01.May.2012 Top Three Ways to Avoid Getting Arrested at Jazz Fest
UPDATE: This was originally posted two years ago, and again last year around Jazz Fest time. I feel like it is worth trotting out again with some updated information, most importantly to note that you will now likely receive a summons for Municipal Court for most minor offenses in lieu of arrest. You will probably [...]
13.Apr.2012 FAQs About Getting Arrested in New Orleans
Amazing weather we are having and festival season has been so much fun, so far. Parades, live music, awesome food… French Quarter Fest started Thursday (they added a day!), Crawfest is April 21, and a few weeks later we’re hosting Jazz Fest. Daiquiris in the sun and go-cups on the run…. I think it’s a [...]
05.Mar.2012 Adult in Every Way…
When you turn 18 you are expected to grow up. You are turned out into the adult world and you are expected to make your own way…. You have many choices. Get a job — join the workforce and become a contributing member of society. Or go to college — higher education is calling. Or [...]
15.Feb.2012 DWI Enforcement: Getting both tough and sensible
Recent events in the news highlight two sides of the debate over drunk driving. The dark side – repeat offenders often fall through the system and keep driving; and the light side – first offenders, given the opportunity to change through monitoring and education, often learn their lesson and don’t offend again. Out of the [...]
31.Jan.2012 Guns Beget More Guns
Even in a town as jaded by murder as New Orleans, there are acts of violence that still shock and enrage the public. The murder of the Good Samaritan Harry “Mike” Ainsworth who was gunned down in front of his children while trying to stop an early morning carjacking is one such case. The neighborhood [...]
17.Jan.2012 Trying to Stop the Violence
My twitter feed is blowing up: “Cops working several shootings in city at moment 1) Shooting Claiborne/Carrollton 2) Triple shooting on Elysian Fields 3) 1300 blk Columbus” “Nelson elementary in Gentilly on lockdown as cops search for gunman. At least one suspect fired gunshots. Three suspects in custody” “For those asking, we have 11 murders [...]
09.Jan.2012 Different Kinds of Murder
Not all murders are the same. And the difference can often be found in the character of the victim. As the New Orleans murder rate cycles from epidemic to pandemic, Superintendent Ronal Serpas is trying to remind average, law-abiding citizens that their risk of getting murdered is very slim. He has made the decision to [...]
19.Dec.2011 A Primer for Holiday Drinking & Driving
Holiday parties are coming on strong now.. I thought it would be helpful to put out there my own sort of P.S.A. about drinking and driving this holiday season. The wisest thing we can all do is abstain when we know we have to operate a vehicle. Everyone knows the slogan: “Don’t Drink and Drive.” [...]
13.Sep.2011 Premature Adjudication
The framers of the Constitution dealt with and were determined to prevent the tactics of tyranny. The Bill of Rights reflects this in that every mandate benefits the individual, usually by forcing government to follow strict procedures to protect these rights. When they wrote the Sixth Amendment guaranteeing a speedy trial, their intent wasn’t to [...]
22.Aug.2011 How Much Can You Drink Before You’re Drunk?
New Orleans is a city that has always considered drinking to be a companion to living. Alcohol is paired with everything from meals and music to carpentry (truly — there’s not a right angle in the entire city). Festivals revolve around it, championships are assisted by it and tourists arrive expecting it. We as a [...]
I am a New Orleans Criminal defense lawyer, and the managing attorney of NOLA Criminal Law. I am a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, with over 17 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana. Please visit my website for more.
