Ken Vercammen's NJ Laws email newsletter November 21, 2004 #169 Enjoy Thanksgiving! Upcoming Events: Nov. 24- Happy Hour- Laurie's Lakeside, next to Farrington Lake Nov. 25- Rutgers v U Conn Football- Rutgers Stadium, Thanksgiving Day 10am Nov 26- Born to Run Charity 5 mile race- Freehold Boro 11am [Free beer for ladies after the race] Nov 28- Metuchen Christmas Parade In this issue: 1. Methamphetamine- A criminal offense in New Jersey 2. How To Choose a Lawyer 3. Police officers observation of passing of cigarette pack in high crime area may permit investigation 4. Police officers seeing currency passing and small items passing may permit search 5. Photo- Giants Super Bowl Pro Bowl Center Bart Oates 6. Directions to the Middlesex County Courthouse and other County Courthouses __________________________ 1. Methamphetamine- A criminal offense in New Jersey Methamphetamine ("meth") can take a novice user and transform him or her into a speed freak in record time. Methamphetamine tempts users with dramatic bursts of energy, talkativeness, and excitement. On meth, users don¹t need sleep or food, and they can keep going and going for hours. Meth "energy" lasts a few hours, and then slams the user into an exhausted, weak, drug-craving crash. Under the influence of meth, users feel "wired" and edgy. They are often unpredictable, acting friendly and sociable, and then suddenly lashing out in suspicion and violence. Many users compulsively repeat meaningless tasks for hours or pick at imaginary bugs on their skin until it bleeds. The methamphetamine crash makes users feel depressed, anxious, paranoid, and aggressive. They are typically exhausted and shaking. Above all, they usually crave more methamphetamine. When users begin to crash, they start looking for more meth. Even first-timers will binge and crash on the drug until they run out of money or become too mentally disorganized to continue. Criminal charges can cost persons. If convicted, you can face prison, fines over $10,000, jail, probation over 18 months, and other penalties. Methamphetamine is a Controlled Substance, Schedule III drug. Our new website article sets forth more detail on Methamphetamine http://www.njlaws.com/methamphetamine_a_criminal_offense_in_NJ.htm ____________________ 2. How To Choose a Lawyer You want to hire the right lawyer. REPUTATION COUNTS There¹s fear in hiring a lawyer. You¹re stepping into the unknown. Our firm is a well known and respected one in criminal, probate and civil trial practice. We¹re known as being fair, reasonable, tough and professional. Ask around about us. CRIMINAL LAW Some lawyers talk a great game. But once retained, you never hear from them again until the trial. That¹s not good. No matter how experienced an attorney is, it won¹t help if he isn¹t willing to work your case. Knowing the system is one thing, but doing what it takes to make it work for you is another. We start with straight talk about the law, your chances in court and whether or not you¹re facing jail. Next we talk to witnesses, prosecutors, the court- anyone who impacts your case. If expert witnesses are needed, we know the best ones to call. You get a defense, not someone who just takes your money and holds your hand while you plead guilty. We handle everything from serious crimes to traffic and juvenile matters. DRUNK DRIVING The worst thing to do in a DUI case is to rush in and plead guilty, or go to court with an attorney who doesn¹t really handle DUI cases. We¹ve been in the DUI defense for over 17 years, and have handled hundreds of cases. Along the way we¹ve helped a lot of people who thought they were beyond help. Even if you think your case is a lost cause, we can often make a bad case better. But you must act almost immediately after your arrest, or you lose an important chance to challenge your arrest and any breath test or refusal. Whether you¹re facing your second or third DUI, or driving while license suspended, chances are we¹ve handled cases like it before successfully. PERSONAL INJURY A serious injury or wrongful death claim is a one-time thing. Settle or go to trial, what you get is all you¹re ever going to get. No matter the pain and suffering. A lot of ³personal injury mills² will gladly sign you up. At these big, impersonal firms, you hardly ever see a lawyer. Once you¹re committed, you sit and wait. And wait. Why? Because there are dozens of cases ahead of yours - big ones and small ones - all more likely to be settled than tried. If we take your case, we¹ll take it seriously. We¹ll work it and keep you informed. And we won¹t be afraid to try it, if you aren¹t offered the money you deserve. No Recovery...No Fee* So you have a choice. You can be a number with somebody else, or a real client with us. Our Philosophy ³We are not in the practice of law solely to make money. We share a commitment to helping others and believe that by doing our best for each client we help elevate our profession.