A question that comes up occasionally in phone calls to my office or during consultations, is "do you take XXX legal plan or legal insurance"? It has come up enough times that I decided that a blog post on the answer seems wise. The short answer is that I don't, but read on to see why.
Blog
The FBI is Distributing Child Pornography - Operation "Playpen"
For two weeks in 2015, the FBI ran an unprecedented operation, where they hosted and shared child pronography from the FBI's servers.
Why do Prosecutors File Charges Against Innocent People?
As a criminal defense lawyer, I regularly meet with people who wonder how they or someone they love could be charged with a criminal offense, when they are innocent. I'm always a little bit shocked by the naivety that they display when asking this, but at the same time I understand their feelings. Those of us who defend the accused, are used to seeing people that we truly believe are innocent, have their lives upended by the criminal court system.
Criminal Statute of Limitations for Sexual Crimes - Bill Cosby Charged for 2004 Incident in 2015
Bill Cosby was just charged in Pennsylvania for a sex crime from 2004. Washington has a variety of statute of limitations for various crimes. A statute of limitations can prevent a prosecution from occurring, depending on the length of time since the crime is alleged to have been committed.
Child Pornography Arrests & Prosecutions in Seattle & King County Expanding
Captain Mike Edwards runs the Seattle Police Department's task force for Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC). The Seattle Police Department is the lead agency for the Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is a member of the national ICAC organization. ICAC is made up of various state and federal task forces, and was started in 1998.
Social Media, the Internet and Teens Today
I think I can speak for all of the teenagers, at least the ones I grew up with, and admit that we all committed crimes as part of that stage of growing to become responsible adults. Teenagers push their boundaries their parents, peers, teachers, and the law. Hollywood films romanticize the underage parties, drug consumption, skipping of school, and joyriding in cars. In fact some of the stories my friends and I still talk about ,when we get together as forty-something year old men, are the times we did something stupid and illegal in our teens and twenties and lived to tell about it. I often am thankful that when I grew up we didn't have cell phones, the internet, social media, or Instagram. If we got in trouble we didn't make videos of it on our cell phones.
How Can I Get My Criminal Case Dismissed?
As a criminal defense lawyer I meet daily with people charged with criminal offenses. These offenses ranging from relatively minor ones like shoplifting or driving with a suspended license, to more major offenses like sex crimes or violent assaults. Naturally, those hiring a lawyer are looking to minimize the legal consequences they face. I am regularly asked when a case could possibly be dismissed, and what event might lead to that.
Uber Ride Service May Decrease Drunk Driving
I read an interesting article that seems to support what I believe we have been seeing for some time, specifically that there are fewer drunk drivers on the roads since the arrival of cheaper and more convenient transportation options. The article discussed the findings of two Temple University professors, who found that "[p]reliminary analysis conducted by ride sharing firms and several industry analysts suggest that introduction of Uber and other ride sharing services has a negative effect on DUI arrests"
Teen is Charged with a Sex Crime for Nude Photos of Self on Phone
In North Carolina, a 17 year old teen and high school quarterback recently found out, the hard way, that a person can still be charged with possession of child pornography for having nude pictures of themselves or someone else on their cell phone, if those persons are underage. Some minors belie...
King County Prosecutors Partner with Local Employers to Combat Sex Crimes
King County, Washington prosecutors recently analyzed data from over 100,000 web searches. The online searches were conducted by prospective buyers of sex services over a three week period last year. They discovered that a great number of those searches, involved looking to perpetrate sex crime...
Juvenile Marijuana Possession is now a Felony in Washington
Marijuana possession by a juvenile used to be a misdemeanor level offense in the state of Washington, punishable by up to 90 days in jail. However a little known side effect of the recent medical marijuana legalization movement, was to get tougher on juvenile offenders. The full text of Senate ...
Backpage.com Loses in Washington Supreme Court Case
On September 3rd, the Washington Supreme Court dealt a blow to Backpage.com's efforts to continue their business model. They had sought to avoid civil liability, for assisting pimps in selling the sex services of underage prostitutes online. The company had argued that they should assume no civ...
How Does Bail Work?
One of the frequent questions I find myself answering to clients in my office is on the subject of posting bail. Bail is something that most people never have to deal with, and they often find themselves wondering: 1) what is it; 2) how does it work; and 3) what is it for? The reason that a per...
Prep School Rape Verdict - Not Guilty to Felony Rape Charges
At the end of August, a young prep school student was found not guilty of felony rape charges against a fellow student in New York. This case had a huge media following, since it involved an elite prep school, and alleged that the school had a culture whereby older male students would engage in...
Revenge Porn Law Enacted in Washington State
On September 26, 2015 a new law takes effect in the state of Washington, pertaining to publication of intimate images, otherwise known as "revenge porn". Under the Revised Code of Washing, Chapter 4.24, a person will have a civil cause of action against those who intentionally and without consen...
Jared Fogle Sniffer Dog Coming to Seattle Police
The Indiana law enforcement team that served a search search warrant at the home of Subway sandwich pitchman Jared Fogle's house had a secret weapon for finding hidden media storage device. That secret weapon was "Bear" a two-year-old Labrador who is one of only five specially trained dogs who h...
HB 1276 - Open Container Law Extended to Marijuana
Starting on September 26, 2015 a new law will take effect in Washington state that makes it a civil offense to carry marijuana in an opened container inside a motor vehicle. This will bring marijuana possession on par with alcohol possession, in that carrying an open container in a motor vehic...
Why You Should Never Speak With the Police
Most of us are taught from a young age to be respectful to our elders, as well as authority figures. We are raised to believe that police officers are there to help us, and if we are ever in trouble, we can count on them. When I was a child our elementary school had "officer friendly" come to a...
The Vanishing Crime of DUI
The Vanishing Crime Of DUI - How Technology Will End this Problem As much as politicians, news media, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), schools, and law enforcement have tried to reduce the incidence of drunk driving, it is likely that nothing will do more to end the practice than technology...
City of Kent Prostitution Arrests - Taking it to the "Johns"
The south King County cities of Kent, Auburn, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila have launched a program of arrests and prosecutions intended to get tough on those who hire prostitutes. Kent Municipal Court Judge Karli Jorgensen recently went on the record in a Seattle Times interview and expressed he...
Seattle Sex Crime Defense Attorney
Seattle and Kent Sex Crime Defense Attorneys The criminal defense attorneys in our office regularly appear in both the King County Superior Courts, located in Seattle and Kent. There are actually two King County superior courthouses. One is located in Kent. at the Maleng Regional Justice Cent...
Pre-Employment Background Checks and Criminal History
When I applied for my first job, there was not even an employment application. I met with the owner of the business, we had a short discussion, and they told me I was hired. This was nearly thirty years ago, but things sure have changed! When people apply for jobs these days, they inevitably w...
Are People Wrongfully Convicted In King County by Juries of Their Peers?
Here are a few recent articles regarding a man who spent ten years in custody, for a crime which he was innocent of. He had been convicted by a jury of his peers, based on eyewitness testimony. Politico Magazine Article Seattle Times Article Never expect that a jury will get it right, our s...
Attorney Keith Hall is Honored as a Member of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel
Keith Hall was named one of the nation's top attorneys in 2015.
King & Pierce County Domestic Violence Charges
A Defense Attorney's View of the Changes in Domestic Violence Cases Over the years, the lawyers at Newton & Hall have seen significant changes in how these cases are initially handled, as well as how they are resolved. The Police: 10-20 years ago, when the police were called out to the sce...