Plea bargaining is an under-rated lawyering skill. Each Law And Order episode has about one minute of plea negotiations and 20 minutes of trial. That show would have us believe every case goes to trial. The reality is that fewer than five percent of criminal cases go to trial. The…
I’m moving my office to a new location. Beginning in October of 2011, my office is located in suite 450 of the Mettler Toledo building at 1900 Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio. The building is pretty hard to miss: it’s a six-story office building at the intersection of Interstate 71…
Justin’s buddy was arrested for O.V.I. (D.U.I.) and called Justin to pick him up at the police station. Being a good friend, Justin drove to the police station. When he arrived, Justin was greeted by an officer who noticed that Justin had glazed eyes, slurred speech, and an odor of…
What happens in Vegas in the fall is the annual seminar “DWI Means Defend With Integrity”. The seminar is presented by the National College For DUI Defense <!–(NCDD)–> and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). The seminar is great because these two organizations are the best sources of…
Plea bargaining is part of the criminal justice system. If there weren’t plea bargains in large jurisdictions with high volumes of cases, the system would quickly be overwhelmed and log-jammed. In certain types of cases, however, there are no plea bargains. One of those case types is a “game day…
It’s hard to believe that time of year is here already. Kids are going back to school, the leaves will soon be changing colors, and law enforcement is cracking down on D.U.I./O.V.I. in the Columbus, Ohio area. This weekend in central Ohio, officers are operating four D.U.I. checkpoints. One checkpoint…
In Miami, there’s nothing strange or tragic about a police officer riding down the beach on an ATV. What makes this incident strange is the on-duty officer is taking a female passenger on a joyride while he’s on duty. What makes this incident tragic is the officer plows into two…
“Shawn, it’s Joe Smith. You’re not going to believe this, but….” I believe it, because I’ve received this call more than once. My client has a D.U.I. (O.V.I.) pending, we’re scheduled to go back to court soon, and the client is charged with a second D.U.I. This recently happened in…
The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution says a defendant in a criminal prosecution shall enjoy the right to be confronted with the witnesses against him. The extent of that right has undergone significant changes by courts interpreting the Constitution. A recent example is the case of Bullcoming v.…
Suddenly, there are flashing lights in your rear-view mirror. ‘What did I do?’ The officer slowly approaches your window. “Good evening. I noticed you had some trouble staying in your lane back there. I need to see your license, registration, and proof of insurance.” The nervousness makes it nearly impossible…