Many people are accused of crimes they didn’t commit. The reasons people file false complaints or the police file charges they know they can’t support vary. What doesn’t vary is that if you are accused of committing a crime, whether you committed it or whether you are perfectly innocent, you need to ask to speak to your lawyer. You should not give a statement to the police, because that statement could be used against you. You [...]

Whether on television, in movies, or in real life, most people have heard the phrase “attorney/client privilege” at some point or another. But what does this term actually mean? Is everything a client says to their attorney protected? Can an attorney ever legally reveal something their client told them? Understanding what attorney/client privilege is and what you can tell your attorney without fear of it being shared with others – including law enforcement, the government, or [...]

Marijuana convictions in Tennessee can carry consequences that extend beyond the courtroom. While the legal penalties for marijuana offenses are significant, you may face a variety of consequences that can affect many aspects of your life. Today we want to talk about the collateral consequences of a marijuana conviction. Employment restrictions Employment opportunities can be severely limited for individuals with marijuana convictions in Knoxville. Many employers conduct background checks as part of their hiring process, and [...]

Criminal defendants often face a critical juncture in the criminal justice process – whether to accept a plea bargain or proceed to trial. In some cases, a plea bargain may be in your best interests. However, you should never accept a plea bargain without first speaking with an experienced Knoxville criminal defense attorney who can answer all of your questions. This decision carries a variety of implications, which can shape your case and determine its outcome. [...]

Almost everyone has seen their fair share of arrests on television shows. You watch a police officer handcuff a person, state their Miranda Rights, and then push them into the backseat of a police vehicle. While you may think that this is what happens in real arrests, it is important to remember that what you saw is based on television, and what happens on television shows does not typically play out the same way in real [...]

Many innocent people across the United States have been wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. Even though some of them are later freed, this continues to be an issue in the city of Knoxville and the rest of the country. The reason for this is because the justice system often fails our citizens and finds innocent people guilty. When this happens, the individual and their families suffer devastating and traumatic consequences for many [...]

When fights break out, many people think that the legal system will automatically protect them if they claim they acted in self-defense. After all, it is a legal principle that allows individuals to use reasonable force to defend themselves against imminent threats or acts of violence. However, not only is self-defense pretty difficult to prove, it does not always apply to your situation. At its core, self-defense recognizes that individuals have the right to preserve their [...]

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a vaccine that can combat fentanyl, the synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin that’s contributed to our nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic. The vaccine, successful in rats, stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to fentanyl, preventing the drug from crossing the blood-brain barrier and causing its potent effects. While the vaccine is still in the early stages of development and has not [...]

On April 4, President Donald Trump was arraigned in a New York City courtroom on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. But what are indictments and arraignments? How do they work? Does everyone go through them? We (along with PBS) thought this interesting period in history might make a good opportunity to take on these topics. What’s an indictment? A criminal indictment is a formal accusation of a crime, brought against an individual by a [...]

The consequences for a DUI conviction in Tennessee can be quite severe. You may be imprisoned and fined. Your insurance rates will skyrocket. Your license will probably be suspended. At Banks and Jones, our skilled criminal defense lawyers assert every defense possible, including challenging the grounds for being stopped and the validity of any chemical tests such as breathalyzer tests. One possible defense is that you were not intoxicated. The signs of intoxication that an officer [...]