Using Rule 32 to set aside a guilty plea conviction in Alabama – Part 1
Many people are familiar with using Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure to attempt to obtain a new jury trial in Alabama after being convicted in a criminal trial. Not as many people...
View ArticleNever talk to the police (video)
One of the most amazing aspects of the practice of criminal defense law is the number of people who would never be arrested if they simply exercised their right to remain silent. Even after being...
View ArticleUsing Rule 32 to set aside a guilty plea in Alabama – Part 2
This is the second in a series of articles on using Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure to set aside a guilty plea. To read Part 1, click here. A defendant who enters an involuntary or...
View ArticleSexting & Youth: Recommended Article from the Center for Safe and Responsible...
Image via Wikipedia Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, has published an article on the Center’s website addressing the subject of Sexting and Youth: Achieving...
View ArticleRule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure
In recent weeks, our office has been contacted more and more by people looking for information about filing a claim against their attorney under Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure. Not...
View ArticleEffective assistance of counsel includes accurate advice about the...
Image via Wikipedia The United States Supreme Court recently held that an attorney’s duty to provide effective assistance of counsel includes the responsibility of providing accurate advice about the...
View ArticleWhen Cops Lie in Court, Do Trial Judges and Appellate Courts Let Them Get...
When a cop lies in court, do trial judges and appellate courts let them get away with it? It appears that in many cases, the answer is yes. Unless it is absolutely proven that the cop was lying, trial...
View ArticleHearsay in Probation Revocation Cases – Admissible but Not Enough
An issue that comes up fairly often in probation revocation cases in Alabama is the use of hearsay evidence. Criminal defense lawyers often get confused about the role of hearsay in a probation...
View ArticleMarshall County Appeal of Sex Offense Conviction Frees Client Despite Guilty...
Image by jimmywayne via Flickr A Marshall County appellate case handled by our office recently demonstrated the importance of checking the statute of limitations on any felony charge in Alabama before...
View ArticleHow to Withdraw a Guilty Plea in Alabama
As an Alabama appellate lawyer, I often encounter people who want to withdraw their guilty plea in a criminal case. These defendants often say they showed up to go to trial on their criminal charges,...
View ArticleBaldwin County Sheriff’s Department Secretly Recorded Private Privileged...
Your conversations in the Baldwin County Courthouse are on audiotape. Anyone who has litigated a case in the Baldwin County Courthouse in recent months, particularly those with criminal charges, should...
View ArticleTechnology in Appellate Law Practice – Article in ACDLA Publication “The...
Alabama attorneys who want to use iPads and other technological advances in their law practices may be interested in reading my new article, Technology in Appellate Law Practice. The article appears in...
View ArticleAlabama Criminal Appeal Forms – How to File a Criminal Appeal in Alabama
What forms do you need to file a criminal appeal in Alabama? A Google search on this question will lead to a lot of appellate lawyer websites, but a list of which forms to file to start the appellate...
View ArticleTop 100 Trial Lawyers: National Trial Lawyers Association Names William...
Alabama appellate attorney William L. Pfeifer, Jr., has been selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Alabama by the National Trial Lawyers Association for his work in the area of criminal...
View ArticleAlabama prison rape, violence, overcrowding, and abuse investigated by...
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into the rampant problems of rape, violence, overcrowding, and abuse in the Alabama prison system. The investigation concerns various...
View ArticleMotion for Mistrial for undisclosed evidence in Alabama felony cases must be...
There are a variety of situations in Alabama criminal trials that may cause a judge to declare a mistrial, or at least cause one of the attorneys to request one. One of the times where a motion for a...
View ArticleAlabama Forfeiture Statute – Ala. Code Section 20-2-92 Drug Crime Forfeitures
A common problem faced by people arrested on drug charges in Alabama is that law enforcement is also seeking to seize their property under Alabama’s forfeiture statute. Because this issue arises so...
View ArticleDrug Forfeiture Appeals – Car forfeiture reversed based on innocent owner...
Alabama asset forfeiture law provides an extensive list of items that law enforcement officers can seize in connection with drug crimes. Under Alabama Code Section 20-2-93(a)(5) (1975), this list...
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