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What Are Four Consequences of Being Placed on the Sex Offender Registry?

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If you are convicted of a sex crime, you will likely be placed on the sex offender registry. The sex offender registry is a way for the state to keep track of where sex offenders are and to ensure that they are abiding by the restrictions of their conviction. Four of the main consequences of being placed on the sex offender registry include not being able to hold certain jobs, being restricted on where you can live, losing custody of your children, and a lack of privacy.

Being placed on the sex offender registry can affect nearly every part of your life, which is why it is important to do everything you can to defend yourself against sex crime charges. Talk to one of our attorneys to find out what your options are.

How Does Being a Sex Offender Limit My Employment Opportunities?

When you are a registered sex offender, you are not allowed to hold certain jobs. Usually, these jobs are ones in which you would be working with children or those who are more vulnerable, such as the developmentally disabled. These registries are public, and employers are able to search them as part of a background check.

How Does Being a Sex Offender Affect Where I Can Live?

Registered sex offenders are not allowed to live within 1,000 feet of a school, which means that your housing opportunities after you have served your sentence can be very limited. This 1,000-foot radius includes living with a friend or family member. Sex offenders are also not allowed to come within 1,000 feet of a school unless they are picking up or dropping off their own child.

Will Being Convicted of a Sex Crime Impact My Custody Case?

Being convicted of a sex crime can impact child custody, but the impact depends on the nature of the charges and the family court judge. If the sex crime conviction is related to children, such as with child pornography charges or sexual abuse of a minor, you could lose custody of your children entirely or be left with only supervised visitation. If you have children, it is important to speak with an attorney about how the charges may affect your custody arrangement and what you can do to protect your relationship with your children.

Sex crimes carry a large stigma in our society, but there are still options for defense if you have been charged with one of these crimes. Call 931-236-2711 to schedule a consultation and speak with a seasoned criminal defense advocate today.

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A DUI is an abbreviation for a criminal charge that is called driving under the influence. This can apply when someone drives after drinking too much alcohol, but it can also apply when the person is under the influence of any kind of substance that impairs their ability to drive. For example, a person could get a driving under the influence charge for driving while impaired by prescription medications.

If you are facing DUI charges, you are probably wondering what your options are for defending yourself. The attorneys at our firm are experienced in handling DUI cases and can help you understand your options and provide counsel on which one might be the right choice for your particular situation.

Is a DUI a Felony or a Misdemeanor?

A first or second-offense DUI is usually a misdemeanor charge. However, it is possible to end up with felony DUI charges. A felony DUI charge can be brought about if you have multiple previous DUI offenses or if someone was injured or killed in an accident when you were driving under the influence. Any kind of criminal charges are serious, but felony DUI charges are something that you should pay special attention to and speak with an attorney about.

What Are the Defense Options for a DUI?

If you have been charged with driving under the influence, you have a few defense options. The right option for your case depends on the specific circumstances, and that’s why it’s important to discuss everything with a defense attorney before you move forward. Common defense strategies for driving under the influence charges include challenging the legitimacy of the traffic stop and challenging the equipment or officer experience involved in the field sobriety test.

What Does a DUI Lawyer Do?

A DUI lawyer is a criminal defense attorney who takes cases involving DUI charges. This kind of lawyer has extensive knowledge and experience in the Tennessee criminal courts and is prepared to represent you as your case moves through the system. This could include gathering evidence for your case, being present as you are questioned by police, and acting as your legal counsel at trial. A DUI lawyer may also be able to negotiate a plea deal on your behalf and provide you with information on how such a deal could impact your future.

If you have been charged with a DUI, we want you to know that there is help available, and you do not have to go through this experience alone. Call our office at 931-236-2711 to talk to a member of our team and get more information on our legal services and how one of our criminal defense attorneys can help you.

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A felony is a criminal charge that carries a possible prison sentence of at least one year, so yes, all felonies in Tennessee carry prison time. Misdemeanor charges can also carry prison time, but the maximum possible sentence has to be less than one year. It’s important to understand the nature of your charges and what the possible consequences are so that you can put forth the best defense possible.

