Halberg Criminal Defense

What Halberg Criminal Defense does

Halberg Criminal Defense is a privately held criminal defense law firm headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota (with a secondary Minneapolis location at 7900 Xerxes Avenue South). Founded in 2005 by Marsh Halberg, Tina Appleby, and Eric Nelson, the firm provides defense representation across all offense levels — from petty misdemeanors through homicide — in Minnesota state and federal courts, with several attorneys also licensed in Wisconsin. The firm self-describes as the largest criminal defense firm in Minnesota and fields a team of nine attorneys carrying over 140 years of combined legal defense experience.

The firm's core offering is end-to-end criminal defense representation across a wide practice surface: DWI/DUI defense (including breath/blood test challenges and license revocation), felony defense (murder, assault, drug offenses, burglary, robbery, kidnapping), sex crimes defense, white collar and federal crime defense, expungement, probation violation defense, and vehicle and property forfeiture defense. The practice relies on a traditional professional services model with no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed software products, and no AI tooling. Client acquisition is conducted exclusively direct-to-consumer through a 24/7 phone line (612-DEFENSE), online contact forms, and a content-rich SEO-driven website featuring legal Q&A pages and educational blogs.

Revenue is generated through quote-based legal fees tied to case type, severity, and complexity. The firm has no external funding, no parent company, no acquisitions, and no strategic partnerships — it operates as an independent partnership. Customer acquisition relies on organic search visibility, local citations, online legal directories, and word-of-mouth referrals. Practice areas are segmented horizontally within a single jurisdiction cluster centered on the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area and broader Minnesota, with selective Wisconsin coverage.

Name

Halberg Criminal Defense

Legal name

Halberg Criminal Defense

Website

https://halbergdefense.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Halberg Criminal Defense is a privately held Minnesota criminal defense law firm with nine attorneys providing representation to individuals charged with criminal offenses across all offense levels in state and federal court.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminal Defense Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ), Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Criminal defense representation
• DWI DUI defense
• Felony defense services
• Legal expungement services
• White collar defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Defense Services: Halberg Criminal Defense charges clients legal fees for criminal defense representation. Fee structure is quote-based depending on case type, complexity, and severity of charges. Services span from petty misdemeanors to homicide cases.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Halberg Criminal Defense is a Minnesota-based law firm that provides criminal defense legal representation for individuals charged with criminal offenses. The firm offers defense services across all matter types—from petty misdemeanors through homicide—in both Minnesota state and federal courts, with a team of nine attorneys covering DWI/DUI, felony, sex crime, white collar, drug, assault, theft, expungement, probation violation, and vehicle forfeiture matters.

Product overview

Halberg Criminal Defense is Minnesota's largest criminal defense law firm, offering comprehensive legal representation through a team of nine experienced attorneys with over 140 years of combined experience. Founded in 2005, the firm provides defense services across all criminal matter types—from petty misdemeanors to homicide cases—in both Minnesota and Wisconsin state and federal courts. The firm's core service portfolio includes DWI/DUI defense (encompassing breath and blood test challenges, ignition interlock matters, and license issues), felony defense (including murder, burglary, drug crimes, and sex offenses), white collar crime defense, and specialized services such as expungement and probation violation representation. The firm operates as a unified legal practice rather than a modular software platform, with attorneys matched to cases based on experience, geographic area, and licensing requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DWI/DUI Defense

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 140 years of combined legal defense experience across the team.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Meshbesher & Spence: Long-established Minneapolis-based criminal defense and personal injury firm with a multi-attorney team serving Minnesota state and federal courts — directly comparable in geography, practice mix, and consumer-facing criminal defense model.
• Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm: Twin Cities criminal defense firm with multiple attorneys handling DWI, drug, assault, and serious felony cases across Minnesota — comparable on practice areas, geography, and direct-to-consumer criminal defense positioning.
• Schaefer Halleen, LLC: Minneapolis-based criminal defense firm focused on DWI, felony, and serious criminal matters; comparable to Halberg on geography, primary practice areas, and consumer acquisition model.
• Keyser Law Firm: Minnesota criminal defense firm handling DWI, assault, drug, and felony cases statewide — comparable practice coverage and direct-to-consumer model with similar SEO-led acquisition.
• Tarrant Law Firm: Twin Cities criminal defense practice with similar DWI and felony focus; comparable in size, regional scope, and consumer-facing intake model.
• Carlson & Jones, PA: Minnesota criminal defense firm handling serious felony, DWI, and federal cases — comparable on case mix and Twin Cities service area.
• Gerald Miller Attorney at Law: Solo-to-small Minneapolis criminal defense practitioner covering DWI, assault, and felony defense — comparable on geography and practice focus, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Hennepin County Public Defender's Office: Government public defender serving indigent defendants in Hennepin County — not a commercial competitor, but the dominant institutional provider of criminal defense in the same geography and defines pricing benchmarks.

Others

• Avvo: Online legal directory and lawyer-matching platform that competes for criminal defense client acquisition — adjacent to Halberg's SEO/content-driven marketing funnel and a potential disintermediation threat.
• Minnesota Lawyer (magazine): Industry publication that has awarded multiple Halberg attorneys 'Attorney of the Year' — adjacent ecosystem player that influences referral flows and credibility in the Minnesota legal market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/halberg-criminal-defense

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Halberg Criminal Defense