PRACTICE AREAS

Below are descriptions of the main areas of my practice. If you have a legal question outside of these areas, please feel free to call to see if I can help you or refer you to a qualified attorney.

PERSONAL INJURY

Personal Injury covers a broad spectrum of injuries. Whether you are injured in a car or truck, on a boat, bicycle or motorcycle, or even walking, the insurance company is unlikely to offer to fully compensate you for your injuries - unless you have a lawyer. I believe that in all but the smallest cases you will receive more compensation - even after deducting the attorney fee - if you use an attorney. I will help you to properly present your claim and to negotiate the best possible settlement. If need be, we will file suit in order to obtain adequate compensation for you.

CRIMINAL LAW

Criminal law is another area of law where having a good attorney is essential. The district attorney has a lot of power in today’s legal system. In some cases, of course, you need to be willing to try the case instead of settling in order to get the best result.

I can help you with the difficult decision of going to trial versus entering a plea. I will also help you decide whether a judge or a jury is best to decide the facts of your case. If evidence was obtained illegally, I will help to get the judge to exclude that evidence.

Please know that a criminal conviction does not go away by itself after the passage of time. You must file a “Motion To Set Aside Conviction” - also known as having one’s record expunged. If you are looking for work and have a conviction in your past, you’ll want to get it expunged. It is relatively easy and inexpensive to expunge your record. If your conviction was for a misdemeanor or C felony, if it has been more than three years since the conviction and you have had no other convictions within a ten-year period, you probably qualify to have your record expunged. Call me and I will be glad to let you know if your conviction and/or arrest record can be expunged.

CONSUMER RIGHTS

Most of my consumer rights cases start with a phone call saying, “I just bought a car.” Sometime you can get out of a car deal and sometimes you can’t. Contrary to popular belief, there is no right to return a car to the dealer within 3 days after the sale. There is such a law governing door-to-door sales, but that law does not apply to car sales. However, a car dealer may not make misrepresentations (he can’t lie) in order to get you to buy. In addition, dealers must reveal to buyers “material defects” that they know of or should know about. So, if a car dealer lied to you or the car has a material defect the dealer knew or should have known about, you may have a claim for money damages or to have the sale “rescinded” (dealer takes car back and returns your money to you).

WILLS & ESTATES

Do you need a will? Do you know what will happen to your assets if you die “intestate” (without a will)? Have you designated a guardian for your children should you and your spouse both die? Do you know how large your estate can be before it is taxed by the state and federal governments? Do you have an Advance Directive or Living Will so that someone is designated to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated? No one likes to think about his or her death, and therefore people tend to put off estate planning. You really need to make an effort to get it done. I will be glad to answer your estate planning questions and help you decide whether you need a will, power of attorney, trust and/or an advance directive (living will).

CIVIL RIGHTS

I represent persons with discrimination claims based on race or other factors. I also represent jail/prison inmates in a variety of claims from being held in custody past their correct release date to being denied adequate medical care.

Areas of Expertise

Personal Injury

Auto, Truck, Car & Bike Accidents · Products Liability · Slip & Fall Accidents · Wrongful Death · Pedestrian Accidents

Criminal Law

Assault · Domestic Violence · Drugs · Fraud · Identity Theft · Measure 11 Offenses · Property Crimes · Theft

Consumer & Civil Rights

Auto Purchases · Consumer Fraud · Lemon Law · Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) · Discrimination · Prisoner Cases

Wills & Estates

Wills · Trusts · Estate Planning · Probate · Will Contests · Power of Attorney · Advance Directives | Living Wills