A criminal defense attorney is a lawyer who works with defendants who have been charged with crimes in the Tennessee courts. Contact our firm today to speak with a member of our team about your charges and what you should do if you are facing possible prison time.

What Are Common Felonies in Tennessee?

Felony charges in Tennessee often involve violent crimes, such as rape, murder, manslaughter, and aggravated assault. It’s also possible to be charged with a felony for some drug crimes. While most theft crimes are misdemeanors, if the value of the stolen items was more than $1,000 or a weapon was involved in the theft, it could result in a felony charge. It’s also possible to be charged with a felony for a DUI if you caused an accident where someone else was injured or killed.

Can You Plead Down a Felony Charge?

It may be possible to plead down a felony charge, and if so, it’s an option that’s often worth considering. While pleading guilty to a lesser charge means that you still have a criminal conviction, it may be possible to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge instead of a felony. This can be a strategic option to avoid facing significant prison time. A misdemeanor charge also isn’t quite as serious on your record. However, it’s also important that you make this decision with a full understanding of the pros and cons of a plea deal, so it’s something you should discuss with your attorney.

What Should I Do If I’m Charged With a Felony?

If you have been charged with a felony, the first thing you should do is obtain experienced legal representation. These are serious charges that require a serious defense, and you need someone who is equipped to provide counsel and help you navigate the criminal courts.

If you’ve been charged with a felony in Tennessee, call our law office at 931-236-2711. Our attorneys have experience representing defendants facing serious felony charges and can help you understand what’s happening and what your options are. If you choose to retain our firm, we can get straight to work representing your rights and fighting for your future.

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A field sobriety test is a test that a police officer administers when they pull you over if they believe that you have been drinking or might be under the influence of a substance. The term field sobriety test includes both performative tests, such as having to recite the alphabet or stand on one leg, and blood alcohol tests that analyze your breath to see how much you have been drinking.

If you fail a field sobriety test, the officer will arrest you for driving under the influence and take you back to the police station. It is important that you understand what your rights are and how to handle these types of situations. If you have questions about your case, call our office to schedule an appointment.

Can I Refuse a Field Sobriety Test?

It is a common misconception that you are not able to refuse a field sobriety test. But in fact, in the state of Tennessee, you have the right to refuse a field sobriety test, and doing so does not mean that you are automatically arrested or deemed to have failed as it does in some other states. If you refuse a sobriety test in the field, the office can require that you submit to a blood test at a medical facility. If you refuse to do so, your driver’s license is forfeited.

What Happens If I Fail a Field Sobriety Test?

If you fail a field sobriety test, you are likely to be arrested and charged with driving under the influence. The officer will take you back to the police station to be formally charged. As soon as you are arrested, it’s important to speak with a DUI attorney as quickly as possible — ideally within 24 hours. An attorney can advise you of your rights and provide counsel so that you do not inadvertently make the situation worse for yourself.

What Does a DUI Lawyer Do?

A DUI lawyer represents those who have been charged with driving under the influence. These attorneys can help you understand your charges, and they know what to look for to see where the holes are in your traffic stop and arrest to identify your defense options. They are also experienced at negotiating with prosecutors and may be able to help you get your charges reduced.

If you have refused a field sobriety test or been charged with a DUI, contact our law office at 931-236-2711. Our firm offers free consultations where you can discuss your case with an attorney and get a better understanding of how we can help and what we offer.

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A stepchild adoption occurs when a stepparent legally adopts their stepchild as their own. When you marry someone who has kids, you become a stepparent, but you have no legal standing or authority when it comes to your new spouse’s existing children. An adoption names you as the child’s legal parent, which conveys parental rights to you.

Stepchild adoptions are complicated, and many people don’t understand the legal requirements for a stepchild adoption to go through. Contact our law firm if you are considering a stepchild adoption to ensure that you know what the process is and that your situation qualifies.

Does the Child’s Other Parent Have to Consent to the Adoption?

In most cases, the child’s other biological parent must consent to the stepchild’s adoption for it to move forward. This is to ensure that the biological parent is not getting stripped of any rights. If the child’s other biological parent is dead, the courts are able to proceed with the adoption process more quickly. In cases where the other biological parent is not able to be contacted, there may be a way to satisfy the court’s requirements for notification so the adoption can proceed.

