Charlotte DWI Lawyer Brad Smith answers: A past conviction is keeping me from finding work what can I do? A state legislator has introduced a bill that she says will close a loophole in Illinois’ sex offender registry. Critics of the bill say the bill is “overly punitive and…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Do I need to hire an attorney if I have been falsely accused?” If you are a parent and your child is a teenager, you need a criminal defense lawyer. So writes author Lisa Green in her new…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I ever plead guilty to a charge?” The criminal law, it is said, evolves as technology does, and criminal codes and doctrines grow to fit the new circumstances and technologies that criminals, would-be criminals and unknowing criminals…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?” The Washington State legislature is considering changes to the state’s criminal code that would dramatically alter the manner in which marijuana-related crimes are prosecuted in the state. Under…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “If I have an outstanding warrant, what should I do?” The “Hands up, don’t shoot!” moniker is all the rage in the United States, with prominent professional athletes in the National Basketball Association and National Football League, as…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Should I talk to the police?” Americans are well informed of the facts—and the rhetoric—surrounding the high-profile police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City this past summer. Most are just…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” A 30-year-old Montana man has been convicted of deliberate homicide in the April 27, 2014 shooting death of a German foreign-exchange student. The man, Markus Kaarma of Missoula, Montana, found…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” The move is on—in the wake of riots and protests over police shooting and choking deaths of two unarmed men in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City—to equip police officers…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” The Supreme Court entertained arguments this week in a case that could lead to the criminalization of some rap lyrics. The case involves a 31-year old “aspiring rapper who likes…
J. Bradley Smith of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “Can I be arrested without evidence against me?” Researchers in Stockholm, Sweden have published findings that appear to show a link between two genetic mutations and a propensity to commit violent criminal acts. The researchers studied the DNA…