Monthly Archives: September 2017

No Freebies, Judge or Not

Not really a ‘truth is stranger than fiction‘ moment per se, but last week a Snohomish County superior court judge plead guilty to drunken driving. The incident that gave rise to the charge occurred on August 26, 2017, and involved the judge’s car spinning out, striking a concrete barrier and coming to rest facing oncoming… Continue Reading »

Wiping the Record Clearn

When expungement of an arrest or conviction is an option in a state or county, in most instances a person’s criminal record must meet certain standards in order to qualify for the process. Whether or not a person is eligible for expungement will usually depend on a number of factors, which includes: 1) the amount… Continue Reading »

The ‘Bad Apple’ Affect

When talking with potential domestic violence defendants, they and their families often wonder why the government is so unreasonable to deal with during negotiations. Often the alleged victim is not ‘on board’ with the prosecution and just wants the prosecution to ‘drop the case’. They cannot understand why the prosecutor continues to vigorously pursue the… Continue Reading »

You are Guaranteed the Assistance of Counsel

So you have been charged with a crime and now you are in need of an attorney? A criminal defendant’s right to an attorney is found in the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires the “assistance of counsel” for the accused in all criminal prosecutions. This means that a defendant has a constitutional… Continue Reading »

When is Self Defense OK?

When is it ok to assault another person? That may seem like an easy question to answer – never, right? Well not so fast there Henry. In the State of Washington, it just may be ok to hurt or even kill someone if you are legitimately defending yourself, someone else, or perhaps even your property.… Continue Reading »

Three Strikes and You Are Out!

The “three strikes” law has been implemented in many States, where in which a defendant with three violent felony convictions may be sentenced to life in imprisonment. In addition to “three strikes” laws, other state and all federal criminal statutes include mandatory sentences that require judges to impose identical sentences on all persons convicted of… Continue Reading »

Deferred Prosecution is not the Easy Out

Many folks often wonder when they – or a loved one – are facing a first time DUI if there is a ‘get out of jail free/ one bite at the apple’ scenario available in Washington State. Unfortunately, the answer is a big fat ‘no’. The only thing that comes even close to such an option is… Continue Reading »

Criminal Case Theory

Soon after a defendant explains his or her story to a criminal lawyer, they will probably collaborate with each other to come up with a strategy that will work best in court. Generally speaking, this strategy will be based upon the story that the defendant tells his or her attorney, but in most cases will… Continue Reading »