As technology advances with computers and cell phones and newer forms of communication, old laws and cases do not always properly address how our privacy rights might be affected, and how the government can look at or seize our data in criminal cases. We have written previous articles about when…
In Florida, most people are aware that if your driver’s license becomes suspended for any reason, it is a crime to drive a vehicle. It is usually a misdemeanor crime that is not treated too harshly in court. However, multiple driving with a suspended license arrests and convictions can prolong…
The Stand Your Ground law in Florida is a much publicized area of Florida criminal law that addresses when a defendant can gain immunity for using force and causing death or serious injury in self defense. It is not available to every defendant who is charged with a serious violent…
As criminal defense lawyers in Jacksonville, Florida, we receive many calls from people who had a criminal case in their past and are suffering the effects of it many years later. They are finding it difficult to get a job or to get into school or even to rent an…
On television shows, it is not uncommon to see prison guards helping inmates do things they should not do. Hopefully, this is something that happens more on TV than in real life. However, there are cases where prison and jail guards help inmates smuggle drugs and other contraband into the…
In Florida, the police have a right to stop a person driving a vehicle if the driver commits a traffic violation and detain that driver for a relatively short period of time to write a traffic citation. If during that time the police officer develops reasonable suspicion that the driver…
A practice of the government, normally the federal government but sometimes state and local law enforcement as well, many people may not be aware of is the freezing of a defendant’s assets before he/she has ever been convicted of a crime. For instance, a law enforcement agency might contact the…
People in Florida may have seen news stories recently regarding Florida’s death penalty and a decision by the United States Supreme Court calling it into question. As an initial matter, Florida has the death penalty as an option for certain crimes. The recent United States Supreme Court case (Hurst v.…
States have different laws dealing with whether you can record a person’s oral communications and disclose it to the police or use it as evidence in court. Some states allow such a recording as long as just one party to the discussion agrees, even if the consenting party is also…
In Florida, any person who goes onto property without authorization, or after having been warned not to be on the property, may be subject to a trespass charge. Trespass is usually a misdemeanor in Florida, however it can be a felony if the trespasser is armed with a gun or…