The Known Advantages of A Living Trust

A living trust is an arrangement by which you as the grantor place property in trust and name yourself or some other person as Trustee or Co-Trustee, but reserve the right to revoke the trust so that the property can be returned to you. Generally, the trust agreement provides that upon your death the property will go to the named beneficiaries. Why set up A Living Trust? The Advantages of the living trust include the following: 1. Provides for Property Management or disbursement; 2. Avoid all legal fees and Expenses Associated with probate; 3. Automatically avoids all probate of the property; 4. Assures uninterrupted income and Access To Principal for family beneficiaries; 5. Eliminates time delays in settling the estate - the successor trustee Immediately Distribute the funds as indicated in the can revocable living trust agreement; 6. Maintains privacy - nothing is printed in the newspaper as is the case When a Person Dies either in testate (no will) or with only a last will; 7. Avoid the emotional trauma, aggravation and frustration of a complicated probate court procedure; 8. Protects up to $1,500,000 from federal estate taxes for a single person and up to $3,000,000 for a married couple. This rule works for US citizens only! And, what about the children? How mature and ready will they be to inherit my estate? It’s true that age 18 is the legal minimum age for inheriting an estate, but is your 18-year old wise enough to manage substantial wealth? Maybe he should receive assets in stages (say, one-third at age 25, another third at age 30, and the remainder at age 35)? Shall he receive a big allowance, or should he be encouraged to get a job? A great advantage of the living trust is that you can decide and control how to distribute your estate to your children.

The Intricacies of Personal Injury Cases

The laws on personal injury are truly comprehensive and complicated. Many lawyers might be focusing on personal injury cases but you have to find the one who really specializes on the claim that is similar to yours. Compared to any other fields of employment, there are also specializations in the legal genre. It is therefore important for you to identify first the type of personal injury that you have experienced and suffered before getting the services of a personal injury lawyer.

When you’ve been a victim of personal injury at work or in the street, you can be entitled to large amounts of compensation. For you to be able to win your personal injury case and get the compensation that you deserve, you’ll certainly need the assistance of reputable personal injury lawyers. However, choosing one is definitely critical and you’ll surely wonder if how you can best eliminate all the confusion and ambiguity in hiring an attorney. When we speak of personal injury claims, settlements can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Legal matching services can help you locate the right personal injury lawyer for your personal injury case. With it, you don’t have to worry much about the legal process and just expect for good things to come your way through these competent lawyers. You will always want to get the highest possible claims so you need a competent legal counsel for this. Take note that the payment of these claims depends not only on the facts of the lawsuit but the lawyer’s capacity as well.

Say, you have been involved in an accident of a bus line in a certain state. Remember that there are complexities of city liability and state law that your lawyer need to know before taking on your case. When involved on a medical malpractice case, on the other hand, you have to consider an attorney who has previous experiences in taking on doctors and their lawyers. Why is this important? Well, you have to know if the lawyer is knowledgeable enough to help you gain full advantage of the laws on personal injury.

Based from reliable sources, many people who have been injured in accidents and personal injury cases don’t really know that they can be compensated for their injuries, pain and suffering. They only get to realize this with the help of proper legal help. With legal assistance, their innocence will just make them face medical expenses on their own shoulders. See, this is how important these personal injury lawyers are.

The Initial Step: Seek Legal Advice

Seeking for legal advice is the first step that one must take if he’s been involved in personal injury cases such as car accident, auto accident, slip fall injury, and many others. This has been also the case when you have questions on any fields of the law. You have to remember that there are certainly lots of resources for legal advice and there are also lots of lawyers or attorneys that are always ready to assist you by providing such guidance. But no matter what you’re concern is, you also need to know everything about the rules of law and how it’ll affect your case.

Finding a reputable and experienced legal specialist is a great way to get accurate advice and information regarding your legal concerns. In choosing one, you have to keep in mind that every attorney has his own skills and a distinct professional background. Therefore, you have to examine rightfully every lawyer that you come across before actually getting his services. This is important because he will not only give you legal advice or represent you in court but he will also do a comprehensive research on your lawsuit.

If you have been involved in a personal injury case where you think that you are the one who’s at fault or unsure if where the fault lies, your legal specialist can help you track if who’s the guilty party. This can only happen after he has thoroughly evaluated the evidences or information that you have prepared or presented to him. With this, seeking legal advice is really important especially if you’ll get to know a trustworthy attorney.

There are various ways on how to find the best lawyer that can provide the best legal advice, too. The most efficient way is through the Internet. It has been a good source for those people who seek legal advice. With the vast information that the Internet can offer you, you’ll definitely be amazed by it. There are lots of articles and personal disclosures regarding delicate court procedures that can give you an overview of what might also happen to your own lawsuit.

When you’re finally set to acquire your personal attorney, you can still utilize the web by using online referral services. There exist lawyer locators too that can search vast databases of lawyer information to match your lawyer requirements. Hopefully, you’ll find the best attorney who can give you proper advice. Remember that there are still various resources online that provide necessary information about the basics of any types of cases which can then serve as legal advice to individuals who are being bothered by legal matters and concerns.

The Ideal Auto Accident Lawyers

After an auto accident, putting the pieces of your life back together is possible. Financial relief is obtainable, too. You just need to make sure you have the right one to make it happen for you. Now, the big question is – What must the seriously injured auto accident victim look for in a lawyer? Below are some important issues to think about when choosing the ideal auto accident lawyers to fight for you.

