Indiana Name Change: A Quick Look at the Process to Legally Change your Name – Thinking about changing your name? There are a couple of ways to change your name in the State of Indiana. First, is through marriage and second, is through petitioning the court. Changing your name through marriage is the easiest way, as it only requires an application through the Social Security Administration , proof of U.S. citizenship, proof of identity, and…
What if I think the police or prosecutor engaged in misconduct in my criminal case? – Many people call our office with complaints about how either the police or prosecutor handled or are handling their criminal cases. While sometimes certain actions or inactions by police or prosecutors may not seem “right” to criminal defendants or their attorneys, there is often nothing improper occurring, constitutionally or otherwise. However, on occasion, the police or prosecutor can make…
Open Air Dog Searches: A Sniff Too Far in a Criminal Case We’ve all seen it on the TV show Cops or in a movie before…a car is stopped by the police for speeding or swerving, panicking people inside the car start sweating profusely as they watch the mirrors, and a K-9 officer slowly walks a dog around the vehicle searching for drugs or weapons. All of the people in the vehicle watch nervously, hoping…
Indianapolis Divorce Attorney Blog: The Impact of Social Media on Custody and Support As social media has become more prevalent in the recent years, it is now commonplace for attorneys to access social media and networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, Twitter, and personal blogs, as a manner for obtaining evidence for divorce, child custody, and support cases. Even though these types of sites are entertaining and a great tool for staying connected with…
Indianapolis Criminal Defense Attorney Blog: A look at the Crime of Identity Deception It has been in the news over and over again recently. Home Depot, Target, and most recently Anthem. In this digital age we are living in, it is a constant cat and mouse game between those that hold our personal information and those that seek to gain access to it to use it for illegal purposes. In recent times, it seems like…
Indiana’s Spousal Maintenance Statute: Can I get support after my divorce is final? Does Indiana have alimony? What about spousal support? Most of us have heard the terms alimony or spousal support and most are aware the terms are used to define support that is given from one spouse to the other as part of a dissolution proceeding. Ironically, however, Indiana law does not recognize alimony or spousal support. Although, Indiana lawmakers recognized that there…
A Quick Look at Sobriety Checkpoints – You’re cruising along late Friday night, headed home after a nice dinner with some friends. All of a sudden you notice flashing lights up ahead. As you get closer you see police officers amongst cones and barrels, directing some approaching vehicles into a parking lot as part of a sobriety checkpoint or roadblock. Depending on the luck of the draw, you may be directed to pull over for…
Teen Sexting – An Epidemic as Well as a Criminal Offense In this blog, the Indianapolis Criminal Defense Attorneys take a look at sexting. While the exchange of erotic information and/or pornographic material from one person to another has been going on for decades, with the advent of technology (specifically smartphones), the ease at which one can do it has grown exponentially. This has become ever so present not just amongst consenting adults, but midst…
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Brad Banks who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a criminal defense attorney.