Rebecca Pirius is a Legal Editor at Nolo with a focus on criminal law. She has worked in the area of criminal law since 2003, most recently as a senior policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). For 12 years, Rebecca was a legislative analyst and an attorney in the Minnesota House of Representatives, providing nonpartisan legal research and drafting services to the 134 members. Right out of law school, she clerked for a judge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rebecca earned her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minnesota, where she graduated magna cum laude and served as a law review member. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar.
Nolo. In 2017, Rebecca began freelancing with Nolo and writing articles on criminal law, traffic laws, and impaired driving. She started full time at Nolo in 2019 as a Legal Editor. She writes primarily for CriminalDefenseLawyer.com and Nolo.com.
Prior career. Working at the Minnesota Legislature and NCSL, Rebecca conducted extensive research and analysis of laws and legislation on criminal law, public safety, corrections, and courts. Her roles required her to break down complex legal concepts for a broad audience, including policymakers and constituents, and allowed her to work with both sides of the political aisle. At NCSL, her policy work took her around the country to work with local and state policymakers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, former offenders, young adult offenders, crime victims, and criminal justice experts.
Articles By Rebecca Pirius
The basics of New York's domestic violence laws and penalties for family offenses.
Assault or battery offenses can easily ramp up to felony or aggravated charges. Learn how Florida defines and penalizes aggravated assault and battery.
A person can face assault or battery charges even if a victim suffers no injuries. While these crimes start as misdemeanors, they can quickly ramp up to a felony. Learn how Florida law defines assault and battery and the penalties for each.
Domestic and dating violence in Florida can result in arrests, criminal charges, firearm restrictions, injunctions, and jail time. Learn more.
In Rhode Island, charges for domestic violence can result in mandatory arrests, no-contact orders, criminal charges, jail time, and loss of firearm rights.
Learn how Pennsylvania punishes prostitution, patronizing a prostitute, and promotion of prostitution offenses.
Learn what can happen if you're drunk or high in public under Pennsylvania law.
Oklahoma treats cyberbullying seriously. A person who harasses, stalks, or threatens another online or in an electronic communication can face misdemeanor or even felony charges.
Oklahoma protects people and their property from intruders with the state's burglary and criminal trespass laws. A person who commits burglary in Oklahoma can face serious felony penalties, including lengthy terms of imprisonment and substantial fines.
Learn how West Virginia defines and punishes malicious and unlawful assault, assault during a felony, sexual assault, and strangulation crimes