How Does a Stepchild Adoption Affect Child Support?

If you have an existing child support order where your child’s biological parent is paying child support, it is important to understand that going forward with a stepchild adoption will terminate that support order. That is because when the adoption is finalized, the other parent is no longer a legal parent of the child and therefore carries no financial responsibility for the child. The courts now expect the new legal parent (the stepparent) to assume the financial responsibilities.

What Happens If We Get a Divorce After the Adoption Is Finalized?

Another aspect to be aware of before you go forward with a stepchild adoption is that if you were to divorce after the adoption is finalized, the stepparent would be able to get custody and visitation rights and could also get or receive financial support. Because the stepparent is now a legal parent of the child, they have the same rights in a divorce when it comes to child custody and child support as a biological parent would. This is one reason why it is important to take stepchild adoption very seriously and ensure that you are prepared for the long-term ramifications.

Contact our law firm at 931-236-2711 to find out more about what the Tennessee laws and guidelines are when it comes to stepchild adoption and what you need to be aware of. We can also help you track down a biological parent to gain consent and ensure that everyone involved understands what happens after the adoption is complete.

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If you were charged with possession, you may be able to get it expunged. Expunging removes the arrest, charge, and conviction, if there is one, from your criminal record entirely, so it is as if the incident never happened. Expunging your record can give you a clean slate and ensure a past mistake doesn’t continue to affect your future.

If you have a simple possession charge on your record and you want to get it expunged, our firm can help. We can verify that your charge is eligible for expungement and help you through the process.

What Is the Process for Expunging a Charge?

Before you apply to have a charge expunged off of your criminal record, it is important to talk with an attorney to ensure you understand what an expungement is and what it does for your criminal record. A criminal defense attorney can also verify that your charge is eligible for expungement so you don’t waste time and money trying to get a charge expunged that can’t be. Once you are sure that your charge is eligible, you will need to file a formal request for expungement with the court where the charge was originally filed. Make sure that your case is also paid up for any court costs or fees, as a balance here will keep you from being able to move forward. Once you complete your filing, the judge will decide whether to grant your expungement request.

Do I Have to Wait a Certain Amount of Time to Have a Charge Expunged?

If you were arrested and charged, but you didn’t end up with a conviction, there is no wait time to request that the charge be expunged. This applies to cases where the charge was dismissed, or you were found not guilty. If you were convicted of possession, you have to wait five years after the completion of your sentence to be able to apply for expungement.

Can I Get a Charge Expunged If I Have Other Convictions?

If the charge that you are applying to get expunged is not your only criminal conviction, you cannot have the charge expunged. If you do have past convictions, it is still worth talking to an attorney about what your options may be. Even if you can’t get your record expunged, there may be other legal strategies you can use to try to get your record clear.

Having drug charges on your record can make it feel like you can’t leave the past behind. But clearing your record through expungement is one way to start to move forward. Call 931-236-2711 to speak to a criminal defense attorney about your situation.

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An annulment is a legal option for ending a marriage. An annulment completely erases the marriage legally, making it as if you were never married. To be granted an annulment, you have to show that your marriage was invalid. The common grounds for this are that one party represented themselves fraudulently, that one party was not of sound mind to commit to the marriage, or that there was some other legal issue with the marriage, such as not being of legal age or the marriage resulting in bigamy.

Getting an annulment can be an option for ending your marriage, but it is important to understand whether your circumstances qualify for an annulment and how this option differs from divorce. If you are interested in learning more about annulments, contact our law firm.

How Is an Annulment Different From a Divorce?

While both an annulment and a divorce will terminate the marriage, an annulment legally makes it as if the marriage never happened. If you have an annulment, you can legally say that you were never married. This is because to get an annulment, there has to be some legal basis for the marriage to have been invalid from the beginning. Getting an annulment is often quicker than going through the entire divorce process because there are usually not the more complex issues of property division and child custody to deal with.

What Is the Process for Getting an Annulment?

