Expungement, meaning the process of removing arrests, charges or convictions from a person’s criminal record, has recently become a hot topic of conversation here in Tennessee owing to the enactment of a new law lowering the felony expunction fee by $170. Given this reality and the fact that it likely left people with questions about

A few weeks ago, legal observers — and much of the nation — were closely following a criminal trial in Massachusetts involving a 20-year-old woman charged with involuntary manslaughter for sending her boyfriend text messages encouraging him to take his own life, which he sadly did. Specifically, prosecutors alleged that the then 17-year-old woman sent

Statistics show that the both the Metro-Nashville area and Davidson County have seen a troubling trend in recent years: an increase in both juvenile crime and violence. As discouraging as this development is, the good news is that the reaction of local officials hasn’t been to simply make more arrests. For example, the mayor’s office

In our previous post, we discussed how a new law here in Tennessee lowered the amount of the felony expunction fee from a staggering $350, the third highest in the nation, to a more manageable $180. In recognition of the fact that this discussion may have left people with questions about how the expungement works

The unfortunate reality for many men and women released from prison is that despite paying their debt to society and their commitment to getting their lives back on track, the road ahead does not always prove to be particularly easy or even particularly fair. This is perhaps no more apparent than when they seek to

If you were to ask the average middle school or high school student to show you what was in their pockets, chances are very good that in addition to such staples as gum, tissues and lip balm, the majority would also pull out a smartphone. While the reality that most minors now own smartphones isn’t

In a matter of weeks, colleges and universities throughout Tennessee will be going on spring break, giving students a much-needed reprieve from their academic pursuits and associated responsibilities. While many of these younger people will be flocking to popular beachfront destinations in Florida, Texas and even Mexico, others will be staying closer to home, perhaps

When many parents stop and reflect on their teenage years, they may simply chuckle to themselves and shake their head. More than anything, this simple action serves as a sort of tacit recognition that they engaged in antics when they were younger that were puerile at best and illegal at worst. While things certainly have

For people throughout Tennessee, hunting is more not just a hobby or something to do on the weekends, but rather a way of life. Indeed, the tradition of hunting everything from turkey and deer to elk and bear with rifle, muzzleloader or bow has been passed down by countless generations of families here in the