DUI defense
First-time and repeat DUI, breath test challenges, license consequences, DUI manslaughter. The majority of our trial work.
DUI defense
Pensacola criminal defense
We’ll take it from here.
Thirty-six years in Pensacola courtrooms. Sixteen thousand cases. If you have been accused of a crime, the attorney you choose can change the outcome. Call before you answer questions.
Nights, weekends, and holidays included. A person answers.
16,250+criminal cases handled since 1990
250+trials of combined courtroom experience
36years defending this coast
24/7the phones are answered, nights and holidays included
Why it matters
Prosecutors know who will actually go to trial, and who will not.
That fact has a direct effect on the outcome of your case. Ninety percent of defense attorneys never try a case. We have taken 250+ to a verdict, and when the other side knows your lawyer will pick a jury and fight, you get taken seriously. Better outcomes follow: a tailored plea, a dismissal, or a verdict.
You may never want a trial. Most people don’t. But you want a trial lawyer, for the same reason you’d want a surgeon who has actually operated, not one who never has.
When you interview any attorney, ask one question: how many cases have you recently taken to a verdict? We encourage it.
How we workJames has been defending cases longer than some of the judges he appears before have been on the bench. The Barnes advantage
Practice areas
Criminal defense, felony to juvenile
If it involves an arrest in Escambia or Santa Rosa County, we handle it. Eight practices, one focus: criminal defense, and nothing else.
Drug charges
Possession through trafficking: marijuana, cocaine, fentanyl, meth, prescription cases, and paraphernalia.
Drug chargesDomestic violence
DV battery and related charges, no-contact orders, and the fast decisions that shape these cases early.
Domestic violenceJuvenile charges
One of the only private firms in the area defending minors. A young mistake should not define a life.
Juvenile chargesFelonies
Homicide, aggravated battery, burglary, trafficking, sex crimes, firearms. Including 50+ capital-case trials.
Felony defenseMisdemeanors
Petty theft, trespass, disorderly conduct, resisting without violence, suspended license, and more.
Misdemeanor defenseSex crimes
Sexual battery, lewd and lascivious, internet-related offenses. Two capital NOT GUILTY verdicts in the past year, handled with discretion.
Sex crimes defenseViolent crimes
Aggravated battery and assault, robbery, firearm offenses, homicide, and self-defense cases, tried at the highest level for 36 years.
Violent crimes defense
The attorneys
Two generations at the defense table
A father-and-son defense team backed by ample staff. Two attorneys and a full office on every case, so motions get filed fast, calls get returned, and nothing waits for one lawyer to get back from court. This machine does not have an off switch.
James R. Barnes
14,500+ cases. 211 trials. 25 murder cases, 50+ capital-case trials, and a courtroom résumé longer than some judges’ careers. Defending this coast for 36 years.
Meet James
Mason Barnes
Cum laude, top of his class, and practicing criminal law exclusively since the day he was sworn in. 1,750+ cases, from misdemeanors to life felonies, a trial record that wins the clear majority of the cases he takes to a jury, and the area’s go-to for juvenile defense.
Meet Mason
Recent case results
The wins are framed on our wall. These are a fraction of them.
What people facing charges want to know is simple: has this firm won cases like mine? Short answer, yes, from DUI to mandatory-life felonies.
Trafficking in fentanyl · first degree
State of Florida v. T.B.
DismissedCapital sexual battery
State of Florida v. V.D.
Not guiltyAggravated battery, witness tampering
State of Florida v. D.B.
Not guiltyTrafficking meth / amphetamine
State of Florida v. J.T.
DismissedDUI
State of Florida v. S.C.
Not guiltyFirearm by convicted felon
State of Florida v. T.E.
Not guilty
See more results
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
If you were just arrested
A charge is not a conviction. Here’s what happens next.
Call us, before you answer questions
The consultation is free, and what you say to police can’t be unsaid. Call first: (850) 444-7444.
First appearance, usually within 24 hours
Bond and release conditions get decided fast, and the trajectory of a case is often set in its first day. The earlier we step in, the more we can shape both.
We take it from here
Evidence, witnesses, motions, negotiation, and if it serves you, trial. We keep you informed at every stage, and the phones are answered around the clock.
From the office on E. La Rua Street to the courthouse downtown: the same two attorneys walk your case from first appearance to verdict.
Client reviews
Treated like family, defended like it too
4.9 stars across 175+ Google reviews.
“I cannot recommend James Barnes highly enough. From the very beginning, he treated me with respect, listened to my concerns, and made me feel confident that I was in good hands.”Katie T.Google review
“James Barnes operates at a level of legal precision and strategic sophistication that is rarely encountered in criminal defense.”Bernard R.Google review
“A superior attorney who knows how to treat his clients. James handled my case like I was a close friend. From start to finish I felt he had everything under control.”Will C.Google review
Recognition
Awards, memberships & media appearances
Free consultation · 24/7
Call Barnes Law now. We’ll take it from here.
Before you talk to anyone else, talk to us. Nights, weekends, and holidays included.
(850) 444-7444
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