What Outcomes Are Possible Once Your Case Is Scheduled for Trial?

Trials are risky. The judge in your case can affect the outcome. Juries can be fickle. Sometimes, one or a few jurors can dominate other jurors and persuade other jurors to reach an unjust verdict. While defendants are presumed innocent in criminal cases, juries often find police officers the most credible witnesses. In effect, at…

Read More

When to Consider a Plea Bargain

The ideal for every criminal defendant is to have the criminal charges dismissed before trial. While a jury may acquit you, jury trials carry serious risks. For starters, the jury pool in Tennessee is drawn from registered voters. Voters in this state typically are conservative and often believe a police officer over a person charged…

Read More

Why You Should Request a Due Process Hearing for Your Child’s IEP

Parents of children with special needs or disabilities know that their children assistance to learn and reach their potential in the school setting.  Some school districts however do not or will not offer the services that these children need.  Federal and state law serves to protect these children but too often parents do not know…

Read More

What Is the Chain of Custody of Evidence?

In criminal cases, when the government seizes any evidence, the government must show that it properly stored the evidence. Properly storing evidence means that there was no opportunity to tamper with the evidence. Chain of custody refers to the methods the prosecution uses to preserve the evidence. In particular, the chain of custody refers to…

Read More

A School’s Duty to Prevent and Respond to Cyberbullying

In ordinary times, students face challenges in school. In addition to the academic pressures, students face academic and social pressures. They grow, mature, and interact with each other. While many of these development issues are constructive, other issues can be destructive. Students deal with peer pressure and want to fit in. The Internet and social…

Read More

Grand Juries: How They Work

In American law, there are two types of juries: grand juries and petit juries. A petit jury decides guilt or innocence after a criminal trial (or the money damages in a civil trial). For some criminal matters, however, there is a grand jury. Generally, but not always, a person is arrested, is arraigned, has a…

Read More

Contracts: The Reality

Quite often, after issues arise, individuals pointedly complain that the terms of a contract that they signed and entered are unfair and one-sided. After explaining how and why they trusted the business or individual who wrote the contract and asked or persuaded them to sign it, they believe that they should not be forced to…

Read More

How a Lawyer Can Help You Craft an Operating Agreement for Your Small Business

There are a few standard types of business arrangements for commercial companies and nonprofits. Each of these have unique issues and guidelines for conducting their daily operations. The main types of business structures are: A sole proprietorship A partnership A limited liability company A corporation There are financial, tax, operational, and practical issues that govern…

Read More

Sovereign Citizens and the Courts

A “sovereign citizen” holds the belief that he or she is not a citizen of the United States or of any state. Though it seems now that the “sovereign citizen” argument is heard more frequently in the courts, the courts have traditionally rejected it (and continue to do so). Their arguments are passionately made, and…

Read More

What Is a Qui Tam Lawsuit?

The False Claims Act (FCA) is a federal law that provides important protections for the federal government against different types of fraud. Individuals who defraud the government by issuing false claims are targeted by this law. These claims can include demands for money from the government. Any person who knowingly issues a false claim, causes…

Read More