SOC: The Better Alternative to a Deferred Sentence

by Mike Brodsky | Dec 4, 2015 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law, Sentencing, Updates

Last month, I wrote about deferred sentences and I why I don’t recommend them as an option to my clients seeking to resolve misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges without getting a criminal conviction on their record. Here I will discuss the alternative I prefer:...

Why I Hate Deferred Sentences

by Mike Brodsky | Nov 2, 2015 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law, Pages, Sentencing, Updates

RCW 3.66.067, Assessment of punishment–Suspension or deferral of sentence–Dismissal of charges, authorizes Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (District or Municipal courts) to “[a]fter a conviction . . . impose sentence by suspending all or a portion of the...

Vacating Felony Convictions

by Mike Brodsky | Jun 17, 2015 | Updates

Last month I wrote about how a person with misdemeanor criminal history can go about trying to clean up some of that undesirable past by vacating their misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor convictions. Cleaning up or vacating felony history is more complicated. But is it...

Misdemeanor Criminal History

by Mike Brodsky | May 8, 2015 | Updates

Anybody who has been convicted of a crime knows the detrimental effects of that conviction can linger long after the case has been resolved. These are what we in the law call the “collateral consequences” of having criminal history and they can range from the loss of...

Should You Take the Roadside Field Sobriety Tests?

by Mike Brodsky | Apr 21, 2015 | Criminal Defense, Criminal Law, Updates

A  lot of my DUI clients tell me they agreed to to take the “voluntary” filed sobriety tests (FSTs) offered by the law enforcement officer because they wanted to appear “cooperative” or simply didn’t understand that they had every right...