Knowledge and experience are the central qualities of any good auto accident lawyer. First, you must know your potential auto accident lawyer’s legal ability rating and general ethical standards rating that he has obtained for all of the past year/s of his career. These lawyers must have served as prosecuting counsel in litigation involving substantial injuries, and then obtained substantial settlements and jury verdicts.

In addition, knowing if the auto accident lawyers have obtained positive recognition in and outside the legal profession is also important. Also, an auto accident lawyer must have been recognized by his peers as established, superior trial lawyers. He must also verify that he is an effective legal advocate, by citation to important published appellate victories he has achieved. A lawyer's appellate success matters because it is a good measure of the attorney's vitally important general ability to argue and persuade on legal issues, and this is important for any auto accident case.

Finally, any good auto accident lawyer must see the logic of your wanting to assure that you will be properly represented in your auto accident case. He must also be willing and happy to answer any questions you may have about his legal qualifications.

The auto accident lawyers’ excellent legal ability and general ethical standard ratings, the recognition from their peers, their local and national reputation, their trial successes, and their appellate successes are all matters that you must inquire about in selecting the right auto accident lawyers for your serious injury case.

After all, choosing a lawyer is the most significant step of becoming involved in the legal process. Most people become very faithful to one lawyer with whom they have had success with in the past – and past success is a very good criterion in choosing a lawyer. But, if you are new to the legal arena, and are faced with the critical task of choosing a lawyer for the first time, it can’t hurt to look for some qualities that everybody looks for in a lawyer.

The Abortion Debate

One of today’s most controversial topics, the abortion debate pits the rights of a mother against the rights of a fetus. The most common, clear-cut stances on the issue are “pro-choice” and “pro-life,” which hinge on legal and moral considerations. Another common viewpoint is a more blended pragmatist view, which states that abortion should be prohibited except for specific cases.

"Pro-choice" advocates stress a woman's right to choose whether and when to terminate her pregnancy. In their view, a woman should have absolute control over her own body and, by extension, over the survival of the fetus within her. The "pro-life" camp argues that life begins at conception and any termination of pregnancy after the formation of the embryo is equivalent to murder.

One may deem abortion immoral, but does that necessarily mean it should be illegal? As with many moral debates, there is an underlying and perhaps more significant legal debate raging, especially in the United States. Roe v. Wade was a landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that is still relevant today. The Court voted 7-2 to overturn all state laws banning abortion. The Justices concluded that such laws violate a woman's constitutional right to privacy. Since then, the moral debate has taken on political significance.

Alternatively, if abortion is morally permissible, does that mean it should be legal in all cases? In response to this question, there exist other viewpoints in addition to the clear cut “pro choice” and “pro life” positions. Indeed, proponents of each argument vary by degree.

For example, some pro-choice advocates believe abortion is no longer morally permissible after the second trimester. Similarly, some pro-lifers allow abortion in extreme cases, such as rape or incest. Roughly two percent of pregnancies occur under these conditions.

The abortion debate lends itself to a larger, overriding question: when must the government intervene in citizens' personal lives, and when must it avoid doing so?

Small Business Debt Collection Laws

In your will eventually become important, as your debt grows and some clients do not pay. To collect small business debts legally, you must send a written notice that collections have begun, within five days of first contacting the debtor for collections. The letter must include dispute instructions.

Small Business Debt Collection Laws Forbidden Practices…

-Collect any amount beyond the actual debt, unless you really can do so legally.

-Continue collections on a debt if the debtor has disputed the debt, unless you provide the debtor with written proof.
Continue contacting the debtor if within 30 days of first contact, the debtor disputes the debt.

-Credit a payment the debtor has made to a non-disputed debt to a debt the debtor has disputed.

-Deposit a post-dated check before the post-date.

Small Business Debt Collections Laws: What You Can't Say

- Give a false name.
- You are an attorney or government representative, if you are not.
-You have an attorney working for you or that you are going to assign the case to an attorney, if you really do not.
-The debtor has committed a crime, unless you are 100ure they have.
-You work for a credit bureau, if you really do not.
-The debt is more or less money than it actually is.
-You are sending or have sent legal forms when you really did not.
-You are sending or have sent papers that are not legal forms, if they really are legal forms.
-The debtor will be arrested--no one is arrested for nonpayment of debts anymore.
-You will seize, garnish, attach, or sell the debtor's property or wages, if you do not really intend to or cannot legally do so (and unless the debt is secured with collateral, you probably cannot).
-You will sue or take other legal action, if you do not really intend to, or are not legally able to do so.

Small Business Debt Collection Laws Forbidden Third-Party Disclosures

Never:

1) Give any credit-related information that is not 100
ccurate.
2) Tell anyone other than the debtor that you are collecting a debt.
3) Telephone any number other than debtor's more than once.

Small Business Debt Collection Phone Calls

Never:

-Call after 9 pm or before 8 am.
-Forget to give your name and your company's name.
-Call repeatedly or in a way intended to annoy.
-Make a collect call.
-Make any threats.
-Use profane or obscene language.
-Leave a message that reveals this is a debt collection.

Small Business Debt Collection Mailing

Never send:

-Postcards.
-Envelopes or mailings with any reference to debt collection on the exterior.
-Anything that looks like an official, legal, or government document, if it is not.

