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Jim Harmon's Blog Posts

About Jim Harmon

Jim Harmon is a founding member of Harmon, Smith and Vourvoulias L.L.C. Jim practices primarily in the areas of personal injury litigation, workers' compensation, and DUI defense.Jim Harmon's Google+ Profile

Independence Day Joyriders Include Football Star

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blurry lightsThe holidays provide the perfect opportunity for fun with family and friends. There is nothing better than celebrating the day with festive food and drinks. A holiday weekend is certainly not the time to count the calories and watch the intake.Independence day was no exception. When celebrating America’s birthday and watching the fireworks, it is almost too easy to have one too many servings of hot dogs and hamburgers, and unfortunately, one too many beers.  Unfortunately, this means that this summer holiday is not only festive, but it is also the deadliest day of the year when it comes to drivers.

The 4th of July is notorious for DWI charges and car accidents. This year’s holiday was certainly no exception.  It was almost impossible to drive to your barbecue without running into a DWI checkpoint. [Read more…]

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Infographic: DWI Arrests Per Louisiana Parish

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Which Louisiana parish has the most DWI arrests each year? New Orleans defense lawyers at Harmon, Smith & Vourvoulias, LLC give the breakdown below.

DWI Arrests in Louisiana Per Parish

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New Orleans: Vive la France!

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Bastille Day

Parlez-vous français? Well, this is your chance! The French National Holiday is this month and the city of New Orleans is about to come alive with its French-ness and celebrate its roots.

On July 14, 1789, an angry mob of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a prison fortress in Paris. The Bastille was a symbol of the Royal authority in France, and this day marked the beginning of the French Revolution and the movement toward democracy. Bastille Day, known to the French as le quatorze juillet (The 14th of July) and la fête nationale (The National Holiday), is the French equivalent of our Independence Day. [Read more…]

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Slurp Down Some Oysters at the New Orleans Oyster Fest

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A Plate of OystersWhere else but New Orleans can you find an oyster-slurping competition? It’s that time of the year again! The countdown for the New Orleans Oyster Festival is on.

Louisiana is known for its seafood and oysters. And although the seafood industry took a hard hit after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, they have bounced right back. Now, the French Quarter is one of the biggest oyster producers in the nation and has been dubbed the Oyster Capital of America. [Read more…]

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Do We Need Sentencing Reform in Louisiana?

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Jail CellDid you know that 868 of every 100, 000 citizens in the state of Louisiana is in prison?  Even more surprising than that: more than 44 percent of those inmates are serving sentences for nonviolent crimes, compared to only 41 percent serving sentences for violent crime.

Why is this so?  Since the 1970s, Louisiana has had some of the harshest mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenses in the country.  An example of this would be offenders possessing a small amount of marijuana being sentenced to four years in prison, minimum.

A significant number of crimes that carry mandatory minimum prison sente [Read more…]

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Indianapolis Colts Owner Charged with DWI

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Jim Irsay DWI | New Orleans, LA Defense Attorney | Harmon, Smith & Vourvoulias, LLCIn recent years, we’ve seen more and more arrests related to DWI and professional football players.  It seems that as more focus is placed on these stars, the more mishaps we are able to see.  However, football players are not the only ones prone to these law-breaking mishaps.

Jim Isray, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, was taken into custody after being arrested on suspicion of DWI and having found a controlled substance in his possession.

According to Syracuse.com, USA Today, & NY Daily News, Isray was arrested Sunday, March 16 and booked into the Hamilton County Jail in Noblesville at 3:07 a.m.

Details are still being released about his arrest, but he was pulled over after driving his silver Toyota Highlander “at a slow rate of speed” when he “came to a complete stop in the lane of travel,” then failing to signal a turn, police spokesman Lt. Joe Bickel has reported to the news. [Read more…]

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Proposal to Install Breathalyzers in Bars To Reduce Drunk Driving

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Breathalyzers In Bars | New Orleans, LA DWI Defense Attorney | Harmon, Smith & Vourvoulias, LLCA proposal by Representative Greg Hughes of Draper, Utah would help bars install breathalyzers to assist patrons in deciding whether they are fit to drive.

According to articles from Fox News and The Salt Lake Tribune, the proposal is still in its infancy, but the measure would not require bars to install these devices.  Hughes reasoning behind the law is that “if you drive on a road and see a speed limit sign, you have something in your car [a speedometer] to know how fast you’re going.”  He hopes to assist those who might drink in knowing if they have had too much to drink before attempting to drive home.

Bar owners are concerned that by installing these devices, they might encourage drivers who would otherwise feel unsafe to drive by giving them false confidence from a lower reading.  [Read more…]

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What Are the Penalties for a DWI Conviction in Louisiana?

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DWI Conviciton Penalties | New Orleans, LA Attorney | Harmon, Smith & Vourvoulias, LLCAs a DWI attorney in New Orleans, I meet with clients each day that, if convicted, face severe penalties.

Often, I find that drivers are unaware of the possible penalties of a DWI conviction, initially believing such a charge doesn’t carry heavy consequences. It is actually the contrary. I try to quickly educate drivers on the possible penalties of a DWI conviction in Louisiana.

To clear up any confusion on DWI penalties, here is a simple outline of each DWI conviction and its maximum penalty: [Read more…]

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7 Romantic New Orleans Restaurants for Valentine’s Day

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7 Romantic New Orleans Restaurants for Valentine's Day | Harmon, Smith & Vourvoulias, LLCValentine’s Day in New Orleans, Louisiana, is nearly here. The question for most of us in the Crescent City is, “Where should I make my Valentine’s Day dinner reservations?”

New Orleans offers so many romantic restaurants, making the choice very difficult. That’s why we’re giving you the top seven romantic restaurants in New Orleans, selected by Go Nola. [Read more…]

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Affluenza as a DWI Defense Strategy?

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Affluenza As DWI Defense | New Orleans, LA Attorney | Harmon, Smith & Vourvoulias, LLC“Affluenza” is a term, popularized in the late 1990s by the granddaughter of a past General Motors president, used to describe a sense of entitlement by children from wealthy families. Because of this, they are supposedly irresponsible, make excuses for poor behavior, and sometimes dabble in drugs and alcohol.

While many would view this simply as “spoiled brat syndrome,” a psychologist recently testified in a DWI hearing that a 16-year-old North Texas teenager should not get the maximum sentence because the accident resulted from affluenza. [Read more…]

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