Wyoming lawmakers consider tougher DUI laws

Wyoming lawmakers are considering re-writing the state’s DUI laws.  In particular, they are debating penalties for drivers who refuse to submit to  breathalyzer tests.

On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee discussed a bill that would strengthen Wyoming’s already-strict DUI law.  Currently, drivers who refuse a breathalyzer test face driver’s license suspensions for six months. The proposed bill would change the punishment to up to six months in jail and a fine up to $750.

Many officials support a tougher law for DUI, but some committee members do not agree with such tough penalties for refusals. The committee hasn’t yet acted on the legislation, but discussions will resume Tuesday.

If you’ve been arrested for DUI in Wyoming or been charged with DUI refusal, speak with an attorney immediately.

Kentucky Bill would require ignition interlock devices for DUI convictions

Kentucky House Bill 58 was passed out of the House budget committee Wednesday.   If the bill becomes law, anyone convicted of a Kentucky DUI must install the device and must blow into the device each time he/she wishes to drive the vehicle. The car will not start if the device detects alcohol on the driver’s breath.

Although somewhat cumbersome, ignition interlock devices allow drivers to continue going to work, family obligations and church – as long as he or she isn’t drinking.

Numerous states, including New Mexico, currently have similar laws.  As a result, repeat DUI offenses are down 65 percent and deaths due to drunk drivers have decreased 35 percent.

If you have been arrested in Kentucky for DUI, contact an attorney immediately to get information about Kentucky DUI laws.

Not so fast … bad day gets worse for 16 Orange County drivers

Folks leaving the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach were targeted by the Costa Mesa police Monday in an undercover court sting operation.  The officers were targeting DUI drivers and those with suspended or revoked driver’s licenses.

For six hours Monday morning and afternoon, police officers staked out drivers who had been court-ordered to refrain from driving.  The officers followed these people from courtrooms to the parking lot and made arrests. Officers followed 16 offenders to the parking lot.

If you have been arrested for a California DUI, no matter what the circumstances, it’s wise to contact a lawyer in your area.

Super Bowl traffic stops in Las Vegas net nearly 30 DUI arrests

According to reports, The Nevada Highway Patrol arrested 29 suspects for drunk driving-related charges during the Super Bowl weekend.

An overwhelming majority of these arrests came from traffic stops. Only three of the arrests occurred after accidents.

The city of Las Vegas expected nearly 300,000 people to be in town for Super Bowl weekend.  Many of these people drove from California.

If you were arrested in Las Vegas for DUI, contact an attorney in your area for help.  An arrest is not a conviction.  Talk to an attorney about the best way to defend the Nevada DUI charges pending against you.

Family Court - Being Prepared For Your Child Custody Case

By Chloe Nelsun -

How confident do you feel about your upcoming family court date? Are you ready to walk in and present a well prepared and documented child custody agreement to the judge? Or are you nervous and not quite sure what to expect? The key to feeling confident about appearing in family and custody court is preparation. If you are prepared, you don’t need to worry. That preparation will shine through in the courtroom and the judge will be more likely to incorporate your custody plan.

Here are three suggestions for preparing for the big day.

1. Be on your best behavior. The court is going to discuss how you’ve been behaving during your custody situation. If you are uncooperative and not communicating with your spouse about what you’re doing with the children it makes you look bad. It is normal to feel some anger and resentment at your ex spouse–but you shouldn’t take out that anger with the child custody issues. Communicate with your spouse and let them know when you’ll be bringing the kids back, or dropping them off, or picking them up. And, follow through on what you say. If your spouse has multiple incidences of you saying one thing about the kids and doing another they will bring it up–and the judge won’t look on that favorably. Cooperate with your spouse, support your kids, and be reliable.

2. Come up with a well thought out plan. The judge in family and custody court will be impressed if you have a well thought out plan. Come up with the custody agreement that you’d like the court to accept. Make your agreement fair and in the best interest of the child. Divide the holidays equally between you and your spouse, come up with the basic schedule of custody, and decide how you will make joint, or shared, custody work if that is what you want. You should also think through any additional provisions that you want in your custody agreement.

Do you want to be informed if your ex gets your child a passport? Do you want to ban negative talk about the other parent around the child? Put it in the agreement. The fact that you spent so much time creating your custom agreement shows the court that you are putting your child as your first priority. If you want some help creating your custody agreement, you may want to look into purchasing some child custody software. There are some programs out there that let you easily create and print a calendar, and also allow you print out your agreement with any provisions you want.

3. Bring documents. Once you’ve created your child custody agreement, print the documents and bring multiple copies to court. You will be able to impress the judge when you hand him/her a copy of the year long calendar you created, plus a typed list of provisions, and a calculated time share. This shows that you really did your homework and it will also help you to present your agreement. If you are using a child custody software to help you prepare your documents you should be able to print multiple copies with no problems. You have enough to stress about without the additional worry of appearing in family court for your child custody. Work hard before and get prepared so that your day in court goes smoothly and stress-free. Learn more about getting ready for []family court and preparing your perfect child custody agreement. Article Source: Family Court - Being Prepared For Your Child Custody Case

Problems in Family Court That Fathers Should Prepare For

By Shane Flait -

Problems with the family court setup include laws that are discriminatory to whoever becomes the non custodial parent - overwhelmingly the father. But as bad these laws are, their administration is worse. Fathers can’t depend on lawyers to defend them effectively in this process.

This article overviews problems in the family court setup which fathers should guard against.

