After seven years spent using a bail schedule that many claim was outdated, too lenient on offenders, and too cumbersome, the Las Vegas Township Justice Court has completely revised its bail scheduleas of September 1, 2011.

Establishing bail amounts by felony category rather than by individual offense, Judge Joe Bonaventure and the rest of the Justice Court Criminal Process Committee anticipate this new bail system that will result in more trial appearances by offenders and a reduction of crime in the Las Vegas area. Auto theft, a quickly growing problem in the city, sees the most dramatic increases in the amount that an offender must post in order to leave jail between his arrest and his trial.

The Las Vegas police force had a large part in advising the committee on the new bail schedule, with their primary concern being the discouragement …

Many people have an incorrect idea of what it means to be convicted under misdemeanor DUI charges in Nevada. Just because your first and second offense are misdemeanors instead of felonies doesn’t mean that the penalties are light! Here are some false ideas that could result in a rude awakening if you are convicted.

Penalties for Out of State Offenders are Lighter

If a judge is convinced that you are guilty, there is nothing to stop him from ordering local treatment and weekly checks. If your lawyer has clout with the judge, he may be able to get a system worked out in which you could continue treatment and checks in your home state.

A First Time Offense Isn’t Serious

DUI misdemeanors are more serious than most other misdemeanors. One of the major complications is a DMV hearing that can result in a 90 …

One of the worst events that could happen to a resident or visitor to Las Vegas is a spinal cord injury. Most of the time, injury to the spinal cord occurs when the victim is involved in an auto accident and experiences trauma to the back or neck. In an instant, a driver’s carelessness through drinking and driving; texting or using the phone; or simply disregarding traffic rules can change the rest of a victim’s life by causing a devastating injury. In the time immediately following your accident, a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer can collect the evidence and the statements from eyewitnesses that will prove negligence and win you a fast, fair settlement.

What Is the Spinal Cord?

You use your spinal cord every second of every day. It is the primary way that your brain communicates with the rest of …

Las Vegas personal injury lawyers will tell you that soft tissue injuries are some of the most difficult injuries to win compensation for. While they cause real pain and make it impossible to get back to work without expensive treatment, they are notoriously difficult to document and prove. For this reason, insurance companies often only offer a very small check (as low as $50.00) to victims who claim soft tissue injuries—an amount that won’t even cover the first visit to the doctor! Don’t make the mistake of assuming that an insurance agent will have your best interests at heart and will be excited about the prospect of providing you with enough money to cover your medical bills. If you have experienced an accident that did not cause any broken bones or visible injuries, it is to your advantage to get …

So far, science has been unable to unlock the secrets of the brain. Although it directs our every action, voluntary and involuntary, we are only beginning to understand how it does so. This amazing but delicate part of our body is well protected by the skull, but an injury to the head is still capable of damaging it in a way that temporarily or permanently changes the way it works. On the roads of Las Vegas, brain injuries occur frequently as a result of vehicle accidents, and usually these accidents are caused by one or more drivers displaying negligence behind the wheel. Even if no driver is found to be at fault, people who were not directly involved in an accident are held responsible if they placed an obstruction in the road; failed to adequately maintain a driving surface; or …

Even in the relaxed, fun-loving city of Las Vegas, back injuries frequently cause great immediate pain and health issues to victims that last throughout their lives. Recovering from a back injury is an extremely trying experience, and too many victims realize part way through the process that they can not afford the treatment they still need. Gaining a fair settlement from an insurance company or, even worse, an uninsured driver, is a complicated task requiring the help of a Las Vegas injury lawyer who knows how to quickly negotiate with the responsible parties for a correct amount. While litigation may be the last thing you feel like thinking about right after suffering a back injury, it is most likely the only way you can expect be fully compensated for the long term expenses that you will face.

The Leading Cause of …

In 2011, an unknown number of visitors to the Luxor were infected with Legionnaire’s disease, an illness with pneumonia-like symptoms that is particularly dangerous to the elderly and the very young. A recent report from the Center for Disease Control confirms that one of the victims has died, while the other two known victims are apparently out of lethal danger.

In spring of 2011, there were two instances of visitors to the hotel contracting Legionnaire’s disease. Luxor authorities complied with an investigation into the outbreak, but the hotel’s water supply did not test positive for disease bacteria. The trouble was not over, however; a third incident later in the year showed that the Luxor’s water was, in fact, contaminated with the bacteria.

While the Luxor has displayed a front of thorough cooperation with authorities, providing a website dedicated to informing the public …

What weapons will an attorney use to defend you against a charge of battery domestic violence? In short, the answer is doubt. To win a conviction, a prosecutor has to prove, through the use of witness and expert witness testimony, photographs, phone calls, and other evidence, that you not only caused physical injury to a family member or close acquaintance, but that you intended to do so. Often, a prosecutor’s case depends on testimony and records that are not as conclusive as he would have the judge believe. A lawyer who has experience and success with domestic violence cases in Clark County knows just what to focus on and how to expose the flaws in the prosecution’s argument.

Unfortunately, a common denominator in battery domestic violence cases is a high level of emotion and anger. Claims of injury quickly become exaggerated, …

If you have been accused of battery domestic violence in Las Vegas, it is critical that you know exactly what crime you are under question for. In this area of the law, definitions are very important and can make or break a prosecutor’s case. Your best bet for getting out from under a domestic violence accusation is the expert counsel of an attorney intimately familiar with the subjective testimony and complex relational questions that are involved in a domestic violence case.

Battery domestic violence is a special category that specifically deals with an intentional act of violence or force against someone related or unusually close to you. A victim of domestic violence can be anyone related by blood or marriage (including extended family members); a divorced or separated spouse; or even someone who simply lives in the same house as you. …

What weapons will an attorney use to defend you against a charge of battery domestic violence? In short, the answer is doubt. To win a conviction, a prosecutor has to prove, through the use of witness and expert witness testimony, photographs, phone calls, and other evidence, that you not only caused physical injury to a family member or close acquaintance, but that you intended to do so. Often, a prosecutor’s case depends on testimony and records that are not as conclusive as he would have the judge believe. A lawyer who has experience and success with domestic violence cases in Clark County knows just what to focus on and how to expose the flaws in the prosecution’s argument.

Unfortunately, a common denominator in battery domestic violence cases is a high level of emotion and anger. Claims of injury quickly become exaggerated, …

A quick guilty plea in return for a reduced sentence might seem like the easy way out of a battery domestic violence accusation, but you are likely to find some unexpected consequences on the other side. With the help of a lawyer intimately acquainted with the way things work in Las Vegas law, you can keep these unpleasant surprises out of your future.

You might have heard that a battery domestic violence conviction can be sealed from your criminal record. That is true, but it cannot be sealed until at least seven years have passed. Are you really willing to wait seven years before getting out from under the stigma and hindrances that a conviction will cause? Even if your case can’t be kept out of court, reduction to disturbing the peace will cut five years off that waiting period.

Your family …

One of the important services that a Las Vegas lawyer can provide for you during the criminal trial process is fighting the suspension of your driver’s license by the Nevada DMV. A number of criminal charges can trigger a suspension, but you can oppose it by requesting an administrative hearing.

It is extremely difficult for an individual to complete the application, attend the hearing, and succeed in overturning a suspension while in the midst of facing criminal charges. Since your lawyer can stand in for you at the hearing, his help is invaluable, especially if he has a history of successfully handling similar cases in Clark County.

One important function of the DMV hearing is to make sure that the police officer who arrested you must defend the legality of his actions. The judge presiding over the hearing makes his or her …