Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

As a Jacksonville DUI Attorney, I have represented many Jacksonville residents charged with Driving Under the Influence.  In my DUI experience, most third and fourth DUIs are often charged as misdemeanors and not as felonies in Jacksonville.  Legally, a Jacksonville prosecutor may file the DUI as a felony, but they are often willing to file the charge as misdemeanor instead. However, the more DUI charges a Jacksonville resident obtains, the more jail time a prosecutor will request.  Usually, the prosecutor will not request additional jail time on a Jacksonville Driving Under the Influence charge if it is a first offense and there are no aggravating circumstances.  Still, a Jacksonville DUI defendant that has a history of DUI charges may be able to avoid jail time.  If a DUI defendant wants to plea bargain with the prosecutor, his Jacksonville Driving Under the Influence Attorney should present mitigation to the prosecutor to show why the State of Florida should be lenient with the DUI client.  While Driving Under the Influence is a serious crime in Jacksonville, good people make mistakes and do not necessarily deserve to go to jail for this crime.  

1. The South Carolina fraudulent check conviction is a first offense.  
2. It has been one year since the South Carolina fraudulent check conviction, and the defendant has no other convictions during that one year period.
3. The defendant has never expunged a South Carolina check charge before.  

If the defendant has more than one South Carolina fraudulent check conviction, all the South Carolina fraudulent check convictions may be expunged if he was arrested for them on the same day and they were all taken care of on the same court date.  However, if the South Carolina fraudulent check arrests were on different dates, he may not be able to expunge any of the check charges.  

For instance, a South Carolina resident is arrested for a fraudulent check charge on January 1, 2000.  While in jail, on January 5, 2000, he is charged with another fraudulent check charge that he committed before he went to jail.  He may not expunge either of the South Carolina check charges due to the fact that he obtained another charge within one year.  This is true even if he plead guilty to the cases at the same time.  On the other hand, if he was charged with both South Carolina check charges on January 1, 2000, he would be able to expunge both check charges.  

To learn more about expunging your South Carolina criminal record, contact a South Carolina Expungement Attorney.

There is an answer.  You can get your civil rights restored.  In order to restore your civil rights in Jacksonville, Florida, you must submit a restoration of civil rights application to the Florida Office of Executive Clemency.  While your application is being considered, the Florida Parole Commission may conduct an investigation.  Depending on the results of this investigation, you may be subject to a hearing to decide whether your rights will be restored.  However, there are things that you can do to help.  For instance, you can show the positive steps that you have made in your life since the felony conviction.  You can send letters of reference from people in the community that are familiar with your good character.

To learn more about Florida Restoration of Civil Rights in Jacksonville, Florida or the surrounding areas, contact a Jacksonville Restoration of Civil Rights Attorney.  A Jacksonville Restoration of Civil Rights Lawyer will handle every aspect of the civil restoration process for you.  

For instance, watch the famous HBO documentary "Murder on a Sunday Morning."  In this case, two Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers at the Public Defenders Office (Mr. McGuinness and Ms. Finnell) represented Jacksonville Criminal Defendant, Brenton Butler.  This Jacksonville Criminal Defendant was only 16-years-old and charged with first degree murder.  At Mr. Butler's trial, the Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorneys proved that Jacksonville police officers beat a confession out of Mr. Butler.  Due to the hard work of the Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers, Mr. Butler was found not guilty.  

However, the most important part of this case is what occurred a day after the HBO documentary aired.  The Jacksonville Sheriff announced that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office would begin videotaping confessions.  This shows that a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer can change the Jacksonville community for the better.  I find this story inspiring and motivating, and it makes me proud to be a former Jacksonville Assistant Public Defender and  a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney.  

Eventually, I was able to get the charges dropped.  However, technically, he was guilty of Violation of an Injunction for Protection Against Violence in Jacksonville, Florida.  Due to the injunction, John was not to have any contact with Jody.  It doesn't matter if Jody initiates the contact or wants to have contact with John.  

To learn more about Injunctions, speak with a Jacksonville Florida Domestic Violence Lawyer.