Reflections on 25 Years in the Law (Part Three)

My first job after law school was in the Union County Prosecutor’s Office in Elizabeth NJ.  It was a great job.  I was on my feet in court before the end of my first week on the job.  I started prosecuting juvenile crimes in the juvenile section after six months.  Not long after that I was handling jury trials on the adult trial team.  I gained a lot of trial experience as well as experience working with the local media.  One of the cases that I remember as a little different was a robbery of a suburban grocery store by an ex-convict.  He insisted that he was shoplifting, but we proved that he was committing a robbery. (Union County Courthouse pictured below.)

Reflections on 25 Years in the Law (Part Two)

Howes & Howes offers families and small businesses top-notch trial practice.  Our ability to try cases goes back to law school.  My earliest participation in a substantial trial was in the matter of State vs. G.G. in Tangipahoa Parish Louisiana in the mid-1980s.  I was one of several law students who assisted a law professor in defending G.G. against the charge that he murdered an on-duty Sheriff’s Officer.  State v. G.G. matter introduced me to the nitty-gritty of trial practice. Photo:  Historic Tangipahoa Parish Courthouse

Howes & Howes Files Major Constitutional Litigation Against Bayonne Mayor

Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith holds two public offices in the CIty of Bayonne.  He simultaneously holds the office of Mayor and the subordinate office of Deputy Police Chief.  New Jersey law has long prohibited this sort of dual office holding.  Despite recent public outcry for Mr. Smith to choose between these two offices, he has refused to do so.  The City of Bayonne has taken no action, so 31st District Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone (pictured below) has filed suit in Hudson County Superior Court.

Read this Article Before You Drink and Drive

Most New Jersey motorists know the basics about drinking and driving.  That is, most people know that if you are convicted of drunk driving or refusal, that you will pay a fine, lose your driving privilege as well as pay surcharges and greatly increased auto insurance premiums.  In some instances, however, New Jersey law sanctions a drunk driver as a felon or a child abuser.  Please read this article before you drink and drive.

Howes & Howes Partner Set to Serve on Peapack-Gladstone Borough Council

At Howes & Howes, we believe in giving back to the community that has supported us so well.  Last year, Howes & Howes partner Kathy Howes ran in a contested election for a seat on the Peapack-Gladstone Borough Council, an election that she won.  On Tuesday, January 5, 2010, Kathy will be sworn-in as the Twin Borough’s newest Borough Council member.

Reflections on 25 Years in the Law (Part One)

I have been preparing to handle your legal matter for twenty-five years.  Knowing the law and knowing how to find the law is only one part of the lawyer’s stock in trade.  The law must be tempered by experience.  From my work in a law firm while still in college to my time as a prosecutor to my years in private practice, I have accumulated different experiences and insights that help my clients.  At decade’s end, we are taking stock of the successes - and disappointments - that have brought our firm to the new decade. (The photo depicts the Point-a-la-Hache ferry across the Mississippi River in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish.)

Howes & Howes to Defend Assemblyman Chiappone

Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone represents New Jersey’s 31st Legislative District.  He is a first rate public servant who has fought for fiscal accountability and teen driver safety, and against costly P.S.L.s.  Tony’s political opponents have recycled some old allegations against Tony.  Has now been indicted by a state grand jury.  Assemblyman Chiappone has done nothing wrong.  He has asked Howes & Howes to defend him against these allegations.  On this website, we will provide regular updates on the status of this very important case.

“No entiendo” is no defense, according to the New Jersey Appellate Division

On July 1, the Appellate Division ruled that “no entiendo” is no defense to the charge of refusing to take a breath test.  A motorist who clearly did not speak English stated that he did not understand the standard DWI rights form.  He did not take the breath test, then was tried and convicted for refusing to take a breath test.  The court held that New Jersey law does not require the state to publish or the police to use a foreign language rights form when investigating a case of driving while intoxicated, and upheld the conviction.

Will the New Jersey Budget Crisis Hurt Parental Rights?

The State of New Jersey is on the precipice.  Tax revenues are down due to the effects of the recession.  The Division of Youth and Family Services seems oblivious to the hard fact of declining resources.  DYFS continues to increase the number of families that it supervises or seeks to supervise.  Something has to give.  What will be cut, and how will that effect your parental rights if you are involved with DYFS?

Legal Services in an Economic Downturn

There is no doubt that both New Jersey and the nation are in a full-fledged recession.  The need for legal services is blind to the economic realities of the day.  Howes & Howes was born in a recession.  We know how to provide effective and efficient legal services without taking the client’s last dollar.  We know how to settle cases when it is in the client’s best interest.  And if a legal matter must go to trial, we know how to do that too.

Appellate Division:  Sea Bright Election Challenge Will Proceed

The Appellate Division of the Superior Court has rejected Maria Fernandes’s bid for an appeal the Law Division’s denial of her motion to dismiss the Sea Bright election challenge.  The voters of Sea Bright will now get their day in court.  Former Mayor Jo Ann Kalaka-Adams’ challenge will now proceed to trial.

The Case of the Missing Emergency Ballots

Hoboken’s Frank “Pupie” Raia is a colorful local figure and a dedicated public servant.  When he ran for the Democratic nomination for Hudson County Freeholder this year, a funny thing happened:  The voting machine in his polling place was taken out of service after only one vote was cast.  With fingers pointing in every direction, Mr. Raia is still trying to find out what happened to the paper ballots that were used in place of the machine.