- Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse: Except if You are a Police Officer2014 was a year punctuated by populist and somewhat incendiary citizen outrage, justified or not, over police wielding of (what some see as unbridled) power, ignited by at least three nationally publicized deaths of unarmed young men of color, and their subsequent and expedient legal exonerations by Staten Island and St. Louis County Grand Juries. In short, in 2014, the police seemed to act with impunity and immunity. And the legal system seemed to protect them.
- How to Choose a Criminal Defense Lawyer?For those of you who are charged with crimes, many say that the single most important decision you will make is which criminal defense lawyer to hire. And it’s true: the choice of criminal defense lawyer can be critical to the outcome. Because there are thousands of criminal defense lawyers – 10% of all law school graduates will practice criminal law at some point.
- The Myth of Medical Marijuana in Arizona: DUIYou can get a DUI in Arizona without a drop of alcohol in your system. Just having the drug or metabolite of marijuana in your body is enough to get you DUI
- Election Day Not All Bad: California Voters reduce many felonies to misdemeanorsIn a bright spot from a forboding election day (at least for progressives), California Voters, with their sunny dispositions,passed Proposition 47 which, fully retroactive, will reduce through affirmative petition many qualifying non-violent first offense state felonies to misdemeanors, including possessory drug offenses. See League of Women Voters description. This representsa hallmark in a movement to ameliorate […]
- Cleaning Up Your Arizona Criminal RecordIt may be surprising to learn that in Arizona, there’s no easy way to completely “expunge” or “purge” an Arizona adult criminal record. Some states, like California for example, still allow some records to be completely “purged.”
- Endangerment not just Dangerous, but Fatal, for ImmigrantsIn Leal v. Holder –F.3d–, No. 12-73381 (9th Cir. Nov. 6, 2014) the panel, according Chevron deference to the BIA (Matter of Leal), effectively held that a conviction under Arizona’s “Endangerment” statute, ARS § 13-1201, is a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMT), and thus a substantive basis for deportation. There, Leal, an undocumented alien, convicted […]
- Michael Harwin Named in Best LawyersAugust 18, 2014 We are pleased to announce that Michael Harwin has been named in Best Lawyers in America® 21st, ed. for Criminal Defense: White Collar. Best Lawyers describes itself as “the most selective and highly regarded directory of attorneys in the world. ” A former prosecutor, Michael, has for many years been rated A-V […]
- Tucson Surpasses Phoenix in DUI and other cases pendingTucson, Ariz. Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the United States has less criminal misdemeanor cases pending, including DUI’s and domestic violence, than Tucson, a city much much smaller. What’s more, the Phoenix Municipal Court enjoys nearly twice judges and staff than the Tucson Municipal Court, but according to public statistics, has one third less […]
- TEN SURPRISING WAYS A DUI CAN HURT YOUR FUTUREif you’re a normal person, like me, subject to the laws of gravity, it might be surprising how a single misdemeanor DUI citation in Arizona can actually affect your future. You’re going to figure out fast what good lawyers do and why they are so important in this situation.