Domestic Violence Crimes And Immigration: A Charge-By-Charge Analysis
For a United States citizen, a domestic violence charge is a serious criminal problem. For a non- citizen, it can be something worse: the end of a life built in this country. The same conviction that means probation and a class for a citizen can mean deportation,…
Domestic Violence Charges Explained: Penal Code 273.5, 243(e)(1), & The Rest
You were arrested, and the paperwork lists something like “273.5” or “243(e)(1),” maybe “236” or “245(a)(1).” Nowhere does it say “domestic violence” as a charge, yet everyone keeps calling it a domestic violence case. So you may be left with two questions: 1.…
Can A Victim “Drop” A Domestic Violence Criminal Case In California?
It is the first thing many people ask after a domestic violence arrest, and it comes from both the arrested party and the alleged victim. The accused arrestee asks it hoping for relief, and person who called the police asks it often filled with regret. The…
Second, Third, And Felony DUIs In California
The most important thing that changes with a second DUI is not the penalty, it is the assumption that this was a mistake. A first time DUI is treated by almost everyone as an incident, a bad night, a mistake. A second DUI changes that analysis considerably. The…
First-Time DUI In California
Most people arrested for a first DUI tell themselves a version of the same thing: ‘No record, no priors, nobody got hurt. I should just pay the fine, take a class, put it behind me. It’s just like a speeding ticket with extra steps’. That belief can be the most…
Felony DUI In California
For much of the twentieth century, driving drunk was treated as bad luck more than a serious crime. “One for the road” was a common expression, not a warning. Even a fatal crash caused by a drunk driver could be written up as an accident, the driver was rarely…
DUI & Drugs In California
You take cold medicine for a bad cough. You take a medication your doctor prescribed. You use marijuana, which is legal in California. Or you use an illegal drug. Every one of those can expose you to a DUI, because California’s drugged-driving law does not care…
DUI Causing Injury Or Death In California
An ordinary DUI is about what tragic outcome could have happened. A DUI causing injury or death is about what did happen. That difference changes everything: the charges, which can go from a misdemeanor all the way to murder; the penalties, which can be up to life…
DUI And Immigration: What A DUI Means For Non-Citizens
An engineer on an H-1B visa is arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) on a Friday night in California. He has been in this country for years. His job sponsors his status and his family’s status is dependent on his status. For a citizen, that arrest is a…
DUI & Employment In California: Your Job & Your Professional License
A DUI is a criminal case, but for many people the courtroom is not where the real damage happens. It happens at work, in the consequences for a professional license and in the continuing ability to maintain a livelihood. A misdemeanor DUI conviction can cost an…