The first step in getting an annulment is filing a legal document called a Complaint for Annulment. You will need to provide certain details on the marriage and give a reason for the annulment request. After the complaint has been filed, a hearing will be scheduled where you will have the opportunity to present your case and show your reasons for why the marriage is invalid and should be annulled. Assuming that the courts agree with you, the marriage will be ordered annulled, and legally, it will be like nothing ever happened.

How Long Does an Annulment Take?

While an annulment is often faster than a divorce, it can still be a complex legal process. Assuming that there are no larger issues such as child custody or property division to deal with, the marriage can be annulled as fast as the hearing can be scheduled. If there are other issues that need to be decided or the other party does not agree to the annulment, it can take several months and even multiple hearings to be settled.

Ensure that you have someone to guide you through the process of getting an annulment by calling our law firm at 931-236-2711. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your case and learn more.

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If the parents of a child weren’t married, the mother automatically has full custody until otherwise established with the courts. The father of the child will have no legal custody or visitation rights until he establishes legal paternity and files for custody through the family courts. This is important to understand to avoid acting in a way that could damage your custody case later on.

If you aren’t married to your child’s other parent and you have questions about your parental rights or what to expect from a custody hearing, we can help. Our law firm has experienced family law attorneys who are familiar with these types of cases and can help you fight for your children.

Does Signing the Birth Certificate Give Me Paternal Rights?

Signing the birth certificate does not automatically grant an unmarried father parental rights. While it can help show that the mother at one point recognized that you were the biological father of the child, a father’s parental rights have to be established through the courts if he was not married to the mother of the child at the time of the birth.

How Do I Get Custody and Visitation Rights?

To get custody and visitation rights to your child, you will need to file a petition in the family law courts. The petition should outline that you are the proven biological father of the child, that you want to establish and nurture a relationship with the child, and that having a relationship with you is in the child’s best interests. If the mother disagrees and is not willing to come to a compromise on custody and visitation, the matter will go before a judge who will make the final decision and establish the court orders.

How Do the Courts Establish Paternity?

To establish legal paternity, the father will need to sign a voluntary declaration of paternity or complete a paternity test. If the mother refuses to cooperate, the father may have to petition the courts to order a paternity test and enforce that order to ensure that the child can be tested to determine paternity. Once paternity has been legally established, the father has the basis to file for custody and/or visitation rights through the family courts.

If you are fighting for custody of your children and you weren’t married to the other parent, it’s important to have an attorney by your side who understands what it takes to navigate these types of cases through the courts. Call our law office at 931-236-2711 to get started.

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In the state of Tennessee, unmarried fathers do not have any rights to their children until they have been legally established as the father in the family courts. This means that the mother has sole decision-making power as to what happens with the children and when you are allowed to see them. It is up to the father to go through the process of establishing their rights to be able to get things like court-ordered visitation or even joint custody.

If you are a Tennessee father and you are wondering what your rights are, contact our law firm today. It is important to know what you are entitled to and how to pursue those rights through the family court system.

What Rights Do Married Fathers Have?

Married fathers have more inherent rights than unmarried fathers. That is because any child that is born during a marriage is legally assumed to be the child of the husband. That means the father does not have to go through the same process of establishing paternity, which is the first step to pursuing a custody case or visitation rights. Until court-ordered custody has been established and a visitation schedule put in place, married fathers have the same rights to the children as the mothers.

Do the Family Courts Favor the Mother?

It is a common belief that the family courts favor the mother when it comes to child custody cases, and in the past, this was true. Decades ago, mothers were more likely to be the stay-at-home parent or the primary caregiver, which is why they were often awarded more time with the children after a divorce. However, the modern court system recognizes that children need both parents and puts the best interests of the child at the forefront of any decision.

How Do I File for Custody?

If you were never married to the mother of your child, the first step to filing for custody is to establish paternity, either through a voluntary acknowledgment or a court-ordered paternity test. Once that has been established, the process is the same for unmarried fathers as married fathers. You will need to contact a family law attorney to discuss your case and then file the proper paperwork with the family courts to ask for either the establishment of a custody order or a change to an existing order that grants you shared or sole custody of the children.

If you are being kept from your child or are considering a change in custody or visitation, call our office at 931-236-2711 to schedule a free consultation. One of our attorneys can help you understand what your rights are and how to move forward with your case.