The Legal Blog of Thomas V. Alonzo
Recently we tried a criminal case where our client was facing significant jail time if convicted of a felony. While picking the jury, we noted that one of the prospective jurors was a former judge who was considered to be…
In a previous blog post, I discussed compromised verdicts for Louisiana battery charges. Another common instance when a jury will return a compromised verdict is for murder charges. In Louisiana, there are several "lesser and included" verdicts possible when someone…
#1- Outline the evidence that will be presented against you. When we are preparing for trial, I have noticed that many of my clients focus on the district attorney's personality or the lawyer's ability to argue in open court in…
As most Louisiana trial lawyers know, and most people who have dealt with the Louisiana criminal justice system, Louisiana was one of two states to allow a non-unanimous verdict. Louisiana and Oregon were the only states that did not require…
Recently we had a jury trial in Lafayette Parish. Our client was charged with second degree battery, which is a felony charge. Second degree battery is when someone inflicts serious physical pain on another so that the victim has experienced…
In criminal defense, it is sometimes the case that there are no witnesses to an alleged crime. In this situation, it is simply the victim's word against the defendant. When we are defending a client against an unwitnessed crime, we…
We have previously written about the importance of quickly reacting when a client suffers a catastrophic injury. In our recent catastrophic injury settlement, acting immediately to protect the accident equipment was crucial in the success of the personal injury claim.…
Many times when my clients are stopped by the police, they have a broken taillight, they swerved over the yellow line, or they ran a stop sign. These are obviously minor infractions. But a simple traffic stop can sometimes lead…
At my law firm, we strongly recommend that you limit the information you provide to your medical providers when you have a pending personal injury claim. Many people do not understand that when they file a catastrophic claim, the insurance…
What You Need to Know What is Louisiana Resisting Arrest? In Louisiana, resisting an arrest is part of a broader criminal charge: "resisting an officer." This means that you have interfered while an officer was trying to do his or…