Top 5 Ways to Help Protect Your Car from a Break-In
In an reported “random act” of vandalism, a rash of tire slashings occurred in northwest Glendale on luxury cars and SUVs. The vandalized high-end cars — including BMWs, Lexuses, Cadillacs, Audis, Mercedes-Benzes, and Porsches — were parked in home driveways and on dimly lighted streets, otherwise known as a vandal’s paradise. In a Smokey Bear teachable moment, the police reminded people to always take precautions to protect your car from vandalism and break-ins.
Here are five easy ways to help protect your car from vandalism or a break-in:
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Drug-Sniffing Dogs: Where and When Can They Be Used?
By Corey Licht, Esq. on March 29, 2013 10:00 AM
Due to their powerful sense of smell and extensive training, drug-sniffing police dogs can smell narcotics from a mile away (figuratively speaking). The invasive nature of their use has raised interesting questions about the right to privacy.
So when and where can drug-sniffing dogs be used? A few recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court have shed light on the subject. Below, you'll find an explanation of those decisions and how they apply to you.
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What to Do If You Need to Lawyer Up
By Andrew Lu on March 21, 2013 5:45 AM
If you've been charged with a crime, it may seem like the end of the world. However, you should know that you are innocent until proven guilty and many people have been charged with crimes only to beat the charges with the help of an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney.
There are many criminal defense attorneys to choose from. And in a major metropolitan area, you may literally be flooded with options.
Before jumping in and hiring an attorney, there are some steps you may want to take. These steps can help you understand your charges better and also give you an idea what to ask a prospective lawyer:
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Can You Expunge Your Criminal Record?
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on March 12, 2013 2:55 PM
A criminal record isn't exactly a hot accessory, especially when it comes to getting a job or an apartment. That record will follow you unless you can get rid of it. You know, by expunging it.
Expungement can clear your criminal record and in many ways, the conviction disappears. It allows you to put the past behind you and not have to keep dragging it around. While your court file remains public record, once it's expunged you don't have to disclose your conviction any longer.
But California is very specific about which crimes can be expunged and under what circumstances. To do it, you have to qualify.
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What's the Felony Murder Rule All About?
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on March 6, 2013 11:46 AM
The law punishes almost every incident in which one person kills another, whether it's intentional, reckless, or even unintended. Legally speaking, that means murder, manslaughter, and felony murder.
The first two get a lot of press but the last one doesn't, in part because many jurisdictions have gotten rid of felony murder. But not California.
Felony murder was originally a common law idea, but it's since been signed into official law. In the Golden State, it's a form of first-degree murder. But that doesn't explain what felony murder actually is.
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First Degree Murder and Second Degree, What's the Difference?
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on February 26, 2013 9:02 AM
In California, like in most states, there is first degree murder and second degree murder. While they both involve an intentional killing, one is more serious than the other, especially when it comes to sentencing.
To put it in context, California groups all crimes that involve taking a human life under the title of homicide.
Within that category is both manslaughter and murder, which can both be subdivided into several categories. Focusing on murder, the difference between first and second degree rests primarily on one thing: intent.
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Thank Gideon for Your Right to an Attorney
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on February 20, 2013 2:26 PM
Whether it's from personal experience or too many reruns of "Law and Order," most people know that you have the right to an attorney in a criminal trial. But Gideon often doesn't get the credit for securing that right for you.
By Gideon, we mean Clarence Earl Gideon -- the man behind Gideon v. Wainwright, a Supreme Court case that marks its 50th anniversary next month.
You may never have heard of the case, but that doesn't make it any less important. Not only did it ensure your right to an attorney, it defined what that means.
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Defining Theft and Other Property Crimes
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on February 14, 2013 3:18 PM
California's criminal code is long and complicated, with significant sections dedicated to property crimes.
Most of these offenses are lumped under "theft," but actually, there's no such offense as plain-old "theft" in the California Penal Code. Theft is the category name for property crimes, and it contains a list of offenses.
The legal differences between theft crimes are important because they affect how serious the sentence for each crime can be. So, what are the differences?
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You Have the Right to an Attorney, but What Does That Mean?
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on February 5, 2013 11:58 AM
If you've been accused of a crime, you know you have a right to an attorney. That's all well and good, but what exactly do you get according to this right?
The Sixth Amendment, which provides the right to counsel, doesn't really go into detail about what you get as part of your legal representation. But years of judicial history have clarified what this right entails if find yourself on trial.
What's that you say? You haven't read the dry and dusty legal casebooks that contain these interpretations? We wouldn't expect it, so here's your cheat sheet.
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What to Do After You've Been Arrested
By Deanne Katz, Esq. on January 30, 2013 2:43 PM
There is so much advice out there: Wear clean underwear; follow the golden rule; don't get arrested. But what about advice for after an arrest?
We'll skip the easy stuff like "don't yell at the officer" and "keep your hands to yourself." And you'll have to ask your attorney about how to get the jury on your side. We can't help with specifics like that.
What we can do is prepare you for some of the more common issues people run into when dealing with police after an arrest. Here are a few things to consider:
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