² Surviving Your Drunk Driving Case Start with what¹s at stake: If you¹re not worried about jail time, you¹re worried about protecting your driver¹s license and your job. Next, avoid cut-rate lawyers. The less a lawyer charges, the less he can work your case. And, you don¹t need the ³help² of an attorney who doesn¹t do a lot of DUI work. The sooner you call, the sooner we can help. How Much Does a Good Criminal Lawyer Cost? Good lawyers get their reputations by working hard for every client. It stands to reason, then, that the less you pay a lawyer, the less time he can afford to spend on your case. Bring your case to us and we¹ll start with an in-depth discussion not about fees, but about the charges and the facts surrounding your case. We¹ll discuss possible defenses, sentencing guidelines and whether or not jail is a realistic possibility. Only then do we talk about fees. We have over 18 years of criminal law experience. _____________ 3. Police officers observation of passing of cigarette pack in high crime area may permit investigation. State v. Pineiro 181 NJ 13 (2004.) The totality of the circumstances failed to support a finding of probable cause to search Pineiro's co-defendant without a warrant. 4. Police officers seeing currency passing and small items passing may permit search State v. Moore 181 NJ 40 (2004) Law enforcement officers had probable cause to arrest and to search and seize evidence from Moore. ____________________ 5. Photo- Giants Super Bowl Pro Bowl Center Bart Oates with Kenneth Vercammen at the NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting in Atlantic City http://www.njlaws.com/bart_oates.htm _____________________________ New articles: 6. Directions to the Middlesex County Courthouse- Main Courthouse with Civil and Criminal Courts http://www.njlaws.com/directions_to_middlesex_court.htm Directions to other Superior Courts in New Jersey from Kenneth Vercammen's Law Office in Edison http://www.njlaws.com/directions_to_courts_superior.htm ESSEX HUDSON HUNTERDON MERCER MONMOUTH OCEAN SOMERSET UNION Estate Planning for Cancer Patients Compiled by Kenneth Vercammen, Past Vice-Chair, ABA Elder Law Committee, GP Section http://www.njlaws.com/estate_planning_for_cancer_patients.htm Schedule III Narcotics- An Indictable Drug Charges http://www.njlaws.com/schedule_3_narcotic.htm ________________________ The MCBA Municipal Court Practice Committee will conduct a dinner seminar on: Date: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH, 5:30 – 7:30 P.M. Place: MCBA OFFICE, 2ND FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, 87 BAYARD STREET, NEW BRUNSWICK Topic: DWI SENTENCING & NEW LAWS The seminar will focus on the following: • School Zone Sentencing • Post-conviction Relief Applications • Avoiding Collateral Consequences • Plea- Bargaining DWI Cases • Appeal of Sentence & Decision • Companion Criminal Matters • And other issues Speaker: ROBERT RAMSEY, ESQ., Partner, Donini & Ramsey, Hamilton Moderator: KENNETH A. VERCAMMEN, ESQ., Chair, MCBA Municipal Court Practice Committee Cost: Only $20 for MCBA Members & $30 for Non-MCBA Members ----------------------- Christmas gift needed for my son - A Pin that says "Merry Christmas" - US coins minted prior to 1970. If you have these, call Ken V. ________________________________________________ Thank you for reading our newsletter! God Bless America USA #1 Kenneth Vercammen, Esq. 2053 Woodbridge Ave. Edison, NJ 08817 NEW PHONE 732-572-0500 New (Fax) 732-572-0030 website: www.njlaws.com Free T- shirts and car coffee holders to all current and past clients. Please come into office. Editor's Note and Disclaimer: All materials Copyright 2004. You may pass along the information on the NJ Laws Newsletter and website, provided the name and address of the Law Office is included. Always schedule an office appointment with an experienced attorney when you have a legal matter. The Rules of Court limit an attorney's ability to discuss matters over the phone. If you have legal questions, you should schedule an in- office consultation. Removals handled by webmaster lonekeep.com. To remove, email back & type in subject remove. Removals are performed by the webmaster once per month.