Staff

When most of us think about court, we think about attorney on this side and attorney on this side, battling it out, but you actually have a right to represent yourself in court. If you can represent yourself, why would you ever pay for an attorney? Well, if you represent yourself, you’re held to the same standard, the same ethical standard, the same knowledge standard, the same procedural standards as an attorney. But what I mean by that is, as an attorney I have three years of law school, I had to pass an examination. I personally have seven years of experience working with the prosecution office, and now I work for the defense side. So I have a little bit of knowledge that most people normally wouldn’t have based on objections, rules of evidence, things of that nature. What can happen if you represent yourself?

If you’re on a two year deferment for a DUI and there’s a gun in the car and you’re aware of it, then you can be hit with felon in possession of firearm or person on felony probation in possession of firearm or riding in a vehicle or a passenger in a vehicle, operating a vehicle in which a firearm is kept, residing in a residence where a firearm is kept, and that is a much more serious offense. Not only does it look like you are a dangerous felon who has firearms, but it can be used to accelerate your probation and your deferment making you have now two felony convictions, rather than just the one they’re trying to put on you or the one that was going to go away in a year or two. So what happens if you find yourself in this situation? Well, the first thing you should do is definitely not answer any questions. Evoke your right to silence

Domestic assault and battery is different than a regular assault and battery in that while they have the same acts, it’s one person hitting or striking, pushing, some type of contact with another person, a domestic assault and battery has another step to it, which is a relationship. You have to have some type of relationship with the person, whether that is a current or former boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, you have a kid together, you live in the same household or used to live in the same household, these are categories that make that relationship special when it comes to the law.