Criminal Defense

The United States Constitution protects very important rights. One of those is the right to an attorney when you are facing a criminal charge. If you find that you have been charged with a  crime, you want to make sure that your lawyer is somebody who knows criminal defense; who can examine and analyze the prosecution’s evidence, conduct independent investigations, work with a jury, look for holes in the prosecution's case and, ultimately, get you a successful outcome.

 

Having a criminal conviction on your record, whether it’s a felony or misdemeanor, is serious and can have lifelong consequences. Being convicted of a criminal offense can include jail time and significant fines.  It can also hinder your chances of getting a job when you want, or into college if you are still a juvenile.

 

The Law Office of Joseph N. Reames, LLC, offers clients strong representation and personal attention for a variety of criminal law matters. Joseph is fully prepared to help you in your defense if you are charged with drug offenses, DUI, traffic tickets, juvenile offenses, assault and/or battery, and many other misdemeanor and felony charges.

 

Personal Injury

If you or a loved one have been hurt in a car crash, you may be trying to cope with numerous hardships such as vehicle damage, lost wages, medical bills and, of course, recovering from the actual injuries. The law allows an injured person to pursue a claim against the responsible party, enabling them to seek financial compensation for lost income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you facilitate this important but often challenging process.

We can help you make sure you are treated fairly. As a small law firm focused on client service, we will work directly with you throughout the process, remaining available to answer your questions and keeping you informed about any developments in your case.

Family Law

Divorce

The end of a marriage is often a difficult and stressful time for any family. The prospect of taking everything you have built up over time with your significant other and dividing it up between the two of you can be overwhelming and extremely difficult, and even more so if there are children in the family.

 

We offer trusted assistance through this difficult time. We try to help families resolve their differences outside of the courtroom whenever possible. However, sometimes “going to court” is necessary and that’s where we are ready and able to assist you to make sure you are treated fairly.

 

When you are facing a divorce, you want to know that the things that are most important to you - your children, your home, your valued possessions - are protected.

 

Uncontested Divorce

In an uncontested divorce, the two parties work out their differences amongst themselves. They develop and agree upon a plan for dealing with all divorce issues, including:

 

Spousal support

Division of marital property

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (formerly known as Child custody)

Parenting time (formerly known as Visitation)

Child support

 

Once the two parties reach an agreement, we can draft all the paperwork necessary and file the completed forms with the court. It is important to have the information and documents presented correctly because if it is not the petition for divorce could be denied, which means further delay, stress, and expense. We can help you through the process efficiently and cost-effectively.

 

Uncontested divorce offers many advantages if the parties can reach an agreement.  These advantages include the fact that it is typically much less expensive and time-consuming than a traditional contested divorce.

 

Many uncontested divorces can be resolved in as little as two weeks. However, each case is different. Cases can take longer if children are involved, since both parents must attend and participate in a program about co-parenting before the divorce can be finalized.

 

Bankruptcy

Chapter 7

Filing personal bankruptcy stops creditor phone calls, foreclosure, garnishments and repossessions while protecting assets that are exempt under the law, such as retirement savings.

 

After you have gathered the necessary information on your creditors and provided them to your attorney, that information is used to create a petition which is filed with the Court. The Bankruptcy Court assigns a Trustee to the case, and will send a notice to all of your creditors that you have filed for bankruptcy and are under the protection of the Court. This notice also gives the date, time and place of the Meeting of Creditors, which is usually held about a month after the bankruptcy petition is filed which you must attend.

 

At the Meeting of Creditors the Trustee will review your petition and ask questions necessary to be sure he or she understands your financial situation. Joseph also attends this meeting with you. Creditors are also allowed to go to this meeting to ask you questions but it is rare for them to do so.

 

If you choose to surrender any of your property to a creditor, the creditor will contact Joseph to arrange its return. If you choose to keep your property and continue to pay for it, you will need to sign a reaffirmation agreement, a contract between the creditor and you that allows you to keep the property as long as it is insured and you continue to make payments to the creditor.

 

Approximately four months after your Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition has been filed, as long as there are no objections to the discharge, the Bankruptcy Court will enter an order discharging all unsecured debts that you listed in your bankruptcy petition.