Yearly Archives: 2017

Can I Expunge my DUI?

A driving under the influence (DUI) arrest or conviction can have a negative impact on one’s ability to secure a job, get a student loan, rent an apartment or apply for credit, even if it seems completely unrelated or happened several years ago. Criminal record expungement laws vary from state to state. Some states do… Continue Reading »

Violation of Uniformed Controlled Substance Act

One of the most common offenses found in Courts across the United States, are drug offenses. Both the Federal and State drug possession laws make it a crime to willfully possess illegal controlled substances such as marijuana (with exception to certain states), methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, heroin and other controlled substances. These laws also criminalize the… Continue Reading »

Oh Canada – May I Come In?

Although we at SQ Attorneys don’t work on or near the Canadian border, a common question we get is whether a pending DUI can impact a person’s right to travel to Canada. It is of course well known in the DUI defense community that a DUI ‘conviction’ will absolutely impact a person’s right to travel… Continue Reading »

Miranda Back in the News

Throughout our criminal justice system it is well known that we all have the right to remain silent when confronted by law enforcement. In fact, officers have to tell us as much by way of the ‘Miranda Warning’. In 1966 the United States Supreme Court held in Miranda v. Arizona that the admission of an… Continue Reading »

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 »