Brooks Law Firm
Short answer: a misdemeanor shoplifting charge in Shelby County General Sessions at 201 Poplar starts at $750 as a flat attorney fee, and so does a misdemeanor shoplifting charge in the Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville municipal courts. If the value alleged is more than $1,000 the charge is felony theft, which starts at $1,500. A case with contested proof, several incidents aggregated into one charge, or a prior theft record runs above the floor, and a case set for trial is quoted separately. Those are attorney fees. Court costs, restitution, the store’s civil demand, and the expungement filing fee are separate.
We quote your exact flat fee after a free consultation. Call the office at (901) 324-5000 or call or text the criminal line at 901-412-2973.
Shoplifting lawyer fees by court
| Court | Misdemeanor, $1,000 or less | Felony, more than $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby County General Sessions, 201 Poplar (Memphis Police and Sheriff citations) | from $750 | from $1,500 |
| Germantown Municipal Court | from $750 | from $1,500 |
| Bartlett City Court | from $750 | from $1,500 |
| Collierville Municipal Court | from $750 | from $1,500 |
| Fayette, Tipton, Haywood, and Lauderdale County | Quoted after review | Quoted after review |
| Theft of $2,500 or more, or any case set for trial | — | Quoted after review |
These are starting points, not a menu. Where your case lands depends on what it actually requires once we have read the affidavit and the loss prevention report and seen the video. That evaluation is part of the free consultation, and the number we give you is the number. Felony theft bound over to Criminal Court, a second or later theft charge, and organized retail theft allegations are quoted after review.
What the fee covers
- Every setting in that court, including the ones where nothing happens but attendance is still required. In most misdemeanor cases we appear for you at the early settings.
- The State’s file. The affidavit of complaint, the loss prevention or store report, the video, and the property receipt. We request the video early, because store systems overwrite on a cycle measured in weeks.
- The valuation. Checking the dollar figure item by item against fair market value, which is what the statute asks for, rather than the retail price the report uses.
- Negotiating with the prosecutor toward dismissal, judicial diversion, a resolution coordinated with the merchant, or an amendment off the theft column.
- The civil demand letter. Advising you on the store’s letter so that nothing you write reaches the criminal file.
- A straight answer on whether the case is worth trying, quoted separately if it is.
What moves the fee inside the range
- The value alleged. The single biggest factor, because it sets the class of the offense and therefore which court the case lives in. A report that totals $1,050 is a felony on paper and often a misdemeanor in fact.
- Prior record. A prior theft conviction narrows the available resolutions and raises the exposure, which means more work for the same charge.
- Aggregated incidents. Several visits added together into one count take considerably more review than a single stop, and whether they can be aggregated at all is its own question.
- Contested proof. Self-checkout cases, concealment-only cases, and cases where loss prevention departed from its own procedure turn on video that has to be obtained and analysed frame by frame.
- Who you are. A student, a visa holder, a nurse, a teacher, or anyone with a security clearance needs the resolution chosen with those consequences in mind, and that takes more care than the charge alone would.
- Trial. A case prepared for trial costs more than one resolved by negotiation, and most of that is preparation rather than the day itself.
Why a suburban case can cost more than the floor
The theft statute is the same in every court in Tennessee. The work is not. Germantown sits one evening a week. Bartlett runs two divisions on different days and applies its process more strictly than its neighbors, which means more settings and fewer informal resolutions. Collierville’s docket moves with the official schedule and holidays. Each has its own judge, its own prosecutor, and its own way of handling discovery and continuances, and each is a separate trip across the county. The floor is the same $750 because a routine first-offense case is routine anywhere. A contested one moves further from the floor in a suburban court than it does at 201 Poplar, and we will tell you that at the consultation rather than after.
What is not included
- Court costs and fines, paid to the court. A dismissal on costs still has costs.
- Restitution to the store, where it is part of the resolution.
- The civil demand letter. A separate civil claim by the store. Paying it does not dismiss the criminal charge, and we advise you on it before you respond.
- Diversion and expungement fees. Judicial diversion carries its own court fees, and the expungement at the end is a separate filing with its own fee. Budget for it from the start; the clean record is the point of the whole exercise.
- Bond, if you were arrested rather than cited.
Flat fee, not an hourly meter
We quote one flat fee for a defined scope of work, so you are not billed by the hour for every call or question. It removes the fear that asking a question costs money, and it means a case that takes an extra setting does not turn into an open-ended bill. The free consultation tells you the number in writing before you commit. Se habla Español. If paying at once is a hardship, ask. We would rather find an arrangement that works than have you walk into General Sessions without a lawyer.
Why the cheapest quote isn’t the whole story
Theft is a crime of dishonesty. A conviction goes directly to honesty on every background check for the rest of your life, licensing boards treat it as a character question, and immigration treats it as moral turpitude. A fee well below the market can mean a lawyer plans to plead it out at the first setting rather than get the video, test the number, and work the case toward a dismissal or diversion. The sentence on a first shoplifting charge is rarely the issue. The record is, and the record is what the fee buys. Learn more about how we defend shoplifting charges, or see what a theft lawyer costs across every value class.
Talk to a shoplifting lawyer — free
Tell us what the citation says and where it was written, and we will tell you the fee. Call the office at (901) 324-5000, or call or text the criminal line at 901-412-2973, for a free, confidential consultation. Court pages: Germantown · Bartlett · Collierville · Wolfchase.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a shoplifting lawyer cost in Memphis?
At Brooks Law Firm, a misdemeanor shoplifting charge of $1,000 or less in Shelby County General Sessions starts at $750 as a flat fee. Felony theft of more than $1,000 starts at $1,500. Court costs, restitution, and the store’s civil demand are separate.
How much does a shoplifting lawyer cost in Germantown, Bartlett, or Collierville?
A misdemeanor shoplifting charge in the Germantown, Bartlett, or Collierville municipal court starts at the same $750 flat fee. A contested case moves further from the floor in a suburban court than at 201 Poplar, because each court runs its own docket on its own days and is a separate trip.
Is the fee flat or hourly?
Flat. You get one number in writing after a free consultation, and it does not change because the case took an extra setting.
Does the fee cover the civil demand letter from the store?
Advising you on it, yes. Paying it, no. The civil demand is a separate claim by the store, and paying it does not dismiss the criminal charge. Bring the letter to us before you respond, because what you write can reach the criminal file.
What does diversion or expungement cost on top of the fee?
Judicial diversion carries court fees during the probationary period, and the expungement at the end is a separate filing with its own court fee. Both are paid to the court. We tell you the figures at the consultation so there are no surprises a year later.
Why is the store saying the value is over $1,000?
Loss prevention reports use retail price, count items that never left the store, and sometimes add separate visits together. The statute asks for fair market value of what was actually taken. On a case near the line, checking that number item by item is often the difference between a felony fee and a misdemeanor one, and between Criminal Court and General Sessions.