Child pornography convictions range from state court misdemeanors to federal court five-year mandatory minimums for first time offenders or fifteen-year mandatory minimums for defendants with a prior. Otherwise innocent people, who simply download child pornography on to their computer from…
Read More
If you are reading this on your employer’s computer, you might be committing a federal crime. Any person who obtains information from any computer connected to the internet, in violation of his employer’s computer use restrictions, is guilty of a…
Read More
Marijuana law is another example of why you need an attorney who practices in both federal and California courts.
Federal Marijuana law trumps California medical marijuana laws. According to the United States Supreme Court, in Gonzales v. Raich (2005), the…
Read More
The United States Supreme Court has ordered the State of California to
reduce its prison population. According to Supreme Court Justice Antonin
Scalia, the order is a “radical” one that will force the release of a
“staggering number” of felons.…
Read More
People frequently ask whether they can legally possess a gun. The answer is sometimes complicated because California state and federal law both come into play. Experienced lawyers can clear things up, and in some cases actually help restore your right…
Read More
Just as a DUI arrest leads to both criminal and DMV administrative cases, a DUI conviction leads to criminal and DMV related consequences. This post familiarizes you with these two tracks of consequences.
First Offense
If you are convicted of…
Read More
You can minimize the evidence obtained at all stages of an arrest by the Placer DUI investigating officers by sticking to the following script.
Initial Stop
When you are pulled over and approached by a Placer DUI investigating officer, roll…
Read More
The previous blog entry introduced you to the importance of evidence in a DUI case. This blog discusses the various ways in which Placer DUI investigating officers obtain the evidence later used to support the Placer County District Attorney’s case.…
Read More
Just because you were arrested for DUI and your blood alcohol level was above .08 % does not mean you should simply plead guilty at the first opportunity. There are a variety of DUI defenses that are available in a…
Read More
People who drive big-rigs, busses, tank trucks or other commercial vehicles are subject to stricter rules regarding driving while under the influence of alcohol. This post discusses the laws related specifically to DUI regarding commercial drivers and the harsh consequences…
Read More
This post discusses issues related to the DMV license suspension that results from a DUI arrest. The DMV suspension mater should not be overlooked because there may be strategic advantages to proceeding thoroughly and with an experienced DUI Attorney.
Read More
The legal consequences become more severe with each DUI conviction. This section outlines the increase in penalties for multiple misdemeanor DUI offenses and also discusses frequently charged DUI enhancements. The penalties related to felony DUIs with prior offenses are more severe than the above and are not covered in this blog.
Read More
There are several offenses related to DUIs that are commonly charged in Placer County and the other 57 California Counties. This post discusses the most frequent examples: Baby DUI, Wet and Reckless, Driving on a Suspended License, and Hit and Run.
Read More
There are several felony DUI/DWI charges in California including driving drunk while intoxicated and causing injury, DUI with three prior offenses on the driver’s record and DUI with a prior vehicle manslaughter conviction.
Read More
If you have been charged with a misdemeanor DUI, it is vital that you consult a DUI attorney with experience handling such cases. DUI cases are complex, frequently involve constitutional issues and often require expert analysis and testimony.
Read More
This final post of the drug diversion blog series discusses the Placer County Drug Court program
Read More
This post outlines the Proposition 36 treatment program in Placer County, and is part 2 of a part blog series on the drug diversion program.
Read More
Part 1 of the 3 part drug diversion blog series discusses Deferred Entry of Judgment.
Read More
This post discusses the laws surrounding medical marijuana dispensaries, cooperatives and collectives. It also discusses the November, 2010 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
Read More
This first blog in the our next series discusses the California and federal laws related to medical marijuana.
Read More
This fifth and final part of our domestic violence series deals with being sentenced of a domestic violence case, probation eligibility, court ordered programs and firearm implications.
Read More
This fourth post in the series covers things to be aware of when dealing with restraining orders.
