Author Archives: Jay Butchko
What Happens After I Plead Guilty to a DUI?
For one thing, after you plead guilty to a DUI, the bills keep coming. In most cases, these individuals must obtain high-risk SR-22 insurance and keep it for at least three years. SR-22 insurance is usually at least three times higher than other forms of auto insurance. So, if your auto insurance is already… Read More »
The FTC Slams the Brakes on Non-Compete Agreements: What Employers Need to Know
By Kyle Winey, Esq and Robert Showers, Esq In a landmark regulatory decision, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took a decisive step toward protecting worker mobility by banning most non-compete agreements. This ruling, effective 120 days after its publication in the Federal Register (likely around late summer 2024), significantly impacts employers’ ability to restrict… Read More »
Lawmakers Tout Success of Operation Ceasefire
Attorney General Jason Miyares says the Commonwealth’s lower crime rate is due, in large part, to heightened enforcement efforts like Operation Ceasefire. “Roughly 3 to 5 percent of felons are committing over 50 percent of the violent crime. So, if you want to bring down crime, you have to go to those violent, repeat… Read More »
Top Five Non-Moving Traffic Violations in Virginia
The Virginia traffic code mostly penalizes moving violations, like speeding and turning illegally. These traffic offenses usually have large fines and significant points. Non-moving violations, like the ones listed below, are usually fix-it tickets. Generally, the judge dismisses the case if the driver resolves the issue before the court date or before a court-ordered… Read More »
Virginia Gun Laws and Location Restrictions
In recent years, gun possession laws in Virginia have changed significantly, and the laws are still in a state of flux. Likewise, location restrictions have changed significantly and will likely change again at least once. But we’ll break down these restrictions as they exist as of May 2024. The penalties for carrying a weapon… Read More »
Top Five DUI Enhancements in Virginia
Usually, prosecutors file the most aggressive charges the facts could possibly support, and DUI is no exception. Virginia law includes various DUI enhancements, some of which are discussed below. Usually, a Virginia DUI lawyer is much more concerned with the underlying offense than any attached enhancements. After all, if the underlying charge doesn’t hold… Read More »
When is a Speeding Ticket Not a Speeding Ticket?
Officers have almost absolute discretion to enhance ordinary traffic tickets, like speeding or turning illegally, to aggressive, reckless, or improper driving. Aggressive and reckless driving are misdemeanor offenses that could involve jail time. A misdemeanor is also a much darker mark on a permanent record. Improper driving is technically a traffic citation, but the… Read More »
What to Expect in a Drug Trafficking Case
At the end of a case, expect a plea bargain. Only about 2 percent of drug trafficking cases and other criminal cases go to trial. A plea bargain is a process, not a result. During this process, a skilled attorney, acting as your advocate, will strategically chip away at the state’s case until prosecutors… Read More »
What’s the Difference Between Theft, Larceny, and Fraud?
For thirty years, between 1991 and 2021, the property crime rate fell almost every year. The reduction was usually significant. Suddenly, in 2022, the property crime rate increased sharply. Law enforcement oversight dropped significantly in this area during pandemic lockdowns. In fact, many local law enforcement agencies stopped responding to larceny and theft calls,… Read More »
Top Five Juvenile Crimes in Virginia
Children under 18 could be arrested for the same offenses as adults. However, 50 percent of juvenile arrests are for one of the five offenses listed below. Individually, these offenses are complex. Additionally, Virginia lawmakers recently revised the state’s gang crime enhancement. Under the new Section 18.2-46.2, knowing and willful participation in any predicate… Read More »
