Ranked #1 in University Heights
Based in Shaker Heights, 2 mi away
74/100LFR Score
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 393 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in University Heights, OH (2026)
Top 50 of 160 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank
25 of the 50 criminal defense lawyers on this list post 24/7 hours. 24/7 law firms come first, then same-day, each ranked by LFR Score with availability weighted higher.
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
The short answer
- 1
#1 for emergency criminal defense in University Heights: The Botnick Law Firm | DUI/OVI and Criminal Defense Attorneys, open 24/7.
Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
Top emergency criminal defense lawyers in University Heights at a glance
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
| Rank | Business | LFR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Botnick Law Firm | DUI/OVI and Criminal Defense Attorneys | 74 | 5.0★ (393) | Shaker Heights, 2 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 2 | Quinn Legal Associates | 73 | 4.9★ (473) | Euclid, 8 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 3 | Watson Kuhlman, LLC | 72 | 4.9★ (345) | Cleveland, 8 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 4 | HMW Law | 72 | 4.8★ (364) | Cleveland, 8 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 5 | Brad Wolfe Law, L.L.C. | Cleveland Criminal Defense Attorney | 71 | 5.0★ (150) | Mayfield Heights, 5 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 6 | Patituce & Associates - Ohio Criminal Defense Attorneys | 71 | 4.7★ (235) | Cleveland, 8 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 7 | The Elkhatib Law Office | Cleveland Criminal Defense | 70 | 4.9★ (156) | Cleveland, 9 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 8 | Zukerman, Lear, Murray & Brown Co., L.P.A. | Cleveland Criminal Defense Attorneys | 70 | 4.8★ (105) | Cleveland, 6 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 9 | Cuyahoga Criminal Defense | 70 | 5.0★ (98) | Cleveland, 9 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 10 | William B Norman-Defending Ohio | 69 | 4.9★ (226) | Berea, 19 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in University Heights now
24-hour hours mean the firm lists itself as open around the clock on Google; that does not show its phone is answered. A lawyer may not be able to visit a jail or appear in court the same day: ask what they can do now and what it costs before you agree.
- #1Call (216) 238-3552
#1The Botnick Law Firm | DUI/OVI and Criminal Defense Attorneys
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 393 Google reviews
- #2Call (440) 516-3800
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 473 Google reviews
- #3Call (216) 279-9022
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 345 Google reviews
- #4Call (216) 369-1352
#4HMW Law
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 364 Google reviews
- #5Call (216) 815-6000
#5Brad Wolfe Law, L.L.C. | Cleveland Criminal Defense Attorney
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 150 Google reviews
- #6Call (440) 771-1175
#6Patituce & Associates - Ohio Criminal Defense Attorneys
Open 24/7 · 4.7 from 235 Google reviews
- #7Call (216) 616-7305
#7The Elkhatib Law Office | Cleveland Criminal Defense
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 156 Google reviews
- #8Call (216) 696-0900
#8Zukerman, Lear, Murray & Brown Co., L.P.A. | Cleveland Criminal Defense Attorneys
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 105 Google reviews
The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in University Heights, ranked
24/7 first, then same-day service, then the rest. Each group is in LFR Score order on emergency weights. The full ranking of all 160 is on the criminal defense lawyers page.
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.
Based in Euclid, 8 mi away
73/100LFR ScoreRanked #2 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 473 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
72/100LFR ScoreRanked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 345 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
#4 HMW Law
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
72/100LFR ScoreRanked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 364 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Mayfield Heights, 5 mi away
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 150 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
71/100LFR ScoreRanked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 235 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 9 mi away
70/100LFR ScoreRanked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 156 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 6 mi away
70/100LFR ScoreRanked #8 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 105 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 9 mi away
70/100LFR ScoreRanked #9 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 98 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Berea, 19 mi away
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 226 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Lyndhurst, 3 mi away
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 64 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 1 mi away
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 39 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
69/100LFR ScoreRanked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 99 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
68/100LFR ScoreRanked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 69 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Brook Park, 15 mi away
68/100LFR ScoreRanked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 81 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
68/100LFR ScoreRanked #16 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 56 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Lyndhurst, 6 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 28 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cuyahoga Falls, 25 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 169 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Strongsville, 22 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 169 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Akron, 29 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 199 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Garfield Heights, 9 mi away
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 37 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 4 mi away
66/100LFR ScoreRanked #22 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 11 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 10 mi away
66/100LFR ScoreRanked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 18 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
#24 Godinsky Law LLC
Based in Strongsville, 20 mi away
65/100LFR ScoreRanked #24 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 42 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based in Cleveland, 8 mi away
65/100LFR ScoreRanked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.2★ from 21 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Top 50 of 160 criminal defense lawyers by emergency score
#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile.
How we ranked emergency criminal defense lawyers in University Heights
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 15% | Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it |
| Bar status | 10% | An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded) |
| Review volume | 10% | Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the list |
| Recency | 10% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months |
| Availability | 15% | Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7 |
| Practice focus | 15% | How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name) |
| Proximity | 5% | An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is |
| Claimed profile | 10% | The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same) |
| Law Firms Ranked reviews | 10% | Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there are |
Emergency criminal defense lawyers in University Heights: questions
Which criminal defense lawyers in University Heights are open 24/7?
25 on this list post 24/7 hours, including The Botnick Law Firm | DUI/OVI and Criminal Defense Attorneys, Quinn Legal Associates, Watson Kuhlman, LLC, HMW Law and Brad Wolfe Law, L.L.C. | Cleveland Criminal Defense Attorney.
Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in University Heights, OH?
The Botnick Law Firm | DUI/OVI and Criminal Defense Attorneys is #1, with an LFR Score of 74 out of 100 on emergency weights.
How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in University Heights ranked?
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
What should I do before the criminal defense lawyer arrives?
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
How many emergency criminal defense lawyers here list a phone number?
25 of the 25 law firms ranked in full list a phone number. Tap Call to dial it.
Update log for University Heights
- November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 160 criminal defense lawyers serving University Heights.