These simple small business debt collection laws guidelines should help stay with the collection laws.

Same Gender Marriages

In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in the case of Baker v. State, 744 A.2d 864 (Vt. 1999), ruling that prohibiting same-sex marriage violated the Vermont constitution because it denied same-sex couples the rights granted to heterosexual couples. However, rather than order the government to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, the court left it up to the state legislature to remedy the situation. In response to the court's order in Baker v. State, the Vermont legislature passed a law creating a "civil union registration system," under which same-sex couples can register their partnership and receive all the benefits of state laws that apply to married couples. Although the U.S. Constitution requires each state to give "full faith and credit" to the laws of other states - for example, by recognizing marriages and divorces made across state lines - the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996, expressly undercuts the full faith and credit requirement in the case of same-sex marriages. That said, because the DOMA abridges the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, it may be challenged legally in the near future. Furthermore, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court clarified its ruling late last year that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples violates the Massachusetts Constitution's guarantee that all citizens be treated equally under the law. Lambda Legal predicts that within a few months, same-sex couples in Massachusetts will begin getting married. They will be able to visit their spouses in the hospital, make decisions about each other’s health care and be fully recognized as parents of their children. Anti-gay groups may proceed ahead in efforts to amend the state’s Constitution to carve out an exception to the time-honored guarantee of equality. As that debate moves forward, people will see same-sex couples who are legally married - and they will see that in seeking to protect their families, these married couples pose no threat to society. Benefits for Same-Sex Couples in California, Hawaii and Vermont. If you're a member of a same-sex couple living in one of these three states, you can take advantage of laws that allow you to register your partnership and receive many of the benefits granted to married couples. California. To register a domestic partnership in California, visit the California Secretary of State website at www.ss.ca.gov. (Look under "Special Programs Information.") Hawaii. To learn about registering your partnership in Hawaii (where it's called a "reciprocal beneficiary relationship"), visit the website of Hawaii’s Vital Records office at www.state.hi.us/doh/records/rbrfaq.htm. Vermont. To read the official guide to Vermont's civil union law, go to www.sec.state.vt.us and click on "Publications."

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Recording industry starts legal actions against illegal file-sharing internationally

IFPI and the recording industry associations in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Canada today announced the first wave of international lawsuits charging individuals with illegally file-sharing copyrighted music.

A total of 247 alleged illegal file-sharers face legal action in a move that steps up the industry's international campaign against online copyright theft. Further waves of lawsuits against major offenders will be launched in different countries in the coming months.

The legal actions, following similar successful actions in United States, charge the individuals with illegally making available hundreds of music tracks for copying, transmission and distribution via file-sharing services.

IFPI, representing the recording industry worldwide, made it clear that the legal actions come only after a sustained educational effort by the music industry and as record companies are making available the bulk of their music for downloading legally.

A recent independent five-country survey commissioned by IFPI shows more than 65% of people know that file-sharing copyrighted music is illegal.

More than 600,000 consumers in Europe alone are now accessing a large catalogue of 300,000 tracks that are available from 50 legal online sites.

Jay Berman, Chairman and CEO of IFPI. said: "Today's announcement should come as no surprise. Over the past year the record industry has been extremely active internationally and locally, educating the public about the huge damage being done by illegal file-sharing, explaining the laws and promoting all the sites where large catalogues of copyrighted music are available for consumers to access legitimately. "

"We have made it clear that file-sharing without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal, that it amounts to "file-stealing", and that it affect jobs and livelihoods across the whole industry. Ultimately, though, we have learned that education alone is not sufficient, and that some people persist because, like shop-lifters, they think they can 'get away with it'. So we have decided that only the prospect of legal action is going to make those people rethink what they are doing."

"Today we are making it clear that we are totally prepared to enforce the law, and we will start actions against those people who are breaking it by uploading hundreds of music files on to the internet. We will not stand by while thousands of people involved in the creation of music see their careers and livelihoods destroyed. The message is that people are at a real risk of being sued or prosecuted if they continue to rip off those who make music. "

Illegal file-sharing has been a major cause of the decline in global music sales in the last five years. This in turn has caused widespread cuts and job losses across the industry, affecting retailers, record companies and their artist rosters, recording studios, song writers, management companies, publishers and many others sectors, all of them economically dependent on copyrighted music.

Global sales of recorded music fell 7% in value in 2002. IFPI's global figures for 2003 have not yet been released, but it estimated that sales for the year will have been down by over 7%. A number of third party surveys in major music markets have confirmed that illegal file-sharing directly depresses music purchases by consumers.

Other countries have stepped up their 'warning' campaigns to put illegal file-sharers of music on notice that if they continue with their activities they risk court action. Sweden is announcing today the launch of their instant messaging campaign to users of peer-to-peer networks, following a similar announcement by the UK on 25 March.

Quadriplegia: Victims Seeking Legal Help

Don’t stay forever pitying a relative, friend or acquaintance who suffers from quadriplegia, a form of spinal cord injury. They are one of the 10,000 Americans who suffer from spinal cord injuries and permanent paralysis in their arms or legs, every year.

When an injury occurs to the spinal cord is occurs, the cord is not typically cut but the thin fibrous extensions of nerve cells surrounded by the vertebrae are crushed and damaged. Pathways of the nerve cells, called axons, in the cord are disrupted once an injury to the cord occurs and a person loses sensation and control over critical body functions.

