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You may be able to find a lawyer willing to advise you as you represent yourself in a criminal case. By Sara J. Berman Defendants considering self-representation might seek out an attorney willing to serve as a legal coach. The idea of a legal coach is to combine an attorney’s knowledge with the defendant’s time…. Read More

The definition of rape in California changed after Governor Brown A.B. 701 and A.B. 2888. Assembly woman, Cristina Garcia of District 58 and Susan Talamantes Eggman of District 12 presented the two bills after the six-month sentencing of Brock Turner, a 20-year-old Stanford student who sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman. Both lawmakers were outraged by… Read More

Drunk driving offenders in California will be required to install an ignition interlock on their vehicles that connects to a breathalyzer under Senate Bill 1046 signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. The law will take effect on January 1, 2019, is designed to prevent DUI offenders from being able to start… Read More

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is a free festival in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco that features over 100 musical artists on 7 stages. This year the festival will begin on Friday, September 30, 2016 from 10:30 AM – 7:00 PM through Sunday, October 2, 2016 from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The festival will be located… Read More

Criminal attorneys can give advice, but clients have the ultimate right to make most of the important decisions relating to their case, with very few exceptions. When lawyers and defendants can’t agree about an issue as fundamental as whether to go to trial, it’s normally the defendant’s desire that prevails. Assuming that a defendant’s decision… Read More

Sometimes self-defense isn’t available, but a partial defense related to it is. By Joseph Broadbent The law of self-defense allows people to use force, and sometimes deadly force, to defend themselves from an imminent threat of harm. In most states and circumstances, if the defendant’s fear and the amount of force used are reasonable, he’ll… Read More

The prosecution has to divulge evidence that’s favorable to the defense—even if the defense doesn’t ask for it. By Paul Bergman As part of their obligation to pursue justice and promote fairness, prosecutors have a duty to reveal “favorable” information to the defense, as explained below. For information on discovery law generally, see What and… Read More

Typical punishment and penalties for juvenile delinquents and youth offenders. by: Kathleen Michon, J.D. Juvenile courts have a wide range of sentencing options (usually called “disposition orders”) that they can impose on juveniles or youth offenders who are found to be “delinquent” (that is, finding that the minor violated a criminal law). Typically, disposition options… Read More

School interrogations sometimes require Miranda warnings. Learn when they do, and when they don’t. By Sherilyn Streicker You probably know that police officers are supposed to advise arrested suspects of their Miranda rights before questioning them. But you might not know whether school administrators have to provide these warnings to students suspected of wrongdoing. What Triggers Miranda? The Miranda warning… Read More

  Learn how fingerprint evidence is gathered and used in criminal investigations and trials. Fingerprint evidence, although sometimes not as high-profile as other high-tech crime-solving methods like DNA typing, is still very much used in criminal investigations and cases. While the principle that no two people can have the same fingerprints cannot be scientifically validated,… Read More