Because of some recent news regarding a high profile case with which I was involved, there has been a good deal of discussion of the Grand Jury process and how it works. To many, even within the legal community, Grand Juries are mysterious and there is a lot of misinformation circulating…
Recently, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum instructing US Attorneys to charge the “highest readily provable offense” regardless of other factors in all cases. This reverses an Obama-era policy that called for charging leaders and violent actors more severely than non-violent, non gang-related actors. The net result of these…
I recently became aware of a Texas case involving the use of call centers in India who “impersonated officials from the IRS or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a ruse designed to defraud victims located throughout the United States.” I advise my clients to be very skeptical about…
Alabama’s laws provide for three levels of drug offense — Possession, Distribution, and Trafficking. Trafficking is by far the most serious of these offenses and carries a mandatory prison sentence as outlined below. The distinction between Possession, Distribution, and Trafficking is based mainly on the weight of the drugs involved.…
Many people come to this page looking for information about Alabama’s Pardon and Parole Board. From time to time we like to update the Board’s situation and what it means for those appearing before the board on a Parole Hearing, or petitioning the Board for a Pardon. Read on to…
While other states are decriminalizing or even legalizing marijuana for recreational use, Alabama has not changed their marijuana laws. Alabama law allows for possession of marijuana in the first degree (POM I) and second degree (POM II). POM II is different from POM I because POM II is for first…
We at Skier & Associates have received information that there will be a bill filed in the upcoming legislative session that would expand Alabama’s existing expungement law to allow expungement of certain convictions as well as pardoned convictions. As always, the legislative process is unpredictable and slow. Stay tuned to…
The Alabama State Board of Health created a controlled substance list with 5 different sections in it (called schedules I, II, III, IV, and V) and if you are caught with one of the substances on the list you can be charged. You don’t have to go through the criminal…
Identity theft often isn’t as simple as one person stealing another person’s social security number and using it to apply for credit cards. There are several different ways by which someone may be charged with identity theft. If you or someone you care about has been charged with identity theft…
The crimes of trespass and burglary may seem similar, but there are several differences between the two crimes and between the different degrees within the crimes. There are four ways in which a person may be charged of criminal trespass: first degree, second degree, third degree, and by motor…