Quadriplegia (also called Tetraplegia) is a person with a spinal cord injury near the top of the spine (between C1 to T1). It refers to the loss of sensation and mobility in both the upper and lower body. Spastic quadriplegia arises when all four limbs are affected with increased tone, decreased movements and brisk reflexes. It often is associated with mental retardation, visual problems and hearing impairment. Either this is the result of illness or intentional wrong, or negligent act by some other liable person that inflicted the spinal cord injury.

You can stop feeling sorry for sufferers you know and start helping them out in taking legal action for their condition. Persons who suffered spinal cord injury, particularly quadriplegia should get legal evaluation immediately after the accident. Legal consultation from attorneys is critical because victims need to find out the help that they are entitled to. Even accidents that result to quadriplegia that appears to be no one’s fault could still result in a recovery since the injuries are so severe. Damage claims will often exceed the amount of available insurance coverage.

Negligent acts that result to quadriplegia have the right to seek legal assistance to help defray medical bills, compensate for pain and suffering and provide for future lost income. You can assist them into finding an experienced personal injury lawyer practicing spinal cord injury lawsuits. Quadriplegia victims need intelligent and investigative attorneys who will find all coverage are able to devise theories to involve other parties potentially at fault for the injury.

In many of these cases, insurance companies and negligent parties can provide substantial compensation to the victims of these injuries. On the other hand, if the available insurance coverage is adequate enough, say like a million dollar policy is involved the company will have reason to fight the claims. This they will do to avoid paying large sums to the injured person and in this instance, victim’s attorney need to be an experienced trial lawyer, too.

Like other personal injury cases, time is critical, as time goes on, victims may lose some of their rights. Thus, it will greatly help the success of a spinal cord injury lawsuit to begin evidence collection and take information immediately after the accident.

Protecting Unmarried Couples Relationships

A power of attorney is a legal document that allows you to dictate who you would like to make decisions on your behalf. While there are many useful purposes for a power of attorney, they are especially important to unmarried couples, which live together, when a partner becomes incapacitated and unable to make decisions. In such situations, the law usually designates the incapacitated person's next of kin as the decision maker. With a power of attorney, unmarried couples can give their partners the power to make such decisions.

Powers of attorney can be as general or specific as you decide. You can give your partner the power to make decisions on your behalf at any time or only when you become incapacitated. You can also dictate what types of decisions you are authorizing your agent to make. A health care power of attorney (also referred to as a durable power of attorney for health care, medical power of attorney, health care proxy and appointment of health care agent of surrogate) would authorize your partner (or other agent) to make decisions about your medical treatment and dictate who you would like to be able to visit you while receiving medical treatment.

By executing a power of attorney for finances (also referred to as a durable power of attorney for finances) you could dictate whom you want to make decisions about your legal and financial matters. You can be very specific about what actions you are authorizing your partner (or other agent) to make, including which accounts he or she has access to and the types of decisions he or she can make.

Note that Legal Helpmate Corp provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed power of attorney for any occasions.

Personal Injury Lawyers

Personal injury occurs due to the recklessness and wantonness of others. Injuries like this can happen in a road accident, at the very workplace, due to medical malpractice, due to a defective product, due to a fall or a trip on a pavement, invasion of privacy and when you are a victim of a crime. The injury can be both psychological and physical. It covers physical injuries, emotional distress and mental suffering. The personal injury law includes the physical harm the individual may have and the suffering they undergo. Suffering covers emotional degradation that a person may have felt by reason of the personal injury. When it occurs, the victim is entitled to punitive and general damages. Punitive damage is a result of a jury award to punish the offender of his negligence. General damage, on the other hand, is an award to recover losses such as property damages, medical bills and loss of wages.

Personal injury claim settlement is common as only a little fraction of such actually proceeds to trial. Both the injured and the injurer may have reasons to settle. One reason is that one of the parties may be convinced that the other party has a stronger case compared to him. Another reason is financial constraint. Others think that to prolong it is to complicate the financial situation and it may remain a family burden. So the parties may opt for its early settlement.

Oftentimes, personal injury cases are won or lost early on. In cases like this, it is critical to retain a competent personal injury lawyer. Personal injury cases can be very complicated because of the conflicting circumstances attendant to it like the insurance and legal matters. A personal injury lawyer can help an individual to seek the appropriate compensation he deserves as a result of the personal injury. The more serious the personal injury suffered the more impact and weight it will probably result on the individual's life, thus making a higher compensation for him.

Experienced personal injury lawyers understand the complex legal issues. They can help their clients understand their legal rights and will vigilantly represent them. As a result the client can yield his right compensation for his personal injury.

Remember that if someone has become negligent, they can be held responsible to pay compensation for your injuries. To work this out, a competent and diligent personal injury attorney can assist you with all your legal needs.

Pay Your Legal Fees Without Any Burden

If you are a regular worker who have been involved in a personal injury case, payment of your legal fees during an injury claim can really be a tough task. If you’ll win your claim, good for you! You will be able to pay your legal fees using the money that you’ll get from the compensation. But what if you lose, that’s certainly a big problem. Can you afford to defer the cost of your legal fees while spending money to recover from your injury too?

Luckily speaking, most of the personal injury lawyers are ready to provide you with their legal services without any charge unless you win your claim. Even though you might still have to pay some small court costs, it’s definitely good to hear that you don’t have to take on much of the financial burdens. What you need to do now is to find every means to have a successful personal injury case.

