Articles Tagged with attorney

Published on:

by

In an earlier post, I detailed an example of a lawyer who got herself into some trouble in an incident involving alcohol, police, and a whole bunch of negative publicity. That fiasco was the result of a series of poor decisions regarding her personal life that unfortunately affected her professional career. But certainly any attorney—or even a judge, for that matter—would never allow a lapse of professional conduct in the courtroom to jeopardize his or her career, right?

Prosecutors, district attorneys, and judges like to be viewed as “tough on crime.” In the case of judges, that’s how many of them get elected to their positions. Although many are objective, fair, and just in their rulings, there are some who secretly challenge the “innocent until proven guilty” paradigm of criminal proceedings. An unfortunate few officials have convinced themselves that anyone who stands before their bench must somehow be guilty; the question is, “how guilty?”

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

In February, Joe Hundley was aboard a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta to pay a final visit to his brain-dead son in the hospital and take him off of life support. He had not slept the previous night and was consuming alcohol as a method of coping with the pain and stress of the situation.

He was seated next to Jessica Bennett, who was holding her 19-month old son on her lap. When the flight made its final descent to Atlanta, Bennett’s son began crying. Hundley became agitated and allegedly leaned over to Bennett and told her to “shut that (N-word) baby up.” He repeated the phrase to Bennett before reportedly slapping the child on the face, leaving a scratch below his right eye.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

A Florida man Lazaro Sopena, wanted to help his new wife carry on her Vietnamese surname, and so decided to change his last name to Dinh when they were married in honor of his wife–opposite the usual custom of women adopting their husbands’ surnames.

After their marriage, he presented his marriage license to his local DMV showing that he had a new last name in effort to obtain an updated driver’s license, just as a woman would. The agency granted his request and issued a new license without any complications.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Imagine you’re in court, charged with a crime, telling a judge the facts surrounding your case that show your innocence. Now imagine a police officer taking the stand and contradicting everything you’ve just said. Who is the judge going to believe? Who would a jury believe? Overwhelmingly, in a battle of credibility, a cop is going to win most of the time.

Cops are sworn to serve and protect their communities, right? They dress sharp, they’re well-groomed, wear a shiny badge and appear completely trustworthy. On the witness stand, they are relaxed, confident, and nearly anyone is going to believe what they say.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Being arrested is not only embarrassing, but it can also endanger your employment, licensing, marriage, and reputation. And although you are technically “innocent until proven guilty,” society at large often doesn’t see it that way. Even though they don’t know all of the facts surrounding your case, if you were arrested, you were probably doing something you shouldn’t have been, right?

Not always. Arrests happen all the time, and not always with probable cause. In the case of DUI, field sobriety tests are designed to make you fail, even when sober. In a domestic violence call, an officer will make an arrest for even minor physical contacts, or when one party simply admits that some kind of physical contact occurred during their argument. People can be arrested for an assault and/or battery in self-defense, and mistaken identity occurs a lot more frequently than you would imagine.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

Let’s face it: If you don’t want to get pulled over by a police officer, you shouldn’t give him the finger as you’re driving by. But in case you do, he’s no longer allowed to pull you over and arrest you for that reason alone.

John Swartz was pulled over and arrested in May, 2006 when he allegedly flipped off a police officer who was using a radar gun to check the speed of passing vehicles. The officer claimed that he “thought there may have been a problem in the car” and “wanted to assure the safety of the passengers.” Swartz was later charged with the misdemeanor crime of disorderly conduct, which was later dismissed.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

The number of inmates in Orange County jails has increased in recent years, and so has the average length of time that these inmates remain incarcerated. This has resulted in a larger number of inmates requesting medical attention in recent years. The types of medical care authorities must provide to inmates (such as kidney dialysis) are also growing. To counter this trend, sheriff’s officials will begin charging inmates next year a medical “co-pay” of $3 per visit to the nurse.

Officials at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department maintain that the fee is not meant to be a punishment. Their argument is that while some inmates may be truly sick and need to see a nurse, others may take advantage of the medical facilities to meet with friends, exchange information, or simply to get out of their cell for a while.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

The California Department of Justice maintains a list of all criminal convictions on your record. This list is known as your Rap sheet. These convictions remain on this list for your lifetime. If you are having difficulty finding employment or obtaining professional licenses because of your criminal history, get a copy of your Rap sheet.

The process involves: Continue reading →

Published on:

by

On November 6, 2012, Californians voted in favor of Proposition 36, a ballot measure that allows for shorter sentences for some third-time offenders of the controversial “Three Strikes Law.”

The California Three Strikes Law was established in the 1990s and was intended to discourage repeat offenders from committing serious or violent crimes. Under the law, if a person is convicted of a serious or violent felony, it goes against their record as a “strike.” If he or she commits another serious or violent felony later, the sentencing gets harsher and a second strike is put on their record. Upon receiving a third strike, the criminal must be incarcerated in state prison for 25 years to life.

Continue reading →

Published on:

by

In 2011, Elizabeth Escalona, a 23-year old mother of five, allegedly attacked 2-year old daughter Jocelyn due to potty training problems. She kicked her in stomach, beat her with a milk jug, and glued her hands to an apartment wall with super glue, according to information brought at trial.

Jocelyn suffered brain bleeding, a fractured rib, bruises, and bite marks, according to doctor’s testimony. Some skin had been torn off her hands as a result of the glue. Glue residue was found on her hands, along with paint chips from the apartment wall. The girl was left in a coma for several days following her injuries. Jocelyn and her four siblings are now living in the protective care of their grandmother.

Continue reading →

Contact Information
19200 Von Karman Ave, #600
Irvine, CA 92612
Phone: (949) 477-8088 Fax: (949) 477-8089

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2016 – 2024, Law Offices Of Staycie R. Sena
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design