I always profess that domestic violence and retraining order issues effect all types of individuals.  We saw this revelation, once again, hold to be true when a prominent Somerville lawyer was reported to have “a dozen charges in three towns” , including alleged violations of a restraining order filed by his wife.  Apparently, this lawyer’s wife filed for divorce and things have unraveled quite dramatically with him being jailed for violations of a New Jersey restraining order.  The attorney already had pending charges stemming from a leaving the scene of an accident case and a separate DWI case in another municipality.

DWI and domestic violence can sometimes have a common thread – excessive alcohol.  This appears to be the case for the lawyer in this case and he certainly is not alone.  New Jersey’s DWI laws and domestic violence statutes are some of the stiffest in the Nation but access to a competent defense lawyer probably should not be an issue in this case.  Hopefully, this guy can get it together like so many individuals we represent, and negotiate this mind field without too much impact on his future.