Discover Ben Powers’ expertise on criminal practice topics like DUI law, white-collar crimes and more. Let Ben put his legal powers to work for you.
A first DUI arrest can make an ordinary night feel like it split your life in two. One minute, you are driving home from dinner, after a show, or heading back from a Vols watch party. Next, you are standing on the side of the road, wondering what will happen to your license, job, and … Read more
A family argument. A threat during a breakup. Adult siblings arguing over a parent’s care until someone gets shoved. These situations can feel personal, messy, and complicated, but once police arrive, they can become criminal cases. Now you’re wondering, Is domestic assault a felony in Tennessee? The answer depends on the conduct, your prior record, … Read more
Imagine someone forcing their way into your home after dark, threatening you outside a Franklin grocery store, or starting a fight at your business after tempers boil over. In those moments, you are not thinking like a lawyer but instead are focused on survival. Tennessee self-defense laws protect people who lawfully defend themselves, but those … Read more
Facing a third DUI is daunting, and the consequences feel more severe. Whether your stop happened in Franklin, Nashville, or Chattanooga, a 3rd DUI in Tennessee is serious because the court reviews your prior record and can impose harsher punishment. Penalties depend on the facts, prior convictions, testing, the county handling the case, and whether … Read more
You know what happened that night, and the charging papers sitting before you do not match it. Maybe the situation escalated faster than anyone could have predicted. Maybe the other person’s account left out everything that started it. Either way, you are the one who got handcuffed, the one who had to call someone to … Read more
You are driving home, nothing unusual, when the lights come on behind you. The stop feels routine until it does not. Suddenly, there are questions you do not know how to answer, a search you did not consent to, and a charge you never saw coming. That moment changes everything, and you need someone in … Read more