer's role here is to apply pressure on the system with the instruments the law provides.
The first instrument is a formal request for victim status - without it you cannot see the materials or challenge decisions. The second is appealing the prosecutor's decision to the superior prosecutor and, for particularly serious crimes and domestic violence cases, to the court. The third is a parallel civil claim for damages, which does not wait for the outcome of the criminal case and often produces a result faster.
Our experience with victims of road accidents, violence and fraud shows one thing: in the first month a case either gains momentum or stalls. A lawyer who requests expert reports, video recordings and witness interviews in the very first week does not let the investigator "forget" the case. For foreign victims - a tourist robbed or a business defrauded - this is doubly important, because after departure the case loses its only engaged participant.
What determines a criminal defence lawyer's fee
In criminal matters the fee is almost always staged: the investigation stage, the first instance and the appeal are priced separately. Five factors determine the amount. The consultation fee is shown on each defender's profile.
A criminal record in Georgia - how long it follows you and how it is expunged
A conviction does not end when the sentence is served: the criminal record remains and affects employment, weapons permits, certain licences and - in the case of a repeat offence - the severity of the sentence. For a foreign national a Georgian conviction may also affect residence permits and future entry. The record is expunged after a period following completion of the sentence, which depends on the category of the offence, or earlier by court decision if the convicted person has behaved impeccably.
A criminal defence lawyer's work often ends precisely here: a motion for early expungement of the record, an application for early conditional release, replacing the unserved part of a sentence with a lighter one. Clients rarely know these procedures exist, yet they are what return a person to normal life.
Questions about criminal defence lawyers in Georgia
Can the lawyer visit a detainee in the temporary detention facility?
Yes, without restriction and in confidence - nobody listens to or records the meeting. If the lawyer is refused access or told to "come back later", that is a breach which is recorded in writing and later becomes grounds for excluding evidence.
What is the difference between a state-appointed and a private defender?
A lawyer from the Legal Aid Service is free and qualified, but handles dozens of cases at once. A private defender devotes time to your case, hires experts and finds witnesses. If the case is in a serious category or your liberty is at stake, the difference shows in the outcome.
Can I leave Georgia while the investigation is ongoing?
It depends on the pre-trial measure. If you are on bail or under an undertaking not to leave, departure is prohibited and a breach is replaced with custody. If no measure has been imposed you are formally free, but the defender will advise informing the prosecutor in writing - otherwise it may be treated as absconding. Foreign nationals should also check whether a border alert has been registered.
How long does the investigation take?
The investigation period is, as a rule, limited by the limitation period for the offence, but after charges are brought the process runs on strict deadlines: the pre-trial hearing within 60 days, the start of the trial within 14 days of that hearing, and a maximum of 9 months in custody before the verdict. The defender counts these deadlines and applies for release when they are breached.
What does "summoned as a witness" mean - is it dangerous?
A witness is a participant who is not accused, but a statement given as a witness often becomes the basis of a charge. Attending the interview with a lawyer is therefore a sign of prudence, not of guilt. A witness is not obliged to give a statement to the investigator - only a court can require that.
Is there a limitation period in Georgian criminal law?
Yes - the period after which criminal liability lapses depends on the category: 2 years for less grave offences, 10 for grave, 15 for particularly grave, and for certain crimes no limitation applies at all. If the case concerns old events, the limitation period is the first thing the defender checks.
What if I cannot afford the fee?
Request a lawyer from the Legal Aid Service - if you are unable to pay, the state is obliged to appoint one. In parallel, some Coalition Legal defenders work on staged payment: the detention hearing first, the rest later. Discuss this openly with the coordinator.
My lawyer suggests an "agreement" with the prosecutor - is that a betrayal?
No, provided the alternatives have been explained to you. A plea agreement is justified when the evidence is strong and a real reduction of sentence is on offer; it is unjustified when the case is weak and the lawyer simply wants to save time. Ask for the risks of both routes in writing - a professional will do this without hesitation.
Criminal defence lawyer by city
In criminal matters a local defender is especially valuable - they know the district court, the prosecutor's practice and the regime of the detention facility. Choose a city.
Adjacent practice areas
A criminal case is often accompanied by a civil claim for damages, an administrative fine or a tax dispute. One coordinator recommends a lawyer in both directions.
Detention, a summons, charges - you need a defender now
Call at any time. Within 15 minutes the coordinator will contact you and assign an English-speaking criminal defence lawyer the same day - in Tbilisi, in the regions or remotely.