Under Florida Statute 784.011 (2015), an assault is defined as "an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to the person of another, coupled with an apparent ability to do so, and doing some act which creates a well-founded fear in such other...
Every year, thousands of people become victims of Domestic Violence. It is estimated that the vast majority, about 85% of these victims, are women. From physical and emotional abuse to homicide, domestic violence is something that, unfortunately, affects many people in this country. As a...
When looking for employment or moving to a new area, having a clean and attractive criminal history is useful. People often make mistakes that lead to misdemeanors, so getting the crime expunged from your record can be the difference between gaining meaningful employment and struggling...
When stalking comes to mind, we often picture dark hooded people lurking in the shadows, watching our every move. While stalking can look like this in some cases, it can take a multitude of other forms as well. Stalking is a serious criminal charge and...
From time to time we will receive calls regarding a Domestic Violence matter in which it is the Defendant's first offense and the witness either recants prior testimony or simply refuses to testify and/or cooperate with the prosecution. The best case scenario in a case...
Mistakes happen in life, and, unfortunately, some of those mistakes lead to criminal charges or records. In some cases, however, it is possible to have a record expunged so that your criminal history is no longer a public record. When this occurs in the legal...
Are Attorney Fees Tax Deductible in a Divorce? A question that we are frequently asked is "Are Attorney Fees Tax Deductible?", or more specifically, whether divorce attorney fees are deductible. Under the Internal Revenue Code § 262, no deduction shall be allowed for personal, living, or family...
Expungement. While we have previously detailed (in a prior post) the qualifications for sealing / expungement of your criminal history under Florida law, many people also want to know whether (or not) the specific Florida Crime that they were charged with can be expunged. Under Florida law, any request for...
Is Sheltering a Runaway Minor Illegal in Florida? Sheltering a Runaway Minor. We received a question a few days ago from a young adult who wanted to help out her friend by providing her a place to stay for a few days. The problem is that...