Sami Azhari focuses his practice on criminal defense in state and federal courts.
His primary areas of practice include felonies such as drug possession, drug trafficking, assault and battery, weapons charges, and white collar crime, as well as misdemeanors and traffic violations.
He has litigated numerous cases in state and federal courts, and has actively participated in all aspects of the litigation and trial process, including taking and defending depositions of lay and expert witnesses, conducting fact and expert discovery, briefing and arguing substantive motions, and conducting bench and jury trials with first chair experience.
His first chair jury trial experience allowed him the opportunity to perform jury selection, conduct opening statements, direct examinations, cross examinations of lay and expert witnesses as well as closing arguments.
As a criminal defense attorney, he has handled numerous types of misdemeanors and felonies and appeared regularly in all Cook County courts as well as surrounding counties such as DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will.
His experience has given him the ability to analyze all the evidence and determine the best course of action.
He has been successful in having evidence suppressed, negotiating lesser charges, and getting alternative sentencing.
Sami currently serves as a court appointed bar attorney through the Northwest Suburban Bar Association.
He also volunteers to represent indigent defendants in Statutory Summary Suspension hearings in Chicago.
In a recent felony jury trial while defending a client on obstruction of justice charges, Sami noticed the jury instructions did not reflect the new case law.
So Sami drafted and submitted a pattern jury instructions to the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Instructions in Criminal Cases.
In recent cases, Sami Azhari represented clients faced with charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated battery against a police officer, and drug trafficking 67 pounds of narcotics from out of state.
