Attorney sitting with client

What are the Red Flags for PPP Loan Fraud?

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is going after people who committed loan fraud when applying for or using Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds that were intended to keep our economy from collapsing during the dark, early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Law enforcement estimates that hundreds of millions of dollars of PPP funds were obtained […]

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Statue of Justia

Protection Order Cases – Civil or Criminal?

Protection order cases arise out of a civil case and there is a Petitioner and a Respondent. When a protection order is granted, it is simply an order, not a criminal conviction.  However, if the order is then violated, that violation of the order is a crime that can be prosecuted. When a criminal case is […]

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Attorney and man discussing legal documents

Understanding the Three Levels of Police Encounters: Arrests, Investigative Stops, and Consensual Encounters

The label applied to the three levels of police encounters with individuals will determine the constitutional rights of the persons being stopped or detained. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches of their persons, houses, papers, and belongings by the government. A search warrant must be supported by sworn allegations of probable cause and […]

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Drug deal between two people

Can I Get My Drug Charges Reduced?

Drug crimes can result in severe penalties in Washington State. Before pleading guilty to a drug offense, consult a Washington criminal defense attorney. There could be one or more defenses to the drug crimes you are facing. In some cases, you may be able to get the drug charges reduced to a lesser charge.  Drug […]

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Forensic scientist examining DNA

Is DNA Testing Reliable in Criminal Cases?

DNA testing is a double-edged sword. Law enforcement has solved countless cold cases as well as current cases based on DNA evidence. The problem arises from the fact that, like almost everything, DNA testing is not 100% reliable. A miscarriage of justice can result when someone gets wrongfully convicted based on incorrect DNA results or […]

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Person posting unknown suspicious online

Anti-harassment Orders for Posts on Social Media

You might have thought that you were merely expressing yourself and your opinions online, and then someone accused you of harassment and took you to court, seeking an anti-harassment order. What happened to the 1st Amendment freedom of speech? The 1st Amendment does protect a lot of speech. One’s speech has to cross the line […]

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commutation application - approved

What is Commutation?

The Governor of Washington State has the power, under our state constitution and some state statutes, to change the fate of people sentenced to death. One of the options the Governor has is to commute, which means to lessen a death sentence. If you are following the case of someone with a death sentence, you […]

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