Articles Posted in Legal

As a criminal defense attorney, I earn my living representing people who’ve been arrested and charged with crimes. That doesn’t mean that I reserve giving out legal advice to clients only. The US legal system can be tricky to figure out, so in some cases, I give out free lawyer advice to people, even if they don’t become clients. Getting free lawyer advice from me doesn’t mean you should represent yourself in court should you end up on the wrong side of the law. This advice is meant to help you make the best decisions should you get arrested or need help in the court room.

Know Your Rights

The best piece of legal advice I or any lawyer can give you is to know your rights. Our country has laws that are designed to protect people when they are arrested. In some cases, people aren’t aware of these laws or don’t realize that they have certain rights after an arrest. If you are arrested, the police need to read you the Miranda warning:

While some celebrities use their fame and fortune to make the world a better place, others can’t seem to figure out how to behave in a positive way. Celebrity arrests happen over and over – in a lot of cases, it’s the same famous person getting arrested repeatedly. Some celebrities have made a second career out of run-ins with the law and are now more [in]famous for their arrest records than for their acting careers.

Lindsay Lohan

Let’s call Ms. Lohan the queen of celebrity arrests. E! Online has made a nice timeline of her arrests, which started in 2007. The most recent was in March of 2013. I think the thing that makes Lohan’s many arrests so controversial is that she doesn’t seem to get the message. Despite being sent to rehab, placed on probation, and spending time in jail, she kept drinking and drugging. Word is that she’s completely sober now – and I can only hope it lasts.

Lawyers – we’re everywhere, including in a number of classic and soon-to-be classic movies. Some of my favorite movies have given birth to great quotes. These are lines you can repeat to other people, lawyer or not, and have them get what you’re talking about. If you haven’t seen some of these movies, I recommend you stream or borrow them as soon as possible.

To Kill a Mockingbird

There are so many great things about the 1962 film version of To Kill a Mockingbird, including this quote from attorney Atticus Finch: “You never really understand a person . . . until you consider things from his point of view.” Finch is talking to Scout, his young daughter, but I think it sums up the theme of the movie perfectly.