Read More
This third post in the series details what to do if you should find yourself involved in a domestic violence case, and it details some of the common defenses found for those cases as well.
Read More
The second post in the series covers victims that no longer wish to press charges, testify, or make a statements regarding the domestic violence case. This five part blog series will cover domestic violence.
Read More
The first of five posts discusses the formation of the Placer County Domestic Violence Court and the Family Violence Unit of the Placer County District Attorney's Office. It also outlines the most common domestic violence offenses. This five part blog series will cover domestic violence.
Read More
The California Supreme Court recently issued an important decision regarding sex offenders. In
In re E.J., et al (2010) 47 Cal.4
th 1258, the court considered two main questions related to Proposition 83 residency restriction that became effective on November 8,…
Read More
If you are required to register under California Sex Offense Registration laws, what can you do in order to avoid further run-ins with the law regarding your registration requirement? What are the registration obligations of the offender?
If you were convicted…
Read More
This post discusses the differences between offenses requiring a person to list their information on Megan’s Law, non-posting required offenses, and those offenses requiring no registration at all. It also discusses ways to avoid being convicted of a sex offense…
Read More
It’s no secret that if you have been convicted of a sex offense in California, you are likely required to register as a sex offender. However, you may not realize that not all sex offense convictions require you to register. …
Read More
What is a Certificates of Rehabilitation? Who is eligible? How can you recieve an Early Termination of Probation?
If you are sentenced to prison you are not eligible to later expunge the conviction. However, you may be eligible to obtain a certificate of…
Read More
As you have been learning in the previous posts on this topic, there are many benefits to cleaning up your California criminal history record. Let’s now learn about sealing and destroying arrest records.
There are several different circumstances in which records…
Read More
In this series of blog posts concerning criminal records in California, we have covered details about what a criminal record really means, how to obtain your own criminal history record, how an adverse record can effect you and how to…
Read More
Did you know there are several ways to have convictions completely dismissed from your record? What are dismissal options and the methods to accomplish this?
There are several ways to have convictions dismissed from your record including reducing your felony…
Read More
It is vital for you to know what your criminal history record in California is before you can do anything about cleaning it up.
If you have a criminal history record, there are ways to clean it up to minimize…
Read More
If you are currently charged with committing a criminal offense in California it is important that you understand that your decisions in this phase of handling your case will likely affect what is reported on your criminal record. In many cases…
Read More
Drinking while driving is always a bad idea. If you do drink and decide to get behind the wheel in Placer County, you could be facing harsh consequences if you are pulled over. You will need to hire an experienced defense…
Read More
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) are both considered drunk driving.
You can be charged with a drunk driving offense if you drive with a blood alcohol level over the state’s maximum permissible blood alcohol limit.…
Read More
The police have been trained to get you to say things that are ultimately against your interest. They are trying to find suspects in a crime, and getting you to say such things is part of their job. The technique…
Read More
We’ve all seen it in the movies or on TV. The police bring in a suspect to question about an incident and, most likely, to accuse him or her of perpetrating the criminal activity. One cop plays the ”Bad Cop”, the hard-nosed,…
Read More
The best way to handle encounters with law enforcement is to take the necessary steps to reduce the chance that an encounter will occur in the first place. However, if you are confronted by a law enforcement officer you should…
Read More
In the event that you are taken into custody by law enforcement officials, there are some things that you should always keep in mind. The first one is, of course, to remain silent until you speak to an attorney. This…
Read More
We’ve all heard it in a hundred different cop shows. “You have the right to remain silent”. Law enforcement officers are required to remind suspects of this right. Some use it, some waive it. But why is it important that…
Read More
If you should have an encounter with law enforcement, and you’re not sure what to do or how to make sure your rights are respected, an attorney can step in and offer the professional, knowledgeable help you need.
First and…
Read More
Well, I did it! I finally decided to enter the world of Blogging. I look forward to sharing interesting stories and useful information to those who are facing criminal charges and those who have loved ones who are facing such charges.
As you…
Read More
