Charged in Connecticut? Call now for a free consultation. Call (475) 655-1600
BBB Criminal · Connecticut Criminal Defense

An arrest is not the end of your story.

Whatever brought you here—a bad decision, a misunderstanding, or an investigation that got it wrong—this moment doesn't have to define your future. We'll give you answers, options, and a plan. You're not alone. Your first call changes everything.

You get the judgment of an experienced trial lawyer and the resources of an established Connecticut litigation firm. I chose to return to criminal defense because this work matters to me.

Right Now

We can start protecting you today.

Every decision you make after an arrest can affect your case. Our first job is to understand what happened and decide what needs to be done now.

01

Answer your questions

Straight answers about your charge — tonight, not next week.

02

Explain the process

What's coming, in plain English — so nothing blindsides you.

03

Protect your rights

What to say, what not to sign, who not to talk to.

04

Begin our investigation

Evidence disappears fast — we preserve it before it's gone.

05

Build your strategy

You'll know the plan — and your part in it.

Criminal defense attorney taking a client call at a desk
Your defense starts on day one — not at your first court date.
How We Win

Every defense starts with three questions.

Three questions, asked in order, until we find where your case is won. Read our full approach →

01 Factual Defense

Can the State prove it?

The burden is theirs, not yours. We examine the witnesses, the evidence, and the gaps in the State's case and hold the State to every element of the charge.

02 Legal Defense

Can the evidence come in?

Was the stop legal? The search? The statement? Evidence obtained the wrong way can be suppressed — and evidence that can't come in can't convict you.

03 Social Defense

Who are you — really?

The charge is not the whole story. When it matters to the defense, we make sure the prosecutor and the judge understand your work, family, history, responsibilities, and the circumstances of the case.

Where You Are Right Now

Four situations. One phone call.

Wherever you are in the process, the worst thing you can do is wait.

Under Investigation

The police want to talk to you.

A detective calling to "get your side" is building a case. Talk to us before you talk to anyone.

If you're under investigation →
Arrested Last Night

Your arraignment is next.

If you are held after arrest, arraignment may occur quickly — often the next court day. Your paperwork will state the court and date that apply to you. At arraignment, the court may address bond and protective-order conditions that can affect where you may live and whom you may contact.

Arraignments & protective orders →
Pending Misdemeanor Charges

You have a case on the G.A. docket.

DUI, assault, larceny, breach of peace — some misdemeanor cases may qualify for diversionary programs that can result in dismissal after successful completion. Eligibility and strategy depend on the charge, record, facts, and court.

How we handle G.A. cases →
Pending Felony Charges

You're facing felony exposure.

From G.A. felonies to Part A prosecutions — the first moves are the bond and the discovery.

Felony & Part A defense →
Start Here

Your first call changes everything.

In the first conversation, we explain the charge, your options, and what should happen next.

Step OneCall Our Team.

Tell us what happened. You do not need to have everything figured out before you call.

Step TwoGet answers. Understand your options.

The charge, the likely paths, the programs — and what each means for your record and your life.

Step ThreeLeave with a plan.
Talk to Our Defense Team — (475) 655-1600

A conversation can tell you where you stand and what your options are. Want the whole picture first? The Process — our plain-English guide library →

The Courts We Work In
Select your courthouse
Geographical Area Courts — arraignments, misdemeanors & felonies
G.A. 2

Bridgeport

172 Golden Hill Street. Arraignments and the everyday criminal docket for greater Bridgeport.

This courthouse →
G.A. 23

New Haven

121 Elm Street. Arraignments, misdemeanors, and felony cases.

This courthouse →
G.A. 7

Meriden

54 West Main Street. Misdemeanor and felony defense, DV and DUI dockets.

This courthouse →
G.A. 15

New Britain

20 Franklin Square. Misdemeanor and felony defense, DV and DUI dockets.

This courthouse →
G.A. 14

Hartford

101 Lafayette Street. Arraignments and the everyday criminal docket for Hartford.

This courthouse →
G.A. 4

Waterbury

400 Grand Street. Arraignments and the everyday criminal docket for Waterbury-area cases.

This courthouse →
G.A. 5

Derby

106 Elizabeth Street. Serving Derby, Ansonia, Shelton, Seymour, and the Valley.

This courthouse →
G.A. 22

Milford

14 West River Street. Serving Milford, Orange, and West Haven.

This courthouse →
Judicial District Courts — Part A & serious felonies
Fairfield J.D. · Part A

Bridgeport

1061 Main Street. The most serious felony cases in the Fairfield Judicial District.

This courthouse →
New Haven J.D. · Part A

New Haven

235 Church Street. Part A prosecutions for the New Haven Judicial District.

This courthouse →
Hartford J.D. · Part A

Hartford

95 Washington Street. Part A prosecutions for the Hartford Judicial District.

This courthouse →
Waterbury J.D. · Part A

Waterbury

300 Grand Street. Part A prosecutions for the Waterbury Judicial District.

This courthouse →
Ansonia-Milford J.D. · Part A

Milford

14 West River Street. Part A prosecutions for the Ansonia-Milford Judicial District.

This courthouse →
Swipe to see all courts →
Practice Areas

The charges we defend.

If it's on Connecticut's criminal docket, we defend it. If your charge isn't here, call us anyway.

Swipe to see all charges →
Peter G. Billings at his desk
My Story

Where I started. Why I'm back.

Criminal defense is where I started. I've spent years in Connecticut's criminal courtrooms — trying cases, arguing appeals, learning what the system does to people. I built my practice into a thriving criminal defense firm handling everything from minor breach of peace to murder. All across Connecticut. At every level of our system.

Then I stepped away and built something bigger — a firm with the trial lawyers, investigators, and staff to go toe-to-toe with insurance companies in personal injury cases. But I never stopped being a criminal defense lawyer at heart. So I came back — to the only kind of case where the win means someone goes home.

And that matters for you, because you don't just hire me — you get the firm behind me. If your case needs to be tried, we try it. My office doesn't shut down, the phones stay covered, and nobody is pressuring me to resolve your case quickly so we can move on to the next one. The same machine we built to level the playing field against insurance companies now levels it against the State of Connecticut — for you.

Our defense team prepares every case around the client’s actual objectives, the evidence, the risks, and every available path forward.

At the end of the day, most cases resolve through negotiation or a program, and getting that resolution is the job. Getting the best outcome is the skill and craft. But when the State can't prove its case and you need a trial, we are ready. I'm back because I want to be. That's the lawyer you want standing next to you.

Peter G. Billings

Free Consultation

Your court date is coming. Let's get ready.

Tell us what happened. We’ll give you a straight assessment of your case — and a plan for what comes next. (475) 655-1600
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It Starts With a Call

The State is already building its case.
Your defense starts now.

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