At the Law Office of Smith & Partners we focus our efforts on the following legal practice areas. If you do not see the practice area you are looking for or you are not sure if your case fits into one of these areas please contact us. If we cannot take your case we would be happy to g ive you a recommendation for another firm that can.

Assault & Battery

Our attorneys are well versed in assault and battery cases. Generally, cases labeled as battery involve confrontations in which one person physically strikes another person. Acting in a threatening manner can be considered assault if the other person feels fear of immediate harm. Some courts do not differentiate between the two.

Burglary

Burglary cases involve breaking and entering into a home, office, vehicle or other structure with the intent of committing a crime. Any unauthorized entry can be classified as breaking and entering. The intended crime does not have to be theft, if can be sexual harassment, assault or any other illegal activity.

Domestic Violence

This practice area is often labeled domestic abuse or spousal abuse. Recurring physical or psychological abuse of a partner or family member is labeled domestic violence. This crime can be performed by a male or female and can include cases of cohabitants and ex-partners. This crime occurs in all cultures, races, religions and classes. Nobody is exempt from possible exposure to this violence. This area of criminal defense has gained more attention and recognition for legitimate concern since the Women’s Rights Movement in the 1970’s. Reports show that only about one-third of all domestic violence cases are actually reported. This is usually due to dependence on the violator, low self-esteem and/or fear of failure.

Fraud & Forgery

Fraud can be defined as the intentional use of trickery, dishonest means or deceit to deprive a person of their legal rights, money and/or property. This is both a civil law violation and a crime. The most common cases are instances where the defendant is accused of defrauding people of their money. The most historic cases revolve around fraudulent discoveries in science, art and archeology. More often than not a fraud case involves multiple people working together on the scheme.

Forgery can be defined as altering or creating a false document or objects with the intent to deceive. Forgery is one of the many techniques of fraud. A common form is identity theft. Copies, reproductions and studio replicas are not considered forgeries unless unauthorized attributions are included. Forgery cases revolve around what the altered or false object is worth or what it is able to prove, not so much around the object itself.

Murder/Homicide

Murder can be defined as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice premeditation. There are four instances where murder can be charged. The first being intent to kill. The second is intent to inflict serious bodily harm. The third would be reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk of human life. The fourth is intent to commit a felony. If there is intention to kill the deadly weapon rule must be applied. Examples of a deadly weapon are a gun, knife or car if intentionally used to strike a victim.

Homicide is the act of killing another human being. It is rarely used to describe the person who committed the act of killing. Criminal homicides can include murder and manslaughter. Homicide is not always considered a crime. Examples of non-criminal homicide are self-defense, duress and the insanity plea. State sanctioned homicides, such as capital punishment, are also exempt from criminal prosecution. Suicide can be classified as a form of homicide. Assisting or attempting suicide can be tried as a crime in a criminal court.

Sex Crimes

Generally, acts of sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual behavior that go against social norms can be brought to court as a sex crime case. Someone who committees a sex crime is labeled as a sex offender. The most common sex crimes involve pedophilia, child pornography, rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, incest and stalking. Not all sex crimes involve traditional intercourse between two people. Violations of social norms, such as indecent exposure can be considered sex crimes.

Sexual harassment can also be categorized under this practice area. This is typically defined as unwelcome attention of a sexual nature. The range of offences that fall into this category is extremely broad. On one end of the spectrum there are mild sexual transgressions and on the other end there are violent rape cases. The victim of sexual harassment does not have to be the person who was directly harassed. They could be someone who witnessed the crime and found it offensive and was adversely affected by it.