In this episode, Connecticut juvenile defense lawyer Jill Ruane addresses a common issue for teens - alcohol use - and how parents can be liable for social host law violations.

If a teenager decides to drink at an adult's house in Connecticut, it is not just their future that is at stake - the adult who owns the property could also face legal trouble. This is according to Connecticut's social host liability laws. In many cases, adults are responsible for making sure that those who are underage do not consume alcohol while on their property. This is sometimes the case even if the property owner is not home. 

It is important to talk to your kids about the consequences not just for them, but for their whole family or a friend's family if they choose to drink alcohol while underage in someone's home. This is the case throughout the state - from Stamford to Bridgeport to Glastonbury and beyond. 

Check out the episode to learn more. To stay in touch with Jill, you can follow her on Facebook. 

Attorney Jill Ruane talks about the intersection of school discipline and the juvenile justice system in Connecticut. This episode of our podcast focuses on how you may not have as many protections in Connecticut schools as you may think!

A few common school issues that your Connecticut teen might face include: 

Some of these issues may be handled by the school internally, but in some situations, the police might get involved as well. In these cases, your teen will face disciplinary action from the school, which might include detention, suspension, or even expulsion, and they will also face legal consequences from the juvenile justice system such as mandatory classes, probation, community service, or even time in a juvenile facility. 

This episode will provide more information on school related issues, your child's rights in school, and how to protect your child if they face a school issue. 

Stay in touch with Jill by following her on social media. 

In this episode of Season Seven, Jill talks about decriminalization of marijuana and how a drug case is treated in the Connecticut juvenile justice system.

While marijuana has decriminalized or legalized marijuana in many states, recreational marijuana has not been legalized in Connecticut. This means that if your child is found in possession of marijuana in Connecticut, they could face a run-in with the juvenile justice system. Your child could face many different types of penalties, such as fines, a Connecticut driver's license suspension, participation in drug treatment programs, and more. 

If your child is accused of selling, possessing, or using marijuana, you need a Connecticut juvenile defense attorney like Jill on your side. You can learn more about her by following her on Facebook here. 

In this episode, Attorney Jill Ruane shatters the myths of teenage sex crimes in Connecticut and gives examples of how your teen could end up on the wrong side of the law.

When it comes to teenage sex in Connecticut, consent is an important variable. In Connecticut, the age of consent is 16. This means that those under the age of 16 cannot consent to sexual activities, even if they believe that they want to engage in them. 

However, there are some exceptions meant to protect teenagers who do not reach the age of consent. If having sex with someone under the age of 13, the other party cannot be more than two years older. If having sex with someone age 13-15, the other party cannot be more than three years older. 

Issues of sexual assault, sexting, and domestic violence are taken very seriously in Connecticut. You can learn more about them in this episode. 

To reach out to juvenile defense attorney Jill Ruane, find her on Facebook.

In episode two, Jill covers the laws for Connecticut teens and driving, including when the police can and cannot search the car your teen is in and how they should interact with police when driving. 

Motor vehicle violations in Connecticut occur for drivers of all ages. However, there are some restrictions imposed on Connecticut teenage drivers that are not imposed on adults. These restrictions include who can and cannot be passengers in a car with a teenaged driver, curfew restrictions, and more. 

In addition, your teen might not know what to do if they are pulled over by Connecticut police. Should they cooperate? Should they answer all of the police officer's questions? Should they let the officer search the car? In this episode, Connecticut juvenile defense attorney Jill Ruane answers these questions and more.

To connect with Jill, find her on Facebook!

In Season 7 of the podcast we will be featuring Attorney Jill Ruane, who handles juvenile criminal defense in Connecticut. In this first episode, she explains the basics of the juvenile justice system in Connecticut and the three types of cases it handles. In addition, she discusses how the juvenile court differs from adult court.

Connecticut juvenile cases fall into three categories: delinquency, Family with Service Needs ( FWSN), and child protection cases. Delinquency cases are when the minor child is arrested and charged with allegedly committing a crime. A Family with Service Needs or FWSN is a status offense case, which typically occurs when a juvenile is accused of running away, being truant or beyond the parent’s control. Child Protection matters involve situations where the Department of Children & Families (DCF) files court documents alleging abuse, neglect, or imminent harm of a minor child.

Learn more from Jill on this podcast, and follow her on Facebook for more Connecticut juvenile law information. 

In the final episode of the season, civil rights lawyer Dan Lage discusses how governmental agencies will fight to deny you your civil rights, and how the system could be stacked against you, unless you have a dedicated civil rights lawyer on your side. The multiple defenses and immunities  the government can raise in a civil rights cases can quickly frustrate a lawyer not used to fighting these battles, so it is important to find the right Connecticut civil rights lawyer to fight for you. 

There are a lot of elements that your lawyer should think about in order to properly defend you against discrimination issues or any other type of civil rights issue that you face. Some common defenses include the failure to state a claim defense, the statute of limitations defense, lack of knowledge defense, and many more. 

You can also learn about immunity in these kinds of situations here. To connect with Dan, follow him on Facebook. 

In this episode of Season Six, civil rights lawyer Dan Lage answers an important question - when a government employee violates your rights, who pays? Here, dan discusses civil rights violations. He also explores how cities and municipalities can be financially responsible for their employee's actions when done under the color of law. 

Your natural inclination in a Connecticut police officer causes an accident or harm that they or their employer (the municipality) will be responsible for the damages. However, this is not always the case. There are four basic methods for establishing municipality liability that a good Connecticut civil rights lawyer should explore. Dan discusses these methods in detail in this episode. 

For more information, visit the Ruane Attorneys website and make sure to follow Dan on Facebook!

For Episode Eight of this civil rights season, Dan Lage, civil rights lawyer, discusses equal opportunity in Connecticut education, and how there remains an ongoing battle to obtain equal footing for women and other students. 

Connecticut schools as well as schools throughout the country need to comply with Title IX, which ensures that people cannot be excluded from any education programs or activity that gets funding from the Federal government based on their sex. Historically, Title IX has applied to athletics, but it also applies to anything else that fits the description mentioned above. 

If you think that you or a loved one has not received equal opportunity in Connecticut education, this episode is for you!

For more information, visit the Ruane Attorneys website and make sure to follow Dan on social media!

In this episode of Season Six, Dan discusses employment discrimination in Connecticut. 

Here, Dan explains how if you are a person of color, a member of the LGBTQ community, an immigrant, a person of a certain faith, an older person, or a differently-abled person, your work environment could become too toxic for continued employment. Our laws here in Connecticut were designed to protect you from these workplace discrimination issues.

Whether you face harassment, wrongful termination, rejection of your application, or some other issue, a Connecticut civil rights lawyer can help. For more information, check out our website and follow Dan on Facebook.