Experienced Advocacy On Your Side
The first time a parent in juvenile court said to me, “I brought my child to court so that court would teach my child respect. But we just keep coming back and nothing changes. The Judge, DJJ they don’t do anything.” My initial response was wonder. Really, a parent thought a government agency and/or a court could fix that type…
When a Court orders a parent into drug/alcohol rehabilitation, the Court means now. Does entering rehabilitation mean that child will be returned to the parent immediately? Absolutely not. Rehabilitation requires following a plan and succeeding in small steps as the plan moves forward. The best results come when the employees from the rehab facility testify about the progress and success…
Clients bring me their plan. The plan to convince the Court that the situation has changed; the client is new person. The most significant hurdle for clients in this situation is themselves. “I’ll start after my case is over.” “My friend owes me money. Once they pay up, I’ll change.” Whatever the condition, it’s always tomorrow. Understand, as I’ve said…
During jury deliberations in a criminal jury trial, a jury must reach a unanimous verdict. All the jurors- 12 for felonies or 6 for misdemeanors- must agree about whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. If after some period of time the jury cannot decide on a verdict, the judge may declare a mistrial. The mistrial will be referred…
Why do foster parents need a book? The court system is confusing. No one clearly advises or advocates for Foster Parents within this juvenile court system. Caregiver’s Compass provides an innovative and informative guide for Foster Parents to learn the processes and keep track of necessary information. After years of watching Foster Parents struggle with their role and desperately wanting to advocate…
Frequently the State charges a client with possession with intent to distribute a drug. The client may have possessed scales, packaging equipment-sandwich bags, and some amount of an illegal or controlled drug. In other cases, the intent to distribute can stem from the weight of the drug found. Clients often recount that the drugs were just to share, “I didn’t…
More or more often, Courts order drug/alcohol rehabilitation as a condition of any bond set for known drug abusers. These defendants happily agree. After spending months in rehabilitation, the defendant returns to Court to discover any negotiated resolution of their case requires time in prison. “What? I’m a new person. I’ve changed.” And yet, the State seeks to punish a defendant…
Every person charged with a crime in the United State has a right to a jury trial. Clients decide from time to time that a trial is necessary. In those instances, when the prosecutor would not bend and the balance to obtain a dismissal or reach a negotiated plea never shifted, we have a jury trial. Jury trials are a right…
A plea of guilty is a frequent outcome for criminal cases. As a part of a sentence, a defendant may be subject to a special set of rules, or conditions of probation. These rules could include a Fourth Amendment Waiver, a requirement to the defendant to take drug tests, and/or any number of other conditions that a lot of people…
I’ve put together a simplified timeline for juvenile court. The internal workings of juvenile court require more explanation. This timeline is an initial approach for the uninitiated attorney. The goals of a case plan, itemized in a chart don’t always make sense to a client. Identifying the goal, writing it down, breaking the goal into the necessary parts, all this…