James Laukkonen

James Laukkonen primarily practices criminal law. He has successfully defended a wide variety of cases from complex felonies to simple misdemeanors. James has handled cases in District and Superior courts throughout the South Sound region, most often in Thurston, Lewis, and Mason Counties. He also appears in the courts for many of our local cities, including Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, Tenino, and Shelton. James is a member of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Washington State Bar Association, the Washington Veterans Bar Association, and the Thurston County Bar Association. He graduated from Washington and Lee University, School of Law, in Virginia and did his undergraduate studies at Western Washington University. He is a native of Washington, and he grew up in King and Snohomish Counties. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in Desert Storm and Somalia while an active duty soldier. Later, James spent several years in the reserves.

Washington and Lee University School of Law

J.D.

2005 - 2008

Western Washington University

B.A.

2003 - 2005

Judge pro tem

Olympia Municipal Court

2017 - Current

Managing Member

Laukkonen Law, PLLC

2016 - Current

President-elect

Thurston County Bar Association

2016 - Current

Judge pro tem

Thurston County District Court

2013 - Current

Attorney

Cordes Brandt, PLLC

2008 - 2016

President's Message

Thurston County Bar Association

September 1, 2020

Thomas Carl Damewood Evidence Award

Washington and Lee University School of Law

2008

Cum Laude

Western Washington University

2005

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 318

Judge Advocate

Current

Thurston County Bar Association

President-elect

2016 - Current

Washington State Veterans Bar Association

2015 - Current

Washington State Bar

2008 - Current

Thurston County Bar Association

2008 - Current

Washington

Since 2008

• Free Consultation
  Free initial telephone consultation.
• Credit Cards Accepted
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Offers flat fees or hourly rates, depending on the case.

Criminal Law

Criminal Appeals, Drug Crimes, Expungement, Fraud, Gun Crimes, Internet Crimes, Sex Crimes, Theft, Violent Crimes

DUI & DWI

Elder Law

Q. What to expect when you were caught shoplifting from a store you were trespassed from.

21 February 2020

A: Under similar circumstances, I have seen people charged with Trespass, Theft, and Burglary. By entering a place that you knew you were not allowed to be, and committing a crime there, you made it a lot worse. You will need an attorney to help you through this. It sounds as though you likely qualify for a free attorney, so make sure that you ask for one.

Q. My girlfriend hit a tree while drunk and lied about it to her insurance. She made fake tow receipts someone called geico

13 September 2019

A: The short answer is that yes, they do sometimes follow up after paying. From the description, she committed a crime. She might or might not ever hear directly from GEICO (except maybe to cancel her insurance). Much more likely is that if they found out about this, they reported it to the police. The police will investigate and forward to the prosecutor's office for charges. That process can be fairly quick, or it can months or even years. They have until the statute of limitations runs out to file a charge. She needs to talk to an attorney who can get all of the details and give her advice for her specific situation. I provided the answer based on the way that Washington State does things, because that is the state you selected, even though I see that you put your location as Atlanta, GA. The situation is likely the same in GA, but if this happened down there, you should ask GA attorneys.

Q. How do I get my case dismissed?

13 September 2019

A: There are a couple items that jump out at me here. The first is that driving while your license is suspended is not just a ticket. It is a criminal offense. It isn't a very serious offense, but it is still a criminal charge. I know the form that they wrote it up on looks just like a traffic ticket, but it is a criminal citation. That means that the state has 90 days from the date of your arraignment to bring your case to trial. If you were arraigned at the first hearing (if you entered a plea of "not guilty"), then your 90 days are running. The rule is not absolute, there are a bunch of things that can waive the rule or extend it. Without any sort of report, the prosecutor is going to have a very hard time proving the charge. You might have some defenses to the charge (or might not - I haven't read the report that apparently might not exist). Without probable cause though, about all that the judge can do is set new court dates with no conditions. It is not automatically dismissed due to the missing report, but that missing report could result in it being dismissed eventually. If you do not have an attorney, you should really get one to protect your rights and make sure the court does the right thing. If you cannot afford an attorney, you might be eligible for one at no cost to you through the court. Some courts require probable cause before they will appoint an attorney.