Every litigant in Indiana administrative proceedings or trial courts has the ultimate right to appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Trial courts make many orders, but typically it is the last one deciding the issues that is the final order that is subject to appeal. Usually. However, life and law are complex and sometimes an appealed order is not final as to all of the issues or not a final order at all. A recent case, ... Read More
26
Mar2018
22
Mar2018
In child custody proceedings, Indiana trial court judges award or modify custody by considering all1 of the evidence in order to determine a custody arrangement in the child’s best interests. There are several statutory considerations for the court to weigh, including the physical and mental health of the parents, as well as any other facts or circumstances that may factor into a child’s best interests as it relates to custody.2 For years, “soft” drug use, such as smoking marijuana, has been considered in awarding ... Read More
28
Feb2018
Probation is often a tool used by trial courts and is normally within their discretion to order in most cases. It is obviously a desirous outcome for judges, the community, and defendant. Most of the time it keeps the defendant out of jail, at home and work, and the taxpayers from paying for criminal incarceration. However, violations of the terms of probation, such as drug use determined by a positive drug screen, may result in a violation of probation (VOP) being filed by ... Read More
19
Dec2017
The keys to making your best case for obtaining what you want in a divorce trial by focusing on the obvious and basics—but what is rarely ever consciously considered by the parties before or at trial.
20
Nov2017
Legal Rights and Remedies That Do Not Exist in Indiana
Most seasoned divorce attorneys have had clients who have lived in different places or have friends and family divorced in other states; sometimes this brings pre-conceived notions to the table about what is possible in a divorce in Indiana. This blog addresses the most common misunderstandings of litigants in proceeding in Indiana.
The first misconception is alimony. In many states, the spouse without earning power can obtain long-term alimony. It is not uncommon to hear about very large monthly (or weekly) alimony awards ... Read More
07
Nov2017
The polygraph test has urban myth status among a large segment of society. A polygraph test is an important tool in every lawyer’s toolbox--including that of the criminal defense attorney. This blog post explores the myriad of uses and limits of a polygraph and similar tests in the legal system today, as well as those for the future.
Will a polygraph test prove useful in your criminal matter (civil)?
A common agreement among criminal defense lawyers is individuals should not make statements to police officers if ... Read More
31
Oct2017
Under the Divorce Act, the Legislature vests trial courts with great discretion to divide the marital estate in a just and equal manner. One consideration in any divorce is the award of statutory rehabilitation maintenance.
Rehabilitation maintenance1 is much narrower than alimony in many states because it only allows a trial court to award such for up to three (3) years when a spouse needs extra support while obtaining employment-related education or training.
There are four (4) considerations the trial court considers in making such an award:
... Read More
13
Oct2017
In many civil cases, particularly divorce preliminary and final hearings, the judge receives many types of information or evidence, from who should have the house, to the division of accounts and debts, to forks and household items.
Despite the clearest testimony and diligence of judge, it is hard to identify and track all of this information for the attorneys and judges during the dynamics of a trial. This blog covers a common tool many attorneys use that aids the ... Read More
25
May2017
Social media has literally changed the face of the world and how we interact—but nothing compares to Facebook with nearly 2 billion users globally and 210 million users in the United States (most of the population). Instead of real, in-person conversations, many people have substituted Facebooking (and many other social media tools). As you might guess, Facebook has worked its way into courtrooms in two key ways.
First, there is a prolific amount of posts and related material on high-profile ... Read More
06
Apr2017
Suppression of evidence in a criminal case has always been a controversial topic and legal remedy. An example would be suppression of a firearm found on a felon after he or she is stopped and searched. It is illegal and a criminal act for a felon to possess a firearm under state and federal law, and standing alone, is criminal and should result in a conviction.
The reason evidence is suppressed, such as this hypothetical firearm on a felon, is to ... Read More