The holidays are meant to be a time of joy and celebration, as we spend time with family and friends and take a break from our daily lives. Unfortunately, sometimes incidents of domestic violence increase over the holiday season. This problem is not unique to West...
The People’s Lawyer
Year: 2022
Standing one’s ground when facing sex offense charges
The stigma of being accused of a sex crime is horrendous. The accusation alone can permanently damage your reputation. But in our judicial system, in every state of the union, an individual is innocent until proven guilty. If accused, every single person is entitled...
Did your addiction contribute to your violent behavior?
Many West Virginia residents struggle every day with a drug or alcohol addiction. These addictions can negatively affect several areas of life. Addictions can cause people to lose jobs, relationships and their homes. Drugs and alcohol often affect our behavior and can...
If you are accused of a sex crime, you deserve an impartial jury
If you are accused of a sex crime in West Virginia, especially a crime involving a child, it can impact your life forever. Your reputation in your community can greatly suffer for many years to come even if the charges are dropped or you are found not guilty. Still,...
Basic steps in the civil litigation process
Deciding to file a lawsuit against someone is a big step. Disputes can arise in many different types of situations. You may have tried everything possible to resolve the dispute yourself but could not. If you have never been in court before, the litigation process can...
How to approach the holidays after your Chapter 13 bankruptcy
As the holiday season approaches, you might be worried about being able to afford gifts and other holiday-related events after you have completed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. While a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharges your qualifying debts, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you...
Traumatic brain injuries and car accidents
As readers of this blog know, we speak about the effects of personal injuries on those who suffer their ill consequences. In a recent post, we posted about the mental health effects of car accidents, and in this blog post, we will focus on another hidden injury,...
Key points about final hearings for family protective orders
Allegations of domestic violence are unfortunately common in West Virginia. This can occur as an ongoing series of mistreatment or it can happen without warning. In some cases, it is said to have happened but did not happen at all or was not as clear as the complaint...
Car accidents harm more than just the body
If have watched daytime television, you have seen commercials and programming devoted to car accident victims and their injuries. Nearly 100% of these injury conversations revolve around physical injuries. Mental injuries are seldom, if ever, mentioned. However,...
When can the police legally search a vehicle?
Restrictions on police searches are largely related to where people have an expectation of privacy. The greater the expectation of privacy, the less the police are free to search. When there is a low expectation of privacy, police have more power to search....
