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If you are charged with committing a crime, you have three options. You can plead guilty, not guilty or no contest. If you want to contest the charge against you, you can enter a plea of not guilty and request a trial date. If you don't want to contest the charge, you can plead either guilty or no contest. In the criminal matter, both pleas of guilty and no contest normally carry the same consequence. The court will sentence you as if you plead guilty. However, there may be significant advantages of entering a plea of no contest should other events occur. For example, if you are in an auto accident and are given a citation for running a red light, your guilty plea in a criminal case could later be used against you in a civil action by an injured party to prove that you ran the red light. However, it is possible that a no contest plea may not be used against you later to prove that you were at fault. It may be wise to speak with an attorney soon after you have an accident or are charged with a crime so that you can make informed decisions.

Summer is fast approaching. Last minute emergency motions over summer visitation issues flood the court dockets. Parents who live in separate states must hastily arrange flight schedules and purchase tickets, often at full fare by the time the issues are resolved. While some problems are unavoidable, parents who wait until the last minute to ask the court for relief can spend large sums on lawyers who are already busy attempting to resolve these issues for other families, and, if decisions are not obtained in time, may lose out on seeing their children during summer visitation.

There are steps that parents can take to avoid these last minute difficulties. A custody decree should specify with clarity when visitation begins, when it ends, and the manner and method of the transfer of the children from home to home. Parents who live far from one another must determine who will pay for transportation costs, and a custody Order should specify how travel costs will be allocated. If children are young, a chaperon may be required to fly with the child during visitation exchanges. The custodial parent should have time at the beginning and end of the summer to allow for a smooth transition to take place and to prepare the child for the start of school. Each parent provide the other with an itinerary of intended plans, and contact numbers and addresses so that the non-visiting parent may stay in touch with the children throughout the visitation period. If a custody order is clear, tickets should be purchased far enough in advance to insure that seats are available on flights which correspond to the visitation schedule and so that advance purchase discounts can be obtained. Copies of tickets and itineraries should be provided to the other parent in advance so that it is clear when the children should be dropped off and picked up at the airport. If a custody order has any gray areas which may pose problems, either get the order clarified or attempt to secure consent well in advance in writing from the other parent as to these specifics so that there is no misunderstanding.

Steven Pradell's book, The Alaska Family Law Handbook, is available at the office or in local bookstores for $9.95

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©1999 By Pradell and Associates. This article is not intended to provide legal advice and should not be relied on for that purpose. The law office of Pradell and Associates provides low cost legal consultations. A helpful staff provides prompt, courteous services to meet your legal needs. Give Pradell and Associates a call today, at (907) 279-4529-- (279-4LAW).