Once again, the VA has said that it would continue to limit benefits related to Agent Orange exposure to veterans who have set foot in Vietnam or its inland waterways. A recent court opinion, Gray v. McDonald, held that the Veterans Administration was required to determine whether those on board ships were close enough to the …
Secondary service connection for side effects of medications
Many veterans are taking medications to treat their service connected PTSD or manage the pain for their back, ankle, and knee conditions. VA doctors will prescribe medications and discuss with veterans their side effects, but most veterans are unaware that they may be entitled to compensation for these side effects. 38 CFR 3.310(b) provides that …
Nebraska Money Forfeiture Cases
Many Nebraska money forfeiture cases begin when people with out-of-state license plates travel through Nebraska heading west and are stopped by law enforcement. Immediately law enforcement asks whether the driver or passenger have any large sums of cash or whether they intend to purchase marijuana in states such as Colorado, California or Oregon. Law enforcement …
Evidence Proving Agent Orange Exposure for Non-Vietnam Vets
Veterans applying for Agent Orange related conditions including diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease and Parkinson’s disease are receiving a new letter from the VA that may cause some alarm. This letter asks that veteran to provide evidence that they were exposed to Agent Orange in service and is usually sent to vets who …
The Legislative Process in Nebraska
With the new year, the Nebraska legislature is back and, to paraphrase Twain, no one’s life, liberty, or property is safe. What should the average Nebraska resident know about how the process works? First, the Nebraska legislature meets for either a long session (ninety working days) or a short session (sixty working days), with the …
The Presumption of Innocence and Jury Selection
You often hear people say the phrase, presumed innocent but very few people truly understand what that phrase means for a criminal defendant. A person charged with a crime is called the defendant. Defendant is presumed innocent throughout a trial until the government is able to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. When …
Making a Murderer Lawyer Recommends John Stevens Berry Sr.’s Book
Attorney John Stevens Berry Sr.’s book, The Twelfth Victim is named as one of Steve Drizin’s must-read list of books about confessions and interrogations in criminal cases. Drizen, heads up the innocence project at Northwestern Law School and is currently Brendan Dassey’s lawyer. The Netflix series Making a Murderer exposed the prosecution’s coercion of Dassey which resulted in his …
Children As Witnesses
One of the more difficult issues that a criminal defense attorney can face is the situation where a child is the victim of a crime and the child must be questioned regarding various issues – usually those which involve difficult and adult topics. For people charged with crimes involving child abuse or sexual assault of …
Nebraska Ignition Interlock Driving Permits
As a convenience to our clients, we created this document to direct clients to various Nebraska DMV resources which clients may find helpful. Following these links will allow you to check on the status of your Nebraska driver’s license, locate a company to install an ignition interlock device in your vehicle, and download the ignition …