Monthly Archives: August 2018

DOL System Upgrade

Just another friendly reminder from SQ Attorneys – Washington State’s Department of Licensing (“DOL”) is scheduled to update their aged computer system at the end of this month and into the first week of September. This ‘update’ will cause DOL services (on-line and/or in-person) to be delayed or even unavailable. Folks should be aware that… Continue Reading »

Has the Time Come?

In February of this year Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that Seattle intended to vacate convictions for people charged under the city’s misdemeanor marijuana possession ordinance. The State of California recently took a similar step by passing a bill requiring state prosecutors to erase or reduce marijuana convictions. This comes after California’s passage of Proposition 64 in… Continue Reading »

Pros and Cons of a Plea Bargain

Although plea bargaining is often criticized, more than 90 percent of criminal convictions come from negotiated pleas. Therefore, less than 10 percent of criminal cases actually go to trial. So, what are the incentives behind plea bargaining? Turns out, it’s quite complicated and it does not simply rely on one’s guilt or innocence. Below is… Continue Reading »

On the Rise – DUI’s and Minors

It was recently reported that in the Olympic Peninsula (which covers the western arm of Western Washington, as far north as Neah Bay, as far south as Ocean City and as far east as Port Ludlow) there was a concerning increase in DUI arrests with kids under the age of 16 in the perpetrator’s car.… Continue Reading »

Child Pornography

Federal and state laws make it a crime to produce, possess, distribute, or sell pornographic materials that exploit or portray a minor under the age of 18.  Increasingly, child pornography laws are being utilized to punish use of computer technology and the Internet to obtain, share, and distribute pornographic material involving children, including images and… Continue Reading »

Appeals and Writs

Appeals Court judges generally defer to trial court findings, particularly findings of fact as opposed to matters of law. Courts rarely overturn lower court decisions and perfect trials are not guaranteed, although certain safeguards do exist in order to account for errors and oversights. An appellate court will overturn a guilty verdict only if the… Continue Reading »

Will A Charge Limit Citizenship?

SQ Attorneys

There are reports that President Trump’s administration is planning to make it all but impossible for legal immigrants to become citizens if they have ever relied on public welfare programs, i.e. the Affordable Care Act. This begs the question from a criminal defense perspective – is the same policy far behind for legal immigrants that… Continue Reading »

Case Strategy

Soon after a defendant explains his or her story to a criminal lawyer, they will probably collaborate with each other to come up with a strategy that will work best in court. Generally speaking, this strategy will be based upon the story that the defendant tells his or her attorney, but in most cases will… Continue Reading »