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If you or a family member has been accused or are under investigation for a Crime and are looking to hire a Florida Criminal Defense lawyer to represent you, we have an offer that may make it easier to hire an attorney around the end of the year. The Law Office of David M. Goldman is offering to reduce any new retainer by $500 for representation for a felony or misdemeanor crime. For more information, you may review the Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers Blog.

The Law Office of David M. Goldman has decided to do 12 great specials for our new and existing clients. Many of the specials will only be valid for the day they are mentioned, but we will honor this special as long as you contact us about it by December 25th and pay for it by the end of the year.

If you want to be the first to find out about the special offers by the Law Office of David M. Goldman for the remaining 12 Laws of Christmas, be sure to check this blog daily or subscribe to our blog updates.

12 Laws of Christmas – Day 1 Create a Will for $25

Have you been in need of a Florida Will or have a family member that is in need of a new Will? Have you considered using an online service but been afraid of what you might create or what mistakes you may make? Now, you can have a lawyer create a will for only $25. This is not a will that you would find at staples or in a form book, but a fully customizable will based on your needs and desires.

The Law Office of David M. Goldman has decided to do 12 great specials for our new and existing clients. Most of the specials will only be valid for the day they are mentioned, but we will honor this special as long as you contact us about it by December 25th and pay for it by the end of the year.

When you enter a guilty plea in Florida, you are waiving certain rights. The same is true when you plea no contest or nolo contendere. Under Rule 3.172(c) of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, a you are waiving the following rights:

1. the right to a trial by jury;
2. the right to an attorney at trial;

If you are charged with a crime in Jacksonville, Florida, you may decide to enter into a plea deal with the Jacksonville state attorney. If that is the case, you will be entering a plea of guilty or no contest to a Jacksonville crime. Before doing so, you should understand that you are waiving a variety or rights. Many people believe that they will not have a criminal record if they plea no contest. This is not true. Regardless of whether you enter a plea of guilty or no contest, you criminal record will still reflect the crime. When you enter a plea of guilty in Jacksonville, you are telling the court that you are guilty of the offense. When you enter a plea of no contest, you are telling the court that it is in your best interest to accept the plea deal, but you are not admitting guilt. This has no affect on your criminal record.

In some cases, it maybe advisable for you to enter a plea of no contest instead of a plea of guilty to the Jacksonville criminal charge, because of possible civil liability that may be involved. Before entering a plea to a Jacksonville crime, you should contact a Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer.

When a Jacksonville criminal defendant is charged with a crime, he or she can plea one of three ways. He or she may enter a plea of not guilty, guilty, or no contest (nolo contendere). A “not guilty” plea will cause the case to move forward, and in some cases, the case will go to trial. If the Jacksonville criminal defendant enters a plea of guilty or no contest, he or she will usually do so pursuant to a plea agreement with the Duval County State Attorney’s Office. If the Jacksonville criminal defendant and the Duval County State Attorney’s Office do not reach a plea deal, then the defendant may choose to plea guilty or no contest and go strait to a sentencing hearing before the judge.

It is important for the Jacksonville criminal defendant to discuss all the possible avenues that he or she may take in the case. He or she should understand the differences between entering a plea of guilty, not guilty, and no contest and the possible outcomes for each. Therefore, he or she should discuss the Jacksonville criminal case with a Jacksonville Criminal Attorney.

Read also, “What is the difference between entering a plea of guilty or a plea of no contest in Jacksonville?”

In St. Johns County, Florida, three juveniles were arrested for burglary to a house in Fruit Cove, Florida. Jordan Michael Golden (16) and Cameron Matthew Straughn (15) were arrested for armed burglary to a dwelling, dealing in stolen property and grand theft. Another juvenile criminal defendant, Gavin Michael Loftus has been charged with Florida dealing in stolen property and obstruction by giving false information to a law enforcement officer in St. Johns County, Florida. (See Three Fruit Cove Teens Arrested in Connection with Burglary in the First Coast News for entire article and pictures).

The charges are all felonies and extremely serious crimes. No only are these Fruit Cove Juveniles looking at possible incarceration, but they charges could haunt them in the future. With a future ahead of them, it is important that they make the right decisions in their cases. They should certainly have separate representation due to the potential conflict of interest with these St. Johns County juvenile defendants. When co-defendants are arrested, they often turn against one another. It is important that each Clay County criminal defendant has his own Clay County Criminal Lawyer, so an attorney is looking out for the individual’s best interest.

Over the past several years the Law Office of David M. Goldman has expanded into several additional practice areas. As these practice areas grown we have been adding staff and creating more informational blogs to help consumers and our clients understand some of the common legal issues. May of our current readers do not realize that we cover these additional practice areas so I wanted to take a moment to update you with them:

For those of you who use an iPhone, we are trying to make some of the information and resources available through our new Law Office of David M. Goldman PLLC

The NFA Gun Trust Lawyer® Blog covers unique issues involved with estate planning, the purchase, possession, use, and transfer of firearms including those regulated by the National Firearms Act. Helps provide guidance on a National level through a network of over 150 lawyers in 43 states.

As a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney, I have had clients that entered guilty pleas or pleas of no contest when they were not represented by an attorney. Usually, this happens in first appearance court at their Jacksonville bond hearings in the Duval County jail. The Jacksonville criminal defendant does not understand his or her rights and enters the plea without understanding the consequences. If this occurs, the Jacksonville criminal defendant may withdraw his or her plea, but this must be done within thirty (30) days of the sentence being entered pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.170(l).

In Jacksonville, Florida, James Steel was convicted of sexual battery. He was already convicted of Jacksonville sexual battery in March of 2011. In that Jacksonville criminal case, he was sentence to 30 years in Florida State Prison. Today, he was convicted again of sexual battery in Jacksonville. He will be sentenced at a later date. He has been accused of six other rapes in the Arlington area. Thus, he has been named the Arlington Serial Rapist. Although he was sentenced to 30 years and faces a similar sentence on the recent conviction, Jacksonville prosecutors may seek additional convictions and sentences to ensure that the convictions are not overturned on appeal.

After the Honorable Judge Jefferson Morrow passed away, a Jacksonville judicial post was left vacant. During that time period, Duval County judges, Charles Cofer and Russell Healey, were covering Judge Morrow’s criminal proceedings, including several types of Jacksonville felony cases. In the meantime, Governor Rick Scott was attempting to appoint a judge to Judge Morrow’s position. Twenty-four applicants applied for this Jacksonville Criminal Circuit Court Judicial Vacancy. Jacksonville Judge, Kevin Blasz, received the appointment. Since 2006, he has been presiding over Jacksonville misdemeanor and criminal traffic cases. Now, he will be presiding over Jacksonville felony proceedings.