Archive for July, 2012

Why You Need a DUI Lawyer Seattle To Avoid an Ignition Interlock Device

When you are convicted of certain DUI offenses in Seattle, you may be required to install an ignition interlock device as part of your DUI penalty. If you are facing charges where an ignition interlock device may need to be installed, it is very important that you get help from a DUI lawyer Seattle right away.

An ignition interlock device is a special device that is installed in your vehicle or in whatever vehicle(s) you drive. An ignition interlock device is designed to force you to have your blood alcohol content checked before you begin to drive your vehicle. As your DUI lawyer Seattle will explain to you, an ignition interlock device may also require rolling retests wherein you blow into the device while driving.

If you fail your ignition interlock device BAC test, your vehicle will not start. If you fail the rolling retest, then your vehicle’s horn will start to go off and lights will start to flash until you pull over.  This can be extremely embarrassing for you.  In fact, simply having the ignition interlock device on your vehicle can be embarrassing not just for you but also for any family members that might want to use your vehicle and who will have to use the device to have their breath checked.

As your DUI lawyer Seattle can explain, an ignition interlock device can also be very expensive. You will need to pay for the installation and for the monitoring.

Avoiding an ignition interlock device when convicted and during sentencing can be difficult, so it is best to contact a DUI lawyer Seattle as soon as you are arrested for DUI. Your DUI lawyer Seattle can help you to raise defenses to the charges you face and hopefully avoid not just the required installation of an ignition interlock device, but also conviction and associated penalties for a DUI.  If your DUI lawyer Seattle cannot help you to come up with any viable defenses that may allow you to avoid conviction entirely, your DUI lawyer Seattle may also be able to assist in negotiating a plea deal wherein the DUI ignition interlock device is not a condition or requirement.

Ask a Bankruptcy Attorney Seattle WA Before Giving Gifts When Considering Bankruptcy

If you are thinking about filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy with the help of a bankruptcy attorney Seattle WA, it is very important to understand that you may be required to turn over assets to become part of the bankruptcy estate and to be sold in order to generate money to pay back the creditors that you are indebted to. There are some exemptions to this and some assets that you do get to keep, but these bankruptcy laws means that when you file for bankruptcy protection, some of the things that you own are no longer yours to keep.

Because you will need to turn over some of your assets in a chapter 7 bankruptcy, it is extremely important that you speak to a bankruptcy attorney Seattle before you give away any items in the weeks prior to your bankruptcy and, especially, after you have filed for bankruptcy. As your bankruptcy attorney Seattle WA can explain to you, giving gifts, transferring assets and even selling things for less than their fair market value can all be seen as attempts to get assets out of your name so that you do not have to turn them over to be resold to pay creditors. This, essentially, is seen a form of defrauding your creditors since they are not getting paid back as much as they could or should be as a result of your gifts.

Your bankruptcy attorney Seattle can explain to you what actions, if any, are appropriate as far as gifting of items before a bankruptcy filing and during a bankruptcy filing. Your bankruptcy attorney Seattle can also help you to better understand the consequences of gifts given during or immediately before a bankruptcy. It is important that you ask a bankruptcy attorney Seattle for the specifics on this subject since the consequences may vary depending upon exactly what type(s) and amounts of gifts you give and when and how you give them. In some cases, for example, it might be considered bankruptcy fraud while in other situations, the transaction simply might be reversed and the giftee would have to give the gift back to the bankruptcy estate.