Family court typically awards the mother custody of the children while making the father a noncustodial parent obliged to pay up to a third of his income in ‘child support’ payments. That’s because

* The court asserts that it can decide who will get custody of the children based on the judge’s determination of ‘best interests of the child’ and

* Family court judges adhere to views that discriminate against fathers - and for mothers - as parents.

The first point violates of one’s constitutional right to parent. Denying that right requires the court to prove the father is unfit to parent with a jury trial by clear and convincing evidence. Constitutionally, the ‘best interest of the child’ resides in a fit parent, not the state!

The second point violates equal protections of the 14th Amendment, not to mention invidious discrimination.

But even under family court laws and rules fathers must prepare to protect themselves against court personnel. They often disregard rules they’re supposed to follow. The main characters in family court are the judge, the parents’ lawyers, and guardians ad litem. Knowing what their job is and where they can go wrong is important.

* The judge: his job and where he may go wrong:

There is no jury in the family court. So in a divorce trial, the judge decides - according to the record, evidence, and testimony before him - what the ‘true facts (called ‘findings of facts’) are. Then he makes his final judgment (i.e. a set of orders) which should be consistent with these findings of facts.

The trial judge can make mistakes (called errors) when his findings of fact are clearly not consistent with the record or what was proved in the trial. He may also misapply the law to his ‘findings of fact’.

* The wife’s lawyer: what he tries to accomplish:

Typically the wife’s lawyer will make the father out to be bad father, a controlling husband, maybe abusive to wife and/or children, unable to care adequately for children, and making a lot of money - or should be making a lot! That’s because they want to show

* It’s in the best interest of the children to make the father a noncustodial parent, and

* He should pay as high a child support payment as possible

The wife’s lawyer may coach the wife to misrepresent or distort the facts and create unsupported accusations against the husband. He’ll not the let the wife settle without an outrageous settlement in her favor.

He’ll try to force the father into an unreasonable settlement because, unfortunately, the trial judge will probably make a heavy judgment against the father. He may try to force a settlement by bringing the father to court often to run up his lawyer bills and the father may be told to pay both his own and his wife’s lawyers’ fees.

* Where does the father’s lawyer goes wrong?

The father’s lawyer should prepare well to defend against all accusations. He should require clear evidence for any accusations, be aggressive at defending the father and go after the wife’s character for making such unfounded accusations.

Unfortunately, his lawyer often doesn’t spend the time to create a good defense, effective briefs and supporting citations so he can force the judge to rule more in the father’s favor. It’s too much work. He won’t buck the system - where judges are clearly pro-wife or mother - by aggressively objecting, or even appealing. He’s worried about suffering the anger - unjustified as it may be - of the judge who the lawyer must see all the time in his work.

* Guardian ad litem (called GAL for short: What is his job?)

He or she to evaluates your children and their relation to you.

Where do GALs go wrong? They’re appointed by a judge who continually recommends those who find ‘things’ in a way that the judge wants things found. There are really no requirements to be a GAL. Any lawyer can request to be an evaluator of your children and their relation to you.

* Where fathers go wrong:

Fathers make the mistake of remaining unwitting pawns in this game. Fathers must get ‘in the know’, and take aggressive action to control their case to minimize the damage to themselves. If need be, they should go pro se, if their lawyers are unwilling to effectively fight for the father’s fundamental rights.

Shane Flait gives you the capability you need to fight for your rights.

Get his FREE Downloads at http://www.FathersRightsLegalAid.com<

Take his ecourse: How to Handle Your Family Court Case at http://www.FathersRightsLegalAid.com

Article Source:  Problems in Family Court That Fathers Should Prepare For

Washington DUI attorney, Michael Brodsky, speaks with 1800duilaws

Renowned Washington DUI defense lawyer, Michael Brodsky, took a moment out of his schedule to speak with 1800duilaws and our listeners about the strict Washington DUI laws.

According to Brodsky, folks in the state of Washington can actually be forced to give blood after a DUI arrest by way of a search warrant!  DUI laws in Washington are tough.

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI in Whatcom, Clallam, Kitsap or Island Counties, do not hesitate to contact Michael Brodsky for more information.

Michael Kessler, Florida DUI attorney, speaks with 1800duilaws

Florida DUI attorney Michael Kessler took a moment to speak with 1800duilaws.com about Florida DUI laws.

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin or Okeechobee Counties, contact him immediately for help with your Washington DUI.

Tough “no refusal” laws in effect this weekend in Illinois

DUI arrests of women increasing since the 1990s

Omaha, Nebraska police claim that more women in the metro are being arrested on DUI charges than ever before.  This increase has got a lot of folks in Omaha thinking about the reasons behind this statistic.

Since the 1990s, female DUI arrests are up more than 40 percent. In that same time period, DUI arrests among male drivers have dropped by more than 20 percent.   In 2009, 30 percent of those accused of DUI were women.  By comparison, in 1997, only 20 percent of accused DUI drivers were women.

Everyone in the community has their theories about the reason for this dramatic increase in just a little over a decade.  Some believe that the alcohol industry isn’t properly educating women of the dangers of drinking and driving.  Others believe that the difference lies in the way men and women metabolize alcohol differently.  Despite explanations, police said they want women to know that no one is off limits to a DUI arrest.

For more information about DUI laws in Nebraska, see 1800duilaws.com.  If you’ve been arrested for a DUI in Omaha or anywhere else in Nebraska, speak with an attorney in your area.

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