Author Archives: catelawoffice

If you’ve been searching for “early release in Tennessee” or “petition to suspend remaining sentence,” you’ve probably already run into the statute number — Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-306(c). It’s the section of Tennessee law that lets a sentencing judge cut a custodial sentence short and transition the defendant to probation. Here’s what the statuteContinue reading “TCA Section 40-35-306(c) Explained: Tennessee Early Release Eligibility”

If your loved one is serving a Davidson County sentence of six years or less, Tennessee law (TCA § 40-35-306(c)) allows a petition to suspend the remaining sentence. Eligibility, process, and timing explained.

By Nathan Cate, Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney | Cate Law A detective sits across the table from my client and says, with a straight face, “Your buddy already told us everything. It’s all on him unless you tell me your side.” My client’s buddy did not, in fact, tell them anything. My client’s buddy hasContinue reading “Can Police Lie to You During an Investigation?”

By Nathan Cate, Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney | Cate Law “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” Everybody knows the words. Most people learned them from TV before they ever learned the civics. But what almost nobody knows — includingContinue reading “Miranda Rights: When They Apply and When They Don’t”

By Nathan Cate, Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney | Cate Law Every year, I meet people in Nashville who made one mistake a decade ago and are still paying for it. A shoplifting charge at 19 that’s showing up on apartment applications at 32. A marijuana possession from college that’s blocking a nursing license. A dismissedContinue reading “Expungement in Tennessee: Who Qualifies and How to Apply”

By Nathan Cate, Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney | Cate Law A first-offense DUI in Tennessee is not a traffic ticket. It’s a Class A misdemeanor — the most serious kind of misdemeanor Tennessee recognizes — and it carries mandatory jail time, a mandatory license revocation, and a permanent criminal record if convicted. If you’re readingContinue reading “DUI First Offense in Tennessee: Penalties and What to Expect”

By Nathan Cate, Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney | Cate Law The officer has you out of the car. He says he smells alcohol. He says he wants you to blow into a machine. Your mind is racing. Refuse and the case goes away, right? Or does refusing make things worse? What are they legally allowedContinue reading “Can You Refuse a Breathalyzer in Tennessee? The Implied Consent Law Explained”

By Nathan Cate, Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney | Cate Law If you live in Nashville, getting pulled over isn’t a maybe — it’s a when. Broadway on a Friday night, I-440, Briley Parkway at 2am, a lane change on Gallatin Pike. It happens. What you do in the next ten minutes can decide whether youContinue reading “What to Do if You’re Pulled Over in Nashville”