The CDC recommends thorough and regular hand washing as the primary step individuals can take to protect themselves and their families from the spread of airborne diseases like COVID-19.
Police use inaccurate and confusing narcotics identification tests to determine probable cause. We win criminal defense cases for our clients when they do.
WHAT IS A PARENTING SENTENCING ALTERNATIVE? In 2010, the Washington State Legislature Passed SSB 6639, creating what is called the Parenting Sentencing Alternative. The law allows some nonviolent offenders who are parents of minor children the opportunity to either (1) avoid going to prison or (2) transfer from incarceration in order to parent their children. […]
The collateral consequences of conviction for a crime are vast, prolonged, and disproportionately crippling to low income communities. In the past 12 months, I’ve seen one person be denied entry into Canada because of a shoplifting conviction in 1978; another be denied the opportunity to be an immigration sponsor for his foreign bride because of a […]
In 2016, the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office launched a new division called the High Priority Offender Unit (HPO for short). The idea was that prosecutors would use data from a defendant’s prior criminal history to assess whether this defendant is – compared to other criminal defendants – disproportionately committing crimes within the community. Once a […]
There are many times when the Department of Licensing will be called by the State to assist in the prosecution of your case, particularly for crimes like driving with a suspended license or operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device. On the surface, these cases seem like slam dunks for the State. Here’s […]
Regardless of the size of your estate, or whether you even have an estate, leaving this world without a plan makes an already difficult time for your loved ones that much more painful. A poorly written or vague advanced directive may cause anguish and indecision for your family in your final moments. Dying without a […]
For practical purposes, an over simplification of bail jumping is merely failing to show up to court when ordered to do so. You don’t need to actually be out on “bail” to be guilty of bail jumping. Bail Jumping is one of the stranger and more abused offenses because bail jumping can constitute anything from […]
Last week, the Law Office of Chris Van Vechten had its 150th case dismissal: a possession of a stolen motor vehicle case. These are cases where Chris took the client to trial and received “not guilty” verdicts on all counts or via motion/negotiation in the pre-trial phase got all charges completely dismissed. Chris has successfully […]
2016 was a big year for the Law Office of Chris Van Vechten, marked by some dramatic successes both inside and out of the courtroom. The highlight of course was proving the innocence of a 15 year-old-client who was framed for bringing a loaded and cocked semi-automatic pistol to his high school, in a relatively […]
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