2026 Top Rated Rhode Island DUI Attorney
Free Consultation
The terms are used interchangeably in casual conversation, but domestic assault vs domestic battery Rhode Island analysis reveals two legally distinct concepts. Assault involves the threat of imminent harm. Battery requires actual physical contact. Both can be charged together, or either can stand alone. Criminal Defense Attorney Rory Munns pulls the distinction apart in every […]
A first time domestic assault Rhode Island diversion resolution is one of the best possible outcomes for a first-offense defendant who qualifies. The reality is that diversion is available in some cases and not others, the framework varies by court and prosecutor, and there is no single statewide statutory diversion track for domestic assault. Criminal […]
The Rhode Island assault and battery penalties 2026 range from a misdemeanor with up to one year in jail to a twenty-year felony sentence depending on which subsection of R.I.G.L. Chapter 11-5 applies. Understanding the specific penalty tier tied to each charge is the first step in any defense strategy. Criminal Defense Attorney Rory Munns […]
A Rhode Island domestic assault protective order is a civil order issued under the Domestic Abuse Prevention Act that restricts the defendant's contact and conduct toward the petitioner. The order operates on a track parallel to any criminal case. It can be issued when there has been physical or sexual abuse, threats of violence, stalking, […]
Rhode Island self-defense law assault cases turn on a doctrine that is more restrictive than many defendants expect. Rhode Island is not a stand your ground state. The Rhode Island Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the duty to retreat outside the home. The castle doctrine exists but is narrower than the popular understanding. Every self-defense […]
Rhode Island Superior Court trial preparation is a discipline. By the time a felony case gets to the trial calendar, the defense strategy is set, the exhibits are in binders, and the witness list is locked. What the defendant needs at that point is a practical checklist for the trial day itself. This page is […]
Learning how to fight domestic assault charges in Rhode Island starts with understanding what the state actually has to prove. Rhode Island does not have a standalone crime called domestic assault. It has a sentencing and procedural enhancement layer under R.I.G.L. section 12-29, the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, that attaches when the underlying offense is […]
The assault vs battery Rhode Island distinction confuses defendants, jurors, and even some newspaper reporters. The two words are often used interchangeably in ordinary speech, but Rhode Island law treats them as separate legal concepts with different elements and different evidentiary requirements. Attorney Rory Munns explains the actual legal distinction, how the state charges each […]
Rhode Island Superior Court plea bargaining is where most felony cases actually end. Trials get the attention, but the numbers say that better than nine out of ten Providence County felony cases resolve through a negotiated plea. Attorney Rory Munns spends more time at the plea negotiation stage than at any other, because the math […]
The Rhode Island assault and battery defense strategies that produce dismissals, reductions, and acquittals are not general talking points. They are specific motions, specific cross-examination sequences, and specific evidentiary attacks tied to the elements of the charge. Attorney Rory Munns treats each assault case as a defense playbook, applying the correct tools at each stage […]
A Rhode Island Superior Court arraignment is one of the most confusing mornings a defendant will ever spend, and most of that confusion is unnecessary. The room is unfamiliar, the calendar is long, and the actual moment at the podium lasts under two minutes. Attorney Munns walks clients through the exact sequence of that day […]
Rhode Island does not have a statutory per se blood test limit for THC. That single fact drives every cannabis DUI case that lands on Attorney Rory Munns' desk at 127 Dorrance Street in downtown Providence. Alcohol has a bright line at .08 BAC written into R.I.G.L. section 31-27-2. Marijuana does not. Prosecutors cannot walk […]
The Rhode Island Superior Court process 2026 looks different from prior years, and defendants moving through Providence County Superior Court right now are stepping into a court that has been reshuffled by administrative orders, executive orders, judicial appointments, retirements, and pending legislation. Attorney Rory Munns tracks these shifts in real time from her office at […]