Felons in California are subject to many penalties, even after they serve their time and pay off their criminal fines. The good news is that California does not restrict the constitutional rights of felons nearly as much as other states. Unfortunately, the state still does have many restrictions on what felons are not able to […]
Service Animal Fraud in California
Thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, persons with service animals can bring their trained companion animals wherever they go, including restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and other places where pets are prohibited. But some people falsely claim their pet is a service animal, so they can take the creature wherever they go or live in […]
Is Lying to the Police a Felony in California?
You can’t be charged with obstruction of justice if you refuse to speak with the police, no matter how many police procedurals say otherwise. But while you have the right to remain silent (as long as you do it right by properly invoking your Fifth Amendment rights) and to have a lawyer present when you […]
Civil Asset Forfeiture in California
When someone is accused of a crime, they will typically be arrested and charged in court. Strangely, if any physical property is believed to be tied in with the crime, it too may end up heading to the police station under the asset forfeiture laws of California. This strange process has its roots in English […]
Who Are The Worst Fictional Lawyers of All Time?
Always do your research when looking for the right defense lawyer because you don’t want to end up with someone inexperienced. Still, even the average not-so-great real-life attorney will have nothing on these famous bad lawyers. If they were real rather than just existing in TV shows, these lawyers wouldn’t just be the worst —they […]
Why Attorneys are Unlikely to Use an Insanity Plea in California
In movies and TV shows, lawyers are constantly arguing that their clients are not guilty by reason of insanity to allow their obviously guilty clients to spend time in an institution before quickly being shuffled back into the public. In reality, though, the insanity defense is used in less than one percent of criminal trials […]
Hazing in Vista Under California Penal Code 245.6 (PC)
One of the first things people associate with fraternities is the centuries-old tradition of hazing new pledges. Still, after multiple students died during hazing activities over the years, many states, including California, started banning dangerous initiation rituals. While not all forms of hazing are illegal, those likely to result in injuries are. If you have […]
CSI in Real Life Vs TV: 8 Common Myths
Crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Dexter, Law & Order, and Criminal Minds have allowed the public to explore the work of forensic science labs. The only problem? What makes for good television doesn’t reflect the realities of crime scene investigation units. Many investigation techniques seen on screen are exaggerated or outright fabricated. Unfortunately, many jurors […]
Can You Be Forced to Testify Against Your Spouse?
Many people understand that spouses can’t be forced to testify against one another, but the ins and outs of marital privilege are a bit complex. Since we’ve previously discussed how privileged communications work between lawyers and clients, patients and therapists, doctors and patients, and priests and worshipers, it seems only appropriate to discuss the marital […]
What Interrogation Techniques do Police Use?
When you are accused of a crime, the police will often work on coaxing you to confess —even if you didn’t actually do it. To do this, police officers rely on several tried and true interview techniques, such as the well-known good cop/bad cop technique. While a skilled criminal defense attorney may be able to […]