Under this type of agreement, you have to determine your legal fees in your final settlement agreement. You can talk to your legal counsel regarding this one so that you can prepare for future payments. However, you must not be too caught up in the details of your settlement because you might not be able to place the case behind you. Take note that above all else, your priority now is to recover faster and move on with your life without any feeling of pain and distress.

In addition, your knowledgeable legal counsel can turn you to other support groups. Many victims of personal injury cases consider having a loan to pay their legal fees. This is not always acceptable. Remember that your lawyer knows about these banks that offer special discounted rates to injury victims and he can actually bring you to them. He can also refer you to other sorts of support groups for the injured.

Indeed, when you are not smart enough in taking intelligent steps to get compensated reasonably, you can end up not triumphant in your claim and worst – no money will be left in your hands. Therefore, it is important for you to work hard in recovering faster and get yourself working again. Also, you legal counsel is always ready to assist you in getting the proper compensation that you deserve. You only need to gather all the necessary information before deciding to go to court trials or out-of-court settlements.

OSDL ESTABLISHES $10 MILLION LEGAL FUND TO ADDRESS SCO'S ONGOING THREAT TO SUE LINUX CUSTOMERS

Fund to pay legal fees for litigation threatened by SCO against Linux users and will cover Linus Torvalds' legal fees

BEAVERTON, OR. January 12, 2004 - The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium of leading technology companies dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux, today announced the creation of a Linux legal defense fund. The fund will defray legal expenses of Linux users involved in litigation with The SCO Group on issues that affect the Linux community and industry. OSDL aims to raise $10 million for this fund and will accept donations from individuals, organizations and companies.

'Customers deploy Linux solutions in good faith based on its technical merits and lower cost of ownership,' said Stuart Cohen, CEO of OSDL. 'As the emerging center-of-gravity for Linux, OSDL is responding to a call for leadership on this issue. This fund sends a clear message that OSDL, in cooperation with others throughout the Linux industry, will stand firm against legal threats levied by The SCO Group.'

OSDL created the Linux Legal Defense Fund after consulting with its members, participants in its Linux User Advisory Council, and key members of the Linux development community. The fund will be wholly supported by independent contributions. To date the Lab has received more than $3 million in pledges from companies, including IBM, Intel, MontaVista Software, and others.

More information and details about the OSDL Linux legal defense fund and how to contribute can be found on the OSDL Web site at OSDL Linux Legal Defense Fund.

About Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) OSDL - home to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux - is dedicated to accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux. Founded in 2000 and supported by a global consortium of Linux customers and IT industry leaders, OSDL is a non-profit organization that provides Linux expertise and computing and test facilities in the United States and Japan available to developers around the world. OSDL members include Alcatel, Cisco, Computer Associates, Dell, Ericsson, Force Computers, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Linuxcare, Miracle Linux Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, MontaVista Software, NEC Corporation, Network Appliance, Nokia, Novell, NTT COMWARE, NTT DATA INTELLILINK, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems, SUSE LINUX, TimeSys, Toshiba, Transmeta Corporation, Turbolinux, Ulticom, Unilever, VA Software and Wind River Systems. Visit OSDL on the Web at http://www.osdl.org/.

OSDL is a trademark of Open Source Development Labs, Inc. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property of their respective holders.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Lonn Johnston for OSDL
Page One PR
Phone : +1 650-473-0600 x101
E-mail : lonn@pageonepr.com

Intel
Chuck Mulloy
Phone : +1 408- 765-3484
E-mail : cmulloy@intel.com

IBM
Trink Guarino
Phone : +1 914-766-4084
E-mail : guarino@us.ibm.com

MontaVista Software
Joe Samagond
Phone : +1 408-328-9234
E-mail : jsamagond@mvista.com

Mesothelioma Compensation–Claims And Counter-Claims

Legal help is now available to sufferers of mesothelioma, caused by inhalation of asbestos particles. However, mere knowledge is not enough for them to get a fair deal for mesothelioma compensation. They need to pick the right attorney to fight their case for compensation. It is possible to check the competence of the attorney through their settlement record.

Helping victims to identify the source of mesothelioma is important for successful mesothelioma compensation claims. Only an experienced mesothelioma lawyer knows how to do it. Many mesothelioma and asbestos attorneys provide a toll-free help line for mesothelioma victims. Most of the law firms respect their client’s confidentiality. Expert attorneys specializing in mesothelioma compensation lawsuits examine the financial health of the entity responsible for asbestos exposure for deciding the right legal approach. The parameters for dealing with a solvent firm are different from the ones for a legally bankrupt entity. The next step involves entering into settlement negotiations with the defaulting unit.

Many mesothelioma attorneys have websites wherein the sufferers for obtaining free evaluation of their asbestos-related mesothelioma claim. Accurate identification of the specific asbestos-linked products is important for settlement. An inaccurate assessment can damage the potential value of the claim. An experienced mesothelioma attorney or law firm does it thorough investigation and review of past cases relating to a particular facility before filing a claim.

The size of the mesothelioma claim depends on the number of asbestos products identified as the source of mesothelioma. Besides, the chances of defaulting units or entities willing to settle a huge claim increase if the mesothelioma sufferer hires an experienced attorney.

