Criminal Defense Law

You should avoid friendly chats and conversations with the police when they stop you for questioning about any type of criminal offense, from a traffic ticket or misdemeanor to a felony. Just think for a second – if the police were truly trying to help you or to find out what happened, they would readily…

As summer approaches, festivals are becoming more frequent, especially in Franklin, Tennessee, where the number of tourists will rise significantly. Maybe you attended this year’s Main Street Festival or plan on attending Franklin Day. There’s lots to do in and around our lovely little town. There are also a lot of opportunities to get into…

Even the most careful and upstanding citizens may find themselves being pulled over by a police officer at some point in their lives. However, if the traffic stop starts to feel invasive and like it may be something more than issuing a citation or warning, you may begin to wonder if it is legal. Do…

When you are arrested, the harm it can cause to your personal and professional reputation is immeasurable. The question of whether you are guilty or innocent does not even matter. Once your friends, family, and employer discover the news of your arrest, the rumor mill is already hard at work chipping away at your character.…

Police officers are in place to justly serve and protect our residents and cities – though, this isn’t always the case. There have been numerous situations in the past decade of people being wrongfully accused, detained, and arrested for crimes they did not commit. We recently came across a piece in The Daily Beast about…

Admitting guilt is never an easy thing, even to those who are there to support you. It’s true when we’re children and do something bad at school, or when we make a mistake at work. The same is true for when you are charged with a crime that you did indeed commit. Your defense attorney…

One of the biggest reasons for searching out alternatives to incarceration, especially in Tennessee, is that our prisons and jails are full to bursting with inmates, including new and repeat offenders. When looking into why this is, and why jail time doesn’t seem to be dissuading or rehabbing offenders as jail is meant to do…

A number of news sources and think tanks have been raising the alarm regarding violent crime in America. You only have to turn on the news to see men and women – brows furrowed, mouths drawn tight – bemoaning the increase in crime across the country. To some extent, they are correct; the Brennan Center…

Court-ordered community service is becoming an increasingly more popular form of alternative sentencing for judges, and it is no exception for courts in the Franklin area, either. Sometimes jail time is not in the best interest of the offender, especially if they are younger, the charge was a misdemeanor, and they have little or no…

Financial crimes are non-violent and often happen to good people who make mistakes. They are also known as white-collar crimes. (The term “white-collar” comes from perpetrators of these crimes working in offices and wearing shirts with a collar.) Prosecuting these crimes is different from other criminal defense cases. A Franklin criminal defense lawyer from the…

A new state law has expanded asset forfeiture for certain felony crimes such as kidnapping, murder, and rape. HB2271 went into effect on July 1, 2022, and is one of the first of its kind in the country. WKRN reports that the law “has expanded criminal asset forfeiture for 12 statutes.” Representative Brandon Ogles, who…

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word enhance as “to increase or improve in value, quality, or attractiveness.” There are many things that many of us would like to enhance: beauty, health, intelligence, or quality of life. However, one thing many of us would not like enhanced are criminal offenses. When you have been accused of committing…

There are unfortunate times in your life when you need to defend yourself or your family. However, self-defense claims are not as easy to prove as you may think. Authorities and the court can use your claim of self-defense against you by saying you admit to harming another individual. They will quickly be able to…

The Bonnaroo Festival, held in Manchester, Tennessee returns after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The festival is scheduled from June 16 through June 19 and is expected to draw close to 100,000 people from all over the United States. As you plan your trip to Manchester, it’s important to note what is and…

Fake heiress Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, made a name for herself as a Manhattan socialite, scamming friends, associates, banks, and hotels during her time in New York until her arrest in 2017. With a New Yorker article and a Netflix series detailing her crime spree and resulting legal woes, the country became…

Earlier this month, Lebanon police officers made an arrest that theoretically took drugs and other paraphernalia off of Tennessee streets. However, the way in which they went about this is a highly debated topic. They used controversial surveillance technology to make a stop and arrested a 22-year-old. The technology they used is license-plate-recognition software that…

When a juvenile is charged with a crime in Tennessee, the court has the power to decide whether they will be tried for their crime in juvenile or adult court. The state bases their decision on a variety of factors, and can grant a waiver transferring a juvenile’s case over to adult criminal court. These…