A domestic violence arrest can split a Hollywood household overnight. You may need a place to stay and a plan for answering the charge. Check the release terms before going home, using a shared messaging app, or arranging a child exchange.
Miller & Jacobs defends people facing domestic violence allegations in Hollywood and Broward County. Call with the accusation, written restrictions, and next court date. Our Pompano Beach office serves Hollywood.
Call 954-465-8733 for a free initial consultation. Tell us if a restriction affects housing, medication, a job, or care for a child.
Hollywood Criminal Defense OverviewMeet Mark J. Miller and Rick S. Jacobs
Firm-reported combined career jury trials to verdict
Representing people facing Hollywood criminal charges
Discuss who will handle your accepted criminal matter
Read the written order first. A no-contact term can cover texts, social media, and messages sent through someone else. Your lawyer can explain the restriction and whether to ask for a change under Florida’s pretrial release law. Follow the current order until the court changes it.
Read Florida’s pretrial release conditionsStart with the charged act and the relationship involved. Florida’s domestic violence definition covers specified offenses between family or household members. Living together, being related, or sharing a child can matter. Dating alone does not establish every part of that definition.
Your Hollywood home may hold medicine, tools, work clothes, or a vehicle you need. List those needs for your lawyer. Owning or renting the property does not cancel a court restriction. An invitation from a protected person does not change it either.
A criminal release order and a civil protection order are separate. Keep the petition, temporary order, exhibits, and hearing notice together. Our Florida criminal defense overview explains the broader defense role. Ask whether the proposed legal work also includes the injunction.
Start with what the order permits today.
Tell us where you are staying, what you cannot access, and the next deadline. Those details help us address the immediate problem while gathering the defense evidence.
An arrest report may start when officers arrive, after the disputed event. Build the fuller timeline: who was there, what each person saw, when someone called for help, and what happened before and after the alleged contact. Discuss it privately with your lawyer rather than arguing about it online.
Calls & Messages
Keep full conversations, attachments, voicemails, and account details. One screenshot may leave out a reply, date, or key context. Tell your lawyer if you share the account or device.
People at the Scene
A neighbor may hear an argument without seeing contact. A relative may arrive later. Explain where each witness was and what they personally saw or heard. Do not ask witnesses to match their stories or contact a protected person for you.
Photos & Recordings
Keep the original files and note who made them. A photo may show an injury without showing how it happened. A recording may start late or miss part of the room. Review those limits alongside evidence that supports the allegation.
Tell your lawyer about unfavorable messages and gaps in your memory. Do not delete files, change recordings, or post explanations online. A full account helps your lawyer test the accusation and prepare for difficult evidence.
Intent, accidental touching, identification, and lawful self-defense require a close look at the facts. Our Hollywood assault and battery defense page explains those issues. The right defense depends on what happened.
List each case number, hearing date, and current order. The cases may concern the same event, but a decision in one does not necessarily end the other. Review both before testifying, accepting terms, or making contact.
The State decides whether to bring and pursue the charge. A household member can express a preference, but that does not dismiss the case. Do not pressure anyone to withdraw a complaint, change a statement, or stop taking part.
Read the petition’s allegations and requested restrictions, not just the phrase “restraining order.” Note what you dispute and which records may help explain it. Keep the temporary order available.
“Can I go home?” depends on the orders in place. Explain the address, who is there, what you need, and any child-care duty. These details help your lawyer assess lawful next steps.
Check location-sharing, group chats, family apps, and messages through relatives. Do not use another account or person to get around a no-contact term. Ask how the order applies before communicating.
Your lawyer can assess a request about contact, belongings, or child arrangements. Follow the existing order while the request is pending. Read the written ruling and confirm the change before acting.
Before a plea, discuss work, professional licenses, firearms, immigration, and your record. The charge and proposed outcome matter. A promise of dismissal or a “harmless” first offense is no substitute for that review.
You can call before solving the housing problem or collecting every recording. Tell us the next deadline and which restriction needs attention.
Call to discuss the case and arrange any visit. Our Pompano Beach office is not the police station, jail, or courthouse. Follow the court notice for hearings, not directions to the firm.
1600 S. Federal Highway, Suite 1101
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
Discuss the charge, case stage, expected hearings, and any injunction work. Ask who will handle the case and what the written fee agreement covers. Criminal defense fees are different from personal-injury fees.
Partner | Trial Attorney
Partner | Criminal Defense
Mark J. Miller is a partner at Miller & Jacobs. Read his background, then discuss the charge, current restrictions, and questions about representation with the firm.
Read Mark's Biography
Partner | Trial Attorney
Partner | Criminal Defense
Rick S. Jacobs is a partner at Miller & Jacobs. Read his background and use the consultation to explain your case and the legal work you need.
Read Rick's Biography
Start with clear copies of the papers you have. Note missing pages and keep the original electronic files. You do not need to investigate the case yourself before calling.
Hollywood Criminal Defense OverviewInclude every condition and later change. Mark terms about a shared address, contact, travel, or monitoring.
Keep the case number, division, location, and attendance instructions visible. Flag conflicting dates rather than choosing one yourself.
Include the petition, temporary order, exhibits, and hearing notice. Tell your lawyer when you were served and whether another protection order exists.
List relevant phones, cameras, accounts, and witnesses, including records you cannot reach. Do not enter a prohibited place or contact someone to collect evidence.
These answers explain common next steps. Your lawyer must review your charge and written orders to advise you.
Not always. Broward has several courthouses. The South Regional address does not replace your hearing notice. Send your lawyer the case number, division, and latest notice. Check where and how you must attend each case.
A household member can tell the proper authorities what they want, but the State decides whether to pursue a criminal charge. Asking to withdraw a complaint does not dismiss it. Do not seek a changed account or contact anyone in breach of a release order.
Tell your lawyer what you need, where it is, and when you need it. Do not go back just because you own or rent the home, or someone invites you. Your lawyer must check the orders before planning lawful access or asking the court for a change.
No. Call with the papers you have. Hollywood Police keeps its own reports. Court filings and some recordings come from other offices. Your lawyer can work out which records to preserve and how to seek them. You do not need the full file first.
No. A result with no jail can still affect your life. The charge, case result, history, and personal facts matter. Before a plea, discuss work, professional licenses, firearms, immigration, and your record. Get immigration advice when needed.