For the defaulting units a mesothelioma settlement with them amounts to cutting their own losses. An efficient attorney will file in the lawsuit in a territory that has fast-track courts. Speedy settlement is obviously in the interest of the mesothelioma victim and their family. An experienced mesothelioma lawyer usually has a nationwide network and an impressive mesothelioma compensation settlement-record. It is a highly specialized legal field and only a few attorneys and law firms have the right credentials to claim nationwide recognition.

Looking for the best advice in relation to fathers rights legal help.

Looking for the best advice in relation to fathers rights legal help. When you are looking for superior information relating to fathers rights legal help, you'll find it hard sorting out quality information from poorly sourced fathers rights legal help submissions and help so it's astute to know ways of judging the information you are offered.

Now we'd like to offer you some advice that we believe you should think of using when you're seeking information about fathers rights legal help. Bear in mind any recommendation we present to you is only appropriate to internet information concerning fathers rights legal help. We can't offer you any direction or assistance if you are receiving information offline.

A good pointer to follow when you are presented with information and advice about a fathers rights legal help web site is to verify the ownership of the website. Doing this could reveal the owners fathers rights legal help credibility The easiest way to find out who is behind the fathers rights legal help site is to find the 'about' page.

All reputable sites providing information about fathers rights legal help, will almost always provide an 'about' or 'contact' page which will record the owner's details. The info should make known key points concerning the owner's requisite knowledge. You can then decide for yourself about the webmaster's depth of experience, to offer help regarding fathers rights legal help.

Law Firm Websites & Internet Scams

Many still say the Internet is like the Wild West. When it comes to the proliferation of scams, this is certainly true! As webmaster for over two dozen legal, real estate, and other business oriented websites, we receive a lot of email and phone solicitations. Often our clients ask our opinion on an Internet service or software product. We have researched and found the majority of offers directed toward law firms are what I call the half-truth variety.

It is interesting that these offers directed at small to mid-size firms are like live Internet viruses, they seem to mutate over time. The core remains, but, the exterior packaging (a.k.a. sales pitch) appears totally different.

One of the most enduring of such Internet scams is the offer to list your law practice in an Internet legal directory at what appears to be a huge savings over the legitimate legal directories. The perpetrators of such scams provide impressive ‘traffic’ figures, and in many cases, even show that their directory is listed on the first page of a major directory.

Looking at one scam in detail revealed the following facts:

A. Traffic figures can be manipulated. For about $50, anyone can purchase ‘traffic’ directed to any site. The way this ‘traffic’ is generated is the problem. The majority is machine generated overseas, or funneled through MLM /porn/music sites. In either case, your site will register visits but no business will ever be generated.

B. For placements on the first page of major search engines, there are two highly used methods. The first method, usually just makes the statement that the site has page one placement. Ask further and it is usually the name of the directory that has page one placement. The directory name might be www.lawyers-intercontinental-directory1.com and a search for lawyers international directory could appear on page one of many search engines. However, how many potential legal clients in Houston, Texas, will be likely to type in this exact directory name into their search engine? What they may use will be phrases like: Houston lawyers, Houston attorneys, Houston TX lawyers, Houston Texas lawyers, etc.

The other method used is bidding on popular legal phrases on the major pay-for-click search engine programs. The problem here is that these ‘sponsored’ ads have to be differentiated from the real or ‘organic’ results. Once spending limits on the bids are reached, or the bidding program is terminated, the standing vanishes. After all, these standings were only achieved by cash payment, not a properly designed and optimized legal website.

Another factor to consider here is that current webmaster opinions suggest 50 to 70% of searchers skip over such ‘sponsored’ listings in favor of the ‘organic’ listings. Almost any high school student can create a ‘legal directory’ with an impressive sounding name like www.professional-law-legal-advice-directory1.com, but do you really want to be listed there?

Believe it or not, many naive lawyers have taken the bait. I asked one such attorney what results his law firm had achieved during almost a year with the listing. The reply was NO BUSINESS, and he believed they never received any phone calls. I then asked why he chose to advertise with this firm. The reply was because they only charged $99 for a full page ad for one year.

The old adage of “You get what you pay for” really applies here. Be careful out there, very careful!

Intellectual Property Defined

Ignorance of the law excuses no one. If you are unaware of your law, then you are in for big trouble. To better understand what are your rights and duties, educate yourself.

Issues regarding intellectual property rights are an important topic of discussion as many things revolve around this theme. Knowing what an intellectual property is the first step in our education. The U.S. Department of State defines it as:

“Creative ideas and expressions of the human mind that possess commercial value and receive the legal protection of a property right. The major legal mechanisms for protecting intellectual property rights are copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Intellectual property rights enable owners to select who may access and use their property, and to protect it from unauthorized use.”

This definition gives emphasis on the word protect. Indeed, it is designed to extend protection to the creator of a certain creative work or a product. Legal provisions are installed to give the owner the exclusive right to control access and use of his property. The law provides for specific procedures when a violation of these rights is committed.

Copyrights and industrial property are two categories that make up intellectual property.

Copyright laws provide for the owner an exclusive right to control access of his creative work. Variations may exist with different countries but the basic idea is this.

Industrial property includes such things as patents and trademarks. A patent is defined as a legal grant issued by a government permitting an inventor to exclude others from making, using, or selling a claimed invention during the patent's term. A trademark on the other hand is a name or symbol secured by legal registration that identifies a manufacturer's or trader's product or service and distinguishes it from other products and services.

