Category: Uncategorized

The juvenile court system is different from the adult system in many ways. After committing an offense, juveniles are detained rather than arrested. Next, a petition is drawn up which outlines the jurisdiction authority of the juvenile court over the offense and detained individuals, gives notice for the reason for the court appearance, serves as… Continue Reading »

An interesting fact for those charged with domestic violence – in Washington there is a law that allows alleged victims to take leave from work. It is called the Domestic Violence Leave law, RCW 46.76. In short, RCW 46.76 authorizes victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to take ‘reasonable’ leave from work to… Continue Reading »

Expungement is a court-ordered process where the legal record of an arrest or a criminal conviction is sealed, or erased in the eyes of the law. When a conviction is expunged, the process may also be referred to as setting aside a criminal conviction. The availability of expungement, and the procedure for getting an arrest… Continue Reading »

For those facing a DUI in Washington State don’t get too excited or overly expectant when reading about Tiger Woods’ resolution of his Florida DUI case. Friday Tiger Woods is expected to enter a ‘diversion program’ for intoxicated drivers. It is one of several programs across the country aimed at reducing the number of repeat… Continue Reading »

Did you just plead guilty? … And you are not going to jail? Just probation? Has your lawyer advised you on what probation is and what will be required of you? Probation is the suspension of a jail sentence that allows a person convicted of a crime a chance to remain in the community, instead… Continue Reading »

Mega media outlets are at it yet again, wading into the sea of aggressively highlighting DUI’s and other types of criminal activity, albeit in a somewhat roundabout way. This past Monday an MSNBC panel slammed the National Football League for allowing players to continue playing after committing crimes, yet remain unified in their alleged outright banning of Colin Kaepernick (from their… Continue Reading »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »