(Client name and some details changed to protect privacy.)
On the surface, his life looks steady: skilled trade, steady job, people who care about him. Underneath, alcohol, conflict and a volatile relationship had dragged him into one of the hardest years of his life and into the criminal justice system.
This is his story of what he was facing, how he found attorney Ryan Pacyga, and why he says, looking back, “He wasn’t just there to represent me. He was like a father figure who pushed me to become a better me.”
The Charges and What Was at Stake
Jack faced domestic assault bodily harm charges connected to incidents with his ex.
The first incident started like too many do. Both partners had been drinking, an argument got heated and police were called. That case was ultimately reduced and dismissed as a misdemeanor.
But the second incident escalated much further.
He was staring down the possibility of significant time behind bars and a felony level impact on his future. Instead, with Ryan’s help, his sentence was reduced to 23 days in the workhouse, with release during the day to maintain his job, followed by probation and requirements for treatment and classes.
“What I could’ve been facing?” he says. “Who knows how much behind actual bars. Instead I’m doing 23 days workhouse. I still get to go to work every day. I still get to keep building my life.”
A Long, Hard Year
The two incidents were months apart. The court process stretched even longer.
From the first charge on January 1st through a second incident in May, and then into court dates, treatment and sentencing, it added up to well over a year of uncertainty.
During that time Jack continued working full time. He completed domestic abuse classes. He completed outpatient treatment for alcohol use. He reached one full year of sobriety. He stayed on top of requirements from probation.
“It’s been a good, long journey,” he says. “But it’s been rewarding in a sense. I’m sober now for a year. I don’t like violence. I don’t like being violent at all. When I drink, I get more emotional. Now, there’s some understanding from my end and the other person’s end. I feel a lot more at ease.”
The Moment Ryan Walked In
Jack did not even know that anyone outside the jail knew he had been arrested at first. He was sitting in a cell, alone with his thoughts.
“I was living by myself when it happened, so no one knew that I was locked up at first,” he says. “About a day later, I get a call that I have a lawyer in the office. I had no idea.”
He was brought to a room. The door opened.
“And there’s Ryan right there, ready to go,” Jack remembers. “He goes, ‘Your dad contacted me. He found out that you were [in jail] and he called me right away. So I’m here.’”
“I started crying. I was like, holy crap. My family is just always looking out for me. Ryan was there from day one, and so was his team. They got me through it.”
When the second incident happened, Ryan was still representing Jack on the first case. Jack called him again and hired him again.
“I had a hiccup,” Jack says. “He was understanding. Everyone was understanding. Obviously there’s certain things that I didn’t do and I did, but I’m taking accountability for what I did do. Ever since then I became sober and just a better me, with the help of Ryan and everybody else.”
“He Wasn’t Just There to Represent Me.”
When Jack talks about working with Ryan, the legal strategy matters. But what comes up first is how Ryan showed up as a person.
“He gave me a lot of just, like, upfront honesty about what’s going to happen,” Jack says. “And his stories about what he was like in his childhood. It was kind of like having that father figure, having him be there.”
“He’s not just there to represent me,” Jack says. “He’s there to also be someone important, a caretaker, an impact. His words of wisdom, just being honest with me, that motivated me to look back and realize what could happen if I don’t change certain things I’ve done. It was very pushing and motivating.”
Jack describes Ryan as honest and direct, with no sugar coating about what could happen. Personally invested, sharing his own story, not just reading from a file. Emotionally present. “He made me feel safer and comfortable even when I was upset about how things were going.”
Behind the Scenes: Fighting for a Fair Outcome
Jack also saw how much work Ryan was doing behind the scenes to push for a fair result.
“Ryan was pushing to find more answers from other people that were involved,” Jack explains. “He reached out to the aunt. He got involved with other people, seeing what they say, finding all the answers and putting it all into one story so we could really see what’s going on.”
At sentencing, Jack felt things sliding in an unfair direction.
“Especially with the last sentencing, it was going unfair a little bit,” Jack says. “I felt upset. And he made sure to get my word out and make everyone think. Seeing that made me feel a lot safer and comfortable.”
What does “winning” look like in a serious domestic case? For Jack, it meant avoiding a much longer sentence behind prison bars. It meant keeping his job and being allowed to leave the workhouse daily for work. It meant having the court see him as a whole person: his sobriety, his therapy and classes, his consistent work history, his efforts to change.
“He did all of his work to make sure that everyone knew me as a person, what I’ve been doing, and my story,” Jack says. “Instead of potentially having one or two or three other stories, lies or not lies or in between, he goes above and beyond.”
“They’re Just Good People.”
When asked what he most wants people to know about Ryan and the team, Jack does not overcomplicate it.
“I think really they’re just good people,” he says. “I obviously hope to never see them again. But I would recommend anybody that needs assistance to go to their law firm, because they are there for you.”
He had heard Ryan’s radio ads before. “I always hear them on 93X; it’s real, it’s true stuff.” But it was not until he was sitting in jail and Ryan walked in that he really understood what those messages meant.
“Ryan and his team and all my supporters, I’m here now,” Jack says. “I’m just getting done with the workhouse and looking forward to it, because then I just got probation. He got me there. It’s been awesome. I couldn’t be more thankful.”
If You Are Where Jack Was
If you are reading this because you, or someone you love, have been charged with a serious offense, you are probably scared, ashamed and unsure where to turn.
You need to know: you are more than the worst thing you have done. You need someone in your corner who sees that and will fight to make sure the court sees it too. Getting a better legal outcome and becoming a better version of yourself can happen at the same time.
Ryan and his team cannot promise the same result in every case. No lawyer can. But they can promise straight talk about what you are facing, relentless work to uncover the full story, and advocacy that treats you as a whole person, not just a case number.