Any infringement on these rights entitles the owner to a day in court. Filing a lawsuit is a must if you want to be compensated for the damages you have received. Of course you won’t know if you are already being violated unless you know what you’re rights are. There is a great need for us to be familiar with the concepts of intellectual property laws for us to know when we are being wronged and what needs to be done to address that wrong. Like they always say, “Knowledge is Power.”

Injury Compensation Claims

Accidents do happen, but if you feel you had a slip trip or fall that was due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to claim compensation. Personal injuries because of slipping, tripping and falling are a fact of life, but sometimes they are the result of carelessness on the part of individuals or municipal councils who are liable to pay compensation for it.

Though most public areas in the U.K. conform to the highest safety standards, occasionally a poorly maintained road, pavement, car park or shopping area can become the cause for personal injury. One could trip on a warped or pitted road, pavement, walkway or car park. One could also slip on dangerously polished floors, fall down poorly constructed or maintained stairs or trip over worn floor coverings or obstructions.

In the case of slips and trips in public areas like roads, walkways and pavements, the local authorities responsible for their upkeep can be held liable if negligence is established. The authorities are expected to carry out frequent inspection and maintenance, especially in areas of high foot traffic. Shops and occupiers of other similar public places are duty-bound to keep the premises safe for their customers. They are required to have staff locating and removing items customers might have spilled or dropped on the floor in order to prevent injury to other visitors.

If you should sustain injuries after taking a fall or slipping in another person’s home, you are entitled to compensation if it was the result of the occupier or proprietor’s negligence. It is the occupier’s responsibility to keep the house safe by picking dropped objects like toys off the floor and wiping off spilt liquids so that no one is hurt. Slips, trips and falls are also common in the workplace and liability in such cases rests with the employer.

When a slip trip fall claim is filed, the law takes into consideration whether the owner/caretaker of the premises where the accident occurred takes “reasonable” care of the property. Reasonableness here relates to a regular inspection and maintenance regime. The claimant will also be questioned about whether he/she was distracted at the time of the accident or was careless in any way that might have led to the slip, trip or fall. One is expected to watch where he/she is going. If there were warnings of hazards that went unheeded or if the claimant was careless, the claim will fail.

Legal Claim UK is a network of no win no fee accident compensation claims lawyers operating across the United Kingdom. When our personal injury specialists handle your claim, you get the damages in full if you win. At no point of the process are you required to pay. The legal fee is taken care of as part of the settlement/verdict in case of a win and you get the entire sum awarded as compensation. Our network includes experts on slip trip and fall claims. For more information on our services, visit www.legal-claim.co.uk. If you have been injured in an accident in the last three years that wasn’t your fault, you should contact Legal Claim UK.

In Focus: Construction Accident Lawyers

Accidents happen unexpectedly in our lives. They usually occur in our homes, in the office, in the streets, and in almost all places where we go. No matter how careful we are in what we do, these incidents are actually unavoidable especially when we overlook some necessary precautions for our safety. These accidents are really disturbing and destructive. Same is the case in construction accidents.

The effects of serious construction accidents are really hard to bear. And if you’ve been bothered by intense physical pain, emotional suffering, and huge amounts of financial responsibilities, you can be entitled to compensation due to what you’ve endured. However, it will be hard for you to determine the right amount that you deserve to receive just by yourself. You need somebody to help you get through this problem by winning your construction accident settlement. I am referring to a competent construction accident lawyer.

Construction accident attorneys know how it feels to be a victim of construction accidents. As legal specialists, they will only want to support you in going through your painful experience. In choosing one, you must look for a proficient and experienced lawyer who will be at your side all throughout the legal process. You have to consider the professional background of your lawyer and his geographic region. By doing so, you’ll be able to bring your legal concerns to a top professional who basically knows everything about this area of law.

In addition, you have to keep in mind that the law is very complex. Even though it exists to serve us and protect our rights, the legal process especially for construction accident cases can be truly threatening. And because of this fact, only skilled and knowledgeable personal injury lawyers must be with you every step of the way. With them, you will be able to discover every option to pursue strength and happiness. Nevertheless, you only deserve the best legal help possible from these lawyers.

Indeed, being injured in a construction accident is stressful. Basically, your construction accident lawyer knows and understands this fact, and your lawsuit will surely be treated with proper care and sensitivity. He will focus on identifying the best possible approach towards the success of your construction accident case. After all, your attorney only wants you to continue with your life peacefully after fully recovering from a construction accident.

Legal Debt Collection Tricks

If a customer owes your local business money, it's hard not to feel angry, like you want to do anything possible to get your money back. But the days of going all out to collect on a debt over.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, designed to protect consumers from harassment or intimidation, sets firm limits on what you can do to collect a debt from a consumer. The federal debt collections law even prohibits practices that were once standard, and that you might not consider harassment at all.

Besides, as a local business, you have an even more powerful reason to be especially careful about legal debt collection issues. You have something much more valuable at stake than a lawsuit: your business's reputation in the community.

Legal Debt Collection Best Practices:

There are plenty of articles on the web that lay out in plain English what the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act says you can and cannot do. Just to give you some idea of the law's requirements, here are some of the biggest:

- No telling any third party about the debt (except collection bureaus, collection agencies, or the debtor's attorney).

