What is a Criminal Offense? A criminal offense is an act that violates state or federal law. In order for there to be a criminal conviction, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused committed a “guilty act” (actus reus) while having the guilty mind-state (mens rea) required by law. In the United…
In Riley v. California, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that police need a search warrant to search cell phones and other electronic devices. Chief Justice Robert noted that “ninety percent of Americans have them [cell phones]… and they contain a digital record of nearly every aspect of their lives — from the mundane to the…
On May 20, 2014, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones ruled that Pennsylvania’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional. Judge Jones’ ruling has cleared the way for same-sex couples in Pennsylvania to get married. Since the federal court struck down Pennsylvania’s same-sex marriage ban, thousands of same-sex couples have married throughout Pennsylvania. Prior to Judge Jones’s…
On April 29, 2014, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court departed from its longstanding precedence in Pennsylvania of requiring police officers to obtain a search warrant before searching citizens’ vehicles. In Commonwealth v. Gary, 29 A.3d 804 (Pa. 2014), our Supreme Court ruled that police officers only need probable cause to search a citizen’s vehicle, and no longer…
There is certainly no lack of attorneys in the United States of America. We hear about new court cases every day in the media and in our personal lives. Attorneys are on television, both in fiction and nonfiction. So why in the vastness of all these choices should you go with the Law Offices of Roy…
In our last post on the adoption process in Pennsylvania, we discussed how important the decision to adopt is for all involved. We also talked about the first step in the adoption process, which involved either voluntary relinquishment of a child, or involuntary termination of parental rights. In our second part, we’ll be diving into…
Adoption can be an important milestone in a family’s life, and it’s one of our favorite cases to handle. Adoptions can bring joy not only to the prospective parents, but to the child as well. It can be a complicated process though, and certainly an expensive one. This alone can scare a lot of people…
With several states beginning to introduce laws legalizing marijuana, it’s important to know what Pennsylvania’s policies on the matter are regarding the matter. If you’re ever traveling through, know that you are subject to the laws of the state you are in rather than your home state. Pennsylvania takes drugs very seriously, and if you’re…
In part one of our discussion on divorce in Pennsylvania we covered a lot of topics regarding how to file for divorce and what claims, custodial and economic, are handled in the proceedings. In part two, we’re going to discuss what the difference is between a fault based divorce and a no fault divorce is…
Divorce is a common topic in a lawyer’s world. We’d all like to believe that we’ve found “The One” and live happily ever after, but sometimes things just don’t work out. Sometimes you just have to be able to know when to call it quits for the sake of all of those involved. We understand…
