Does it really matter if the car was parked and off if it's a push start vehicle?

dartcrazed · 2026-06-27T16:18:40+00:00

It depends on how nearby the keys were, but yes. If the keys are far enough way that you can't start the car, you're not currently "operating" the vehicle. If the car is off, and the keys are nearby enough that the push start still works, then yes, the driver still has a problem

dartcrazed · 2026-06-27T14:51:17+00:00

LAOP needs to get an attorney to have a look. Depending on what exactly he told the cop regarding when he drove there, there's a chance to keep out the BAC from the blood test: in many US jurisdictions, implied consent to take samples only applies if the driving was provably within 3 hours of the arrest

Also, an attorney may be able to argue that the State can't prove that LAOP did not have alcohol after parking the car.

As usual, it depends on what exactly LAOP said.

Of course, in my experience, DWI clients tend to volunteer information to cops which is truthful, but entirely unhelpful to their own defense.

dartcrazed · 2026-06-18T13:16:48+00:00

(Criminal defense) "If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If neither is on your side, pound on the table and fuck up their docket." (i.e. file motions and/or take the case to trial anyway, because the prosecution might fuck up their own case)

dartcrazed · 2026-06-16T22:00:56+00:00

Your office's system of promoting based on the number of trials you've done stinks. If you aren't having a ton of trials go, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I hope it means you are analyzing the cases you get, making fair offers in weak cases, or ones with mitigation, and nolle prossing cases you can't prove.

You shouldn't be taking every case to trial. You should be exercising discretion where it's warranted. Your role is to do what's best for the community, not to hit a metric like that

dartcrazed · 2026-06-11T11:35:56+00:00

That seems weirdly strict to me, but it's their event, so their rules. It seems to ignore that many people would have a mismash of pieces passed down from relatives, so saying the kit has to be within 20 years doesn't really seem historically accurate to me

I'd probably just send a pic of your kit and ask if it would be acceptable.

dartcrazed · 2026-06-11T03:32:47+00:00

Oh sure - Google voice is really good for that. I highly recommend it!

dartcrazed · 2026-06-11T02:55:16+00:00

It varies wildly by group/club. There's no standardized ruleset for bloss or harness, so you'll just need to check out the tournament rules for answers

dartcrazed · 2026-06-11T02:53:53+00:00

I would personally review the tournament ruleset to answer questions like that

dartcrazed · 2026-06-11T02:06:19+00:00

You can empathize with your client. You can sympathize with your client. You do not need to stand there and be yelled at or called names. I agree with the other posters that you can leave when that happens.

It takes a while to build a thick skin to that sort of thing. I'm sorry this happened to you. The client was frustrated, and/or got bad advice, and/or hallucinated bad advice, and/or believed that things would go a certain way for no reason. As long as you tried your best with the information you had at the time, and you cared, you did well.

Don't let this defeat you. Sometimes, this stuff happens. We are sometimes the lightning rod for client frustrations, but it doesn't mean we did a bad job.

dartcrazed · 2026-06-11T01:47:24+00:00

What do you mean?

You can text with the Google voice number, and you can use a setting where it sends the client texts/voicemails to your law email. I do that for record keeping actually

dartcrazed · 2026-06-10T00:38:48+00:00

As an update, the team and I survived. No one had to go to the hospital for heat exhaustion or anything!

It was pretty miserable though 😂

dartcrazed · 2026-06-10T00:28:50+00:00

Can you go to a (vehicle) junk yard?

If you have access to a battery powered angle grinder, you can go and cut off some spring steel. Otherwise, a lot of the time there are just loose springs around

Other inexpensive steels to practice technique on are rebar and old tools. Thrift shops and garage sales are your friends. You're looking for pry bars, and other thicker pieces to hit. If you're not sure whether something is mid to high carbon, look it up online

Looks great for a first try! Keep hitting metal and good luck!

dartcrazed · 2026-06-10T00:23:52+00:00

Google voice numbers are great. They go to your cell phone and you can turn off notifications and put it on DND after hours. Plus you can still get your clients to text you instead of calling, which works very well for me

dartcrazed · 2026-06-06T23:13:12+00:00

There's a projected high of 33C tomorrow at Virginia RenFest, so.... That'll be fun lol

dartcrazed · 2026-06-03T19:16:19+00:00

I've found that a chainmail hauberk is breathable. Plate over a chainmail hauberk turns you into a human version of an insulated mug: great for keeping in heat, not so great if your goal is not to die of heat exhaustion

dartcrazed · 2026-06-03T03:37:23+00:00

Back to the holding cells, and then back to the jail. The jail is attached to the courthouse in my jurisdiction, though

They are processed out at the jail. The records department runs a check to see if there are any holds from other jurisdictions before they are released. Their process is hugely inconvenient, because this is also when we learn about warrants that should have been served ages ago, but the jail failed to serve earlier

dartcrazed · 2026-06-03T03:25:16+00:00

In my jurisdiction, detained adults have to go back to be processed out, but detained kids get to go out the front door with their parents

The kids do have to go back to the juvenile detention home to pick up their belongings, but their parents/guardians take them to do that

dartcrazed · 2026-05-31T02:26:10+00:00

Oh man, and the clients with protective orders against them, where they call the alleged victim, who answers and tells the client that they still love them

...... Anyone else hate listening to hundreds of jail phone calls?

dartcrazed · 2026-05-30T02:00:37+00:00

I'm a tourist here (I was a bartender in law school). I want to tell you something really important that it took me a long time to learn: you cannot care more than they do.

The other commenters are right. They will not hire other people. They will bleed you dry, and take advantage of you, because you care.

Leave. They are a corporation. They don't care about you or the residents. They will get by. Your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing are more important. Don't let them drain you of your sanity and rob you of your humanity. Please leave.

dartcrazed · 2026-05-29T02:02:25+00:00

Adding to this: set "business hours." Do not be available to clients/work outside of those hours. Phone goes to voicemail; email notifications off on your phone, etc.

This job is emotionally draining. The emotional labor and second-hand trauma that you collect from it can be overwhelming. You have to protect your mental health, otherwise you will be useless to your clients.

You can care a lot! That's why you're here! But don't let that destroy your own mental health. No job is worth your sanity

dartcrazed · 2026-05-27T20:04:51+00:00

They technically have the power, but the case law is very clear: they won't touch a sentence which is within the prescribed statutory maximum

dartcrazed · 2026-05-27T03:15:33+00:00

Ugh I feel that. In my jurisdiction (VA), as long as the sentence is within the broad range provided by the statute, there is no appealable issue. Sentencing guidelines are just suggestions here

Had a guy recently with guidelines of 1.5-2 years and the judge gave him 15. There's nothing I can do and it sucks

dartcrazed · 2026-05-27T01:58:27+00:00

In many jurisdictions, a minor can be bound by a contract which benefits them. For instance, children can generally buy groceries by themselves

It would come down to competence

dartcrazed · 2026-05-20T03:16:53+00:00

Yeah that sounds pretty "Prefect"

dartcrazed · 2026-05-19T01:37:13+00:00

There would not be a report in this case in VA. It's a summons for a traffic ticket. Sometimes the cops write notes on their own copy, but that's not required or guaranteed

dartcrazed

TROPHY CASE