Juvenile Court is Serious!

Many adults and kids labor under the delusion that Juvenile Court is not "serious". Sure, a kid many not end up getting more than a few days in detention for being guilty of an offense, but there are other collateral issues that can haunt a teenager for a lifetime, far into adulthood. That is why it is important to immediately hire an experienced defense attorney to represent your child in juvenile court.

Kids generally aren't thinking about their chances of getting into college, obtaining security clearances for sensitive careers, or being excluded from certain professions like teaching because of what they consider to be a "petty" juvenile offense. There are no petty juvenile offenses!

For example, being found guilty of Minor in Possession of Alcohol or being in Possession of less than 40 grams of Marijuana carries a driver's license suspension. A marijuana charge can prevent you from obtaining student loans for college. Theft offenses can prevent you from ever getting a job in the financial field, and drug offenses may prohibit you from obtaining security clearances required to work in government or high tech industries.

Felony juvenile offense like Assault Third Degree, Theft First Degree, or Possessing Stolen Property remain on your record as felony convictions unless you go back into court years later to have them sealed. In addition, because they are felonies, you are ineligible to EVER possess a firearm - any kind of firearm - even when your reach adulthood. To get your firearm rights restored, you must have an attorney file a petition and go to Court to have that right restored.

And what about filling out those job applications later in life? There is usually a box that asks whether you've ever been convicted of a felony. If so, you can probably kiss that job goodbye. A felony conviction is a felony conviction, no matter whether it was from juvenile or adult court. Remember that juvenile convictions are not "secret" or "hidden" just because you were a juvenile when they occurred. Most employers or just nosey people can find out about these convictions over the Internet for about $9.95 through various investigation websites.