Criminal arraignment is the initial court appearance that takes place after a person has been arrested on suspicion of committing a crime.  When will the arraignment take place? It is possible that the arraignment may not occur for several months or over a year in some jurisdictions (especially if the defendant is out of custody), even though the case has been accused or indicted. Bond is also not set at Read More

Part of a two-attorney defense team, John Totten successfully defended Andrew Haweis Goldsmith IV.  Mr. Goldsmith was facing two counts of attempted murder and two counts of capital murder while facing a minimum sentence of life in prison.  To read more about this case, see the al.com article by clicking HERE. Read More

Violating the law and getting charged with a crime is always a serious situation, and the specific type of charges can have a huge impact on the potential penalties. One of the most significant factors that can make a crime more serious is the motivation behind the event. When a crime is motivated by hate or bias, it is classified as a “hate crime,” which can come with elevated penalties. Alabama is one of 45 states Read More

It is not uncommon to see a judge on a TV show threaten someone with being “held in contempt of court.” While it does make for some good entertainment, motions of contempt are all too real and need to be taken extremely seriously. Simply put, being held in contempt of court is the charge issued when you fail to comply with their orders. Read on to get a better understanding of motions of contempt and how they can Read More

No matter where you work, your employer is obligated to provide a safe work environment. What constitutes “safe” may be different for everyone, but there are laws in place that outlines what employers need to do in order to provide a safe environment for employees. Below, you’ll find a few of the most common signs of an unsafe work environment. If any of these are missing and you end up injured, you could have a Read More

If you have gone through a divorce in Alabama, part of the final agreement was likely a child support order, a spousal support order, or both. The courts try to make these orders in such a way as to ensure they accomplish the goal of providing financial care for any children and a spouse who needs it for a time. The goal is to have these orders remain in place as they are written until they are scheduled to be Read More

When people hear terms like theft and burglary, they often have the same general meaning in mind. This should come as no surprise because they are all related to the taking of property that does not belong to the person. If you are facing legal charges related to one or more of these terms, however, it is very important to understand the differences between them. Read through this blog to understand how theft and Read More

If you or a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of another party, you may be entitled to compensation. If you are ready to file an injury claim to start this important process, you need to make sure you are covering all your bases. This means following the right steps to ensure you don’t run into any problems or delays while also helping you to craft the strongest case possible. The following steps will Read More

A divorce will be considered either contested, or uncontested, depending on whether the separating couple is able to negotiate and come to an agreement on all the essential steps of a divorce. Many people are surprised to learn that most divorces are actually uncontested, and the details of the divorce are worked out between the couple and a mediator or other third party rather than a judge. There are times, however, Read More

Getting arrested in Alabama is a frightening experience. As with anything in life, however, the more you know about what is going to happen, the easier it is to deal with and the less frightening it will be. While the specifics of a case will vary quite a bit based on the charges and other circumstances, the basic arrest process is going to be very similar. The Initial Arrest Everything will really start with Read More