Appeals & Post-Conviction Relief

Iowa Criminal Appeals Lawyer

When the jury comes back with a guilty verdict or the judge decides your punishment at sentencing, it's not necessarily the end of the story. You may have grounds to appeal your criminal conviction if there were errors that swayed the outcome of your trial, or grounds to appeal an excessive sentence.

The law firm of Kragnes & Associates in Des Moines, Iowa offers experienced representation in appellate law and post-conviction relief. We handle appeals statewide in Iowa, and federal criminal appeals throughout the 8th Circuit (Iowa and neighboring states). We offer a free consultation to explore your legal remedies.

Appeals: Turning Back the Clock

You can't appeal simply because your lawyer lost your case. An appeal is a request for a higher court to review the trial record for specific mistakes that were so unfair to you that the outcome might have been different. It could be a judge's pre-trial ruling, evidence allowed or excluded at trial, prosecutor misconduct, or instructions to the jury.

If we succeed, the appellate court will set aside your conviction or order a new trial. If you are appealing a harsh sentence, the appeals decides whether it should stand or if you should be re-sentenced.

Habeas Corpus: Did You Have an Incompetent Lawyer?

After all appeals are exhausted, there is one more opportunity for justice. A writ of habeas corpus re-opens your case more broadly than an appeal. A common basis for petition is ineffective assistance of counsel — i.e., your attorney made serious mistakes that doomed your case. In a habeas corpus hearing, the court can also consider new evidence that should have been presented in your trial or address errors not examined in your earlier appeals.

A Record of Results in Criminal Appeals

Christopher Kragnes has practiced in criminal defense and appellate law since 1998. He secured his first reversal of a conviction as a law student, and has successfully appealed drug crime, sex crime and other cases. Mr. Kragnes has argued cases before the Iowa Court of Appeals and Iowa Supreme Court, and in federal criminal appeals before the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

To discuss your rights to appeal, call our Des Moines office at 866-409-0221 (toll free), or contact us by e-mail.