The trial of an ex-BART police officer accused of shooting and killing an unarmed black man while on duty, is set to begin soon. It’s rare that a police officer goes on trial in a case like this, and all eyes are on the case, not just in California but around the country.

The shooting occurred on New Year’s Day 2009. 28-year-old Johannes Mehserle says he was about to taser the man, Oscar Grant. But instead of pulling out the taser, he pulled out his gun, and shot the victim. The shooting occurred on a Bay Area Rapid Transit station platform. The entire episode was captured on video by several bystanders nearby. The videos made it to the Internet, and sparked off angry protests around the state. The videos are likely to be the focus of attention during the trial. In fact, legal experts believe the biggest witness will be the videos that documented the entire shooting. Since the shooting, Mehserle has resigned from his position as a BART police officer.

Mehserle’s criminal defense attorneys are taking an unusual approach. His lawyers will plead that he did not commit a crime at all. The jury will only have to deliberate on two questions -whether to convict him of first-degree murder, or to acquit him.

It’s a high-profile case even for California, which has had its share of criminal lawsuits hogging the headlines. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys for Mehserle have so much at stake here, they have spent much of the past few months trying to change little things in the filings and papers that could sway jurors either way. For instance, Mehserle’s criminal defense lawyers do not want the victim to be called “the victim,” but want him to be called “Mr. Grant,” instead. They also want Mehserle to be called “Officer  Mehserle.”

Those are shrewd tactics , and while the lawyers may have no trouble with the “Mr. Grant” bit, California criminal defense lawyers know that getting Mehserle to be called “Officer Mehserle” may be a stretch, considering that he resigned from the force more than six months ago.

Any verdict from this case is also likely to affect future litigation arising out of fatal encounters involving police officers.

Persons convicted of animal abuse, could find themselves appearing on the radar of law enforcement agencies for more serious crimes, including domestic violence and abuse. It’s a disturbing trend that criminal defense lawyers in California and elsewhere must be aware of.

According to the New York Times, lawmakers around the country are responding very strongly to persons convicted of animal neglect and abuse, including hoarding of animals, keeping them in filthy conditions torturing them etc. Not only will this help keep veterinary care costs down for these states, but it will also point to potential personality flaws in the person, corresponding with perpetrators of domestic abuse and violence. At least that’s the theory.

Towards this end, lawmakers are strengthening their laws against animal abuse, with stiff penalties and longer sentences on the horizon. Most interestingly for California criminal defense lawyers, these persons will then be tracked for possible domestic or child abuse.

According to supporters of these tracking measures, there is enough evidence to indicate that persons with a history of animal abuse are very likely to indulge in the same kinds of abuses of other persons in their home. According to one study, in about 88% of houses where there was child abuse, the researchers found that that animal abuse was also rampant. Other studies have shown that women who suffered domestic violence were 10 times more likely to report that their spouse also abused their pets. According to supporters of such tracking, it will help law enforcement intervene in a potentially violent situation, much earlier.

In other words, a person’s record of animal abuse could cause them to be monitored or tracked for possible signs of abuse and mistreatment of his spouse or children. Big Brother, anyone? We have no problems with the idea that a person who engages in severe or intense torture of animals is likely to have a personality flaw that could place him at risk of abusing people in his home. But that doesn’t mean that a person with a conviction for mistreatment of animals should have law-enforcement officers and the government looking over his shoulder at all times

Another facet of the acceleration crisis at Toyota comprises a different set of victims – motorists involved in accidents involving sudden acceleration, who were found guilty and sentenced to prison. One such motorist who was found guilty on charges of vehicular manslaughter, is hoping for justice the second time round.

In 2006, Kuoa Fong Lee was driving with his wife, father, brother, niece and daughter in St. Paul, Minnesota, when his car crashed into two other vehicles. Two people, including a 10-year-old boy died in that accident. A six-year-old girl was left seriously injured, and died a few months later.

Lee insisted that he had slammed the brakes in an effort to control the car, and avoid crashing into the vehicles stopped at the intersection. Not surprisingly, no one bought it. A mechanical examination of the car found nothing wrong with the brakes or the accelerator. They however, found that the throttle was 15% open, which was strange, but was ultimately attributed to damage from the accident. Lee was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter, and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Now with the sudden acceleration problem in Toyota plain to see, Lee may have another shot at justice. He is hoping that he will now be exonerated. He has tremendous support from the family of the victims who died in the crash. They have stated that they believe in his innocence, and are planning to sue Toyota instead.

Of course, there will have to be further investigations before Lee can be exonerated. However, many California criminal defense lawyers, think there is a case here to reconsider Lee’s conviction and sentencing. The fatality count from accidents involving Toyota cars and related to sudden acceleration has touched 56. There is definitely a possibility that there are other motorists out there convicted in crashes in which a Toyota vehicle revved up to uncontrollable speeds. These persons will also now hope for justice.

If you are a Father who divorced your child’s Mother you may have an ongoing battle.  Visitation, Child Support and other family issues can all be intensified if you have to move away for a job or other opportunity.  Many fathers’ may run into problems in paying their child support due to losing a job, a pay cut or other financial burdens.  This may lead to a warrant actually being placed on that father for back due child support.  Some judges will suspend or restrict your drivers’ license, others may even garnish your wages.

What most people don’t know is that a skilled attorney can actually modify your child support payments and help you to get your life back in order without ever having to meet that attorney in person.  If your income situation has changed an attorney may be able to reduce your child support payments.  You could also have your drivers’ license reinstated and have them fight to get your full wages back.

If you have moved from California and owe child support to your child’s mother it is worth it for you to have an attorney look into the details of your situation.  A good fathers’ rights attorney can give you counseling and provide the services you need to get your life back on track.

As part of our Legal News Blogs Network, we’ve also launched a new Personal Injury Blog.  As with our Criminal News Blog, we hope that as this new site grows it will become a one-stop-shop for all of your Personal Injury Information.

In the coming weeks expect to see features on topics from A to Z  (Aviation Law to Zicam Lawsuits?) as well as profiles of attorneys working in the Personal Injury arena.

We’ve switched our blog over to WordPress to give us more freedom in what we create.  Give us a little time to work out the bugs and it should be great.