California Legal Blog – A Deep Dive Into Issues That Affect Your Life

What Is an Arraignment in the California Criminal Court Process? — Top Defense Attorney ExplainsWatch this video on YouTube An arraignment is typically the first court hearing, or a defendant’s first appearance in court, in a criminal case and it marks one of the initial stages in the pretrial process. During the hearing, the judge …

What Is a "Misdemeanor" Under California Law? — Common Misdemeanor Crimes and Punishments ExplainedWatch this video on YouTube Some examples of misdemeanors include assault, shoplifting, and petty theft. These are all criminal offenses that are more severe than an infraction, but less severe than a felony. Misdemeanors carry up to 1 year in county jail …

Taking back (“recanting”) your domestic violence statement will not automatically cause the criminal case to be dropped – especially if prosecutors have other evidence that abuse occurred. Plus, the police may then arrest you for giving false statements, obstructing justice, perjury, or even contempt if you fail to show up to trial. To reduce the …

Attempted murder is a serious felony that, depending on the facts of your case and the state in which your crime took place, could result in a sentence of life in prison. Like it sounds, an attempted murder is trying – and failing – to kill a human being. Note that if the victim dies …

An arraignment is the first formal court proceeding in a criminal case. For felony charges, an arraignment must generally occur within 48 hours of your arrest if you are held in custody. If you are not kept in custody, then the proceeding must typically take place “without unnecessary delay.” In terms of a trial date, …

Registered sex offenders are generally free to obtain a passport and travel internationally. That said, there may be restrictions as to where they can go. While U.S. law does not forbid them from traveling out of the country, other countries may restrict registered sex offenders from entering once customs agents see the “sex offender” identifier …

You are under no lawful obligation to sign a severance (also called a separation) agreement. Five examples of when you may not want to do so are when: you intend to sue your employer after your termination, the severance package is not sufficient, you do not have legal representation, it would unduly restrict your professional …

After a violation of felony probation in California, there are three things that can happen. The judge can: reinstate probation under the original terms, modify the terms of probation to make them stricter, or revoke probation and send you to prison to serve the rest of your sentence. California judges at the probation violation …

As long as the relationship is not sexual, it is generally not unlawful merely to date a minor. If the relationship is sexual or involves any sexual contact, the ages of the parties will matter. So will where they live, as each state has its own age of consent law and statutory rape law, its own …

You can sue the salon for a tanning bed burn if the negligence of the salon or its employees caused your injuries. This can happen if, for example, the tanning bed was not properly maintained or if an employee forgot to end your tanning session. Tanning bed burn injuries can be serious. If you did …

After a search warrant has been executed, law enforcement generally has to do five things: secure the premises, notify the party targeted by the search, provide a receipt of anything that was seized, return the warrant to the magistrate that issued it, and hold any seized property in police custody until trial. These steps are …

Ten examples of involuntary manslaughter are unintentionally killing someone else: while texting and driving a motor vehicle, while speeding or committing another traffic violation, while driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, by accidentally discharging a firearm in an argument, by improperly prescribing medication, while practicing medicine without a license, by forcing workers …

As a victim in an Uber accident, you can bring a claim to seek compensation for all of your legal damages. That compensation can be worth anywhere between a few thousand dollars to over $1,000,000, depending on the nature and severity of the injuries. You will rarely see your compensation reduced for your share of …