- No calling on the telephone 9 pm - 8 am, or calling repeatedly in a way that is annoying.

- No postcards or envelopes that mention the debt.

- No threats to take actions you cannot or will not really take, such as seizing property, in the case of an unsecured debt.

- No misrepresenting yourself (e.g., "Hi! This is the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. May I speak to John?").

- No paying down the debt with payments the customer has directed be applied to other debts

Tips and Tricks for Legal Debt Collections:

With all these limits on what you can do to collect a debt, what can you do legally?

- Speak with the debtor personally on the telephone

Have you been looking for the latest and accurate opinion in relation to fathers right

Have you been looking for the latest and accurate opinion in relation to fathers right When you're trying to find superior information relating to fathers rights legal help, you will find it hard sorting out quality information from ill-equiped fathers rights legal help suggestions and help so it is important to recognize how to judge the advice that is offered.

What follows next are a few tips that we think you should use when you're seeking information about fathers rights legal help. Bear in mind the guidance we give is only relevant to internet information about fathers rights legal help. We don't offer any advice or guidance for researching in 'real world' situations.

A great tip to follow when you are presented with help or advice concerning a fathers rights legal help article is to ascertain who owns the site. This may divulge who is behind the site fathers rights legal help integrity The fastest way to determine who owns the fathers rights legal help website is to look on the 'contact' page or 'about this site' information.

All highly regarded sites providing information about fathers rights legal help, will almost always provide an 'about' or 'contact' page which will list the site owner's details. The fine points should detail some specifications concerning the owner's requisite knowledge. You can then arrive at a decision about the vendor's education and practical knowledge, to advise people on the subject of fathers rights legal help.

Greed or Love?

Prenuptial agreements, might help you and your partner is a lot happier and Prepared For Marriage, because they allow us to learn about each other, make each other feel more comfortable about issues that are of concern, clarify money concerns, and talk about how we can make our marriage work. Writing the contract is a communication process. It is not an exercise in distrust. It is good estate planning. A prenuptial agreement is what it says; it's before the marriage, and it becomes in effect once you marry. On the other hand, once you're married you can still get a legal contract called a Post-Nuptial Agreement. It's very important to note that any time you Change Jurisdictions; you must verify that your legal documents are valid in the new state where you live. Our marriage is our responsibility. Roles Are Changing, situations are changing, and the traditional marital structure is not working, as evidenced by the 50% failure rate. But does saying, "Honey, I love you, sign here," contribute to a loving relationship? It forces you not to just talk over the issues, but to come to the realization and then agreement on how you want to handle your marital life, including issues of money. If, for example, one partner makes a great deal more money than the other, how are they going to feel as equal partners in decision-making? They can decide that they'll give, for example, equal percentages into the Marriage Bank Account and there are other is-sues, too - and all this can be written up in the prenuptial agreement. What happens if one person is the primary childcare provider and because of that cannot spend as much time on career advancement? How is that person going to feel during the 10 years when he/she is spending more time with the children than the other? Resentment can build. The Prenuptial Agreement can help you reflect those kinds of concerns.

Get to Know Your Lawyer

When you have been involved in any personal injury cases such as car accident, motorcycle accident, workplace accident, and many more, the best thing to do is to hire a personal injury lawyer to help you understand your legal rights and options. But before doing so, it is important to gather necessary lawyer information as soon as possible. You have to carefully choose the legal specialist that will assist you all throughout your personal injury case. After all, he is the key instrument towards a successful lawsuit.

Why is it important to get to know your possible lawyer quickly? Well, it is because of the fact that the laws on personal injury have the so-called “statute of limitations” which sets a time limit during which legal action must be taken. So even if you believe that you have lots of time to find the best lawyer, you have to take the appropriate action immediately to avoid losing your legal rights and win your lawsuit in just a short time.

Basically, you want to hire a personal injury lawyer who is really an expert in representing victims in lawsuits effectively and successfully. The most convenient way to locate a reputable attorney not only in your area but anywhere in your region is to look search online. There’s a lot of online referral services that can help you find the best possible personal injury lawyer. You can also ask for recommendations from your friends, workmates or other lawyers that can refer the lawyers that they trust.

When you’ve determined that you can already start finding a personal injury lawyer, you have to think if what kind of attorney you really need. Remember that there are lots of specializations in the field of law. And a specific attorney specializes only in one type of law. However, there are also some lawyers that handle a wide range of matters. With this, online referral services can give you a better and clear idea about the perfect lawyer to handle your personal injury case even before you set an appointment with him.

On your first meeting, you have to figure out if your compatibility with each other. Being comfortable with your lawyer is important so that everything will run smoothly as you go through the legal process. Also, you have to ask him some questions for you to get to know him better before deciding to commit your case to him. Knowing the professional background of your possible attorney can make you expect for good things to happen in your personal injury lawsuit.

Get a Prenuptial Agreement before Your Next Marriage

While signing a prenuptial agreement can be one of the all-time romantic turnoffs, for people heading into their second marriage, a prenuptial agreement can give the trade-off of a better relationship through the security of financial and life planning. A prenuptial agreement is a legal contract between two people about to marry, specifying how assets will be distributed in the event of divorce or death. A prenuptial agreement is a good idea, even if you aren’t rich or own a home. It saves future arguments and can even save you money. A prenuptial agreement requires that each partner prepare an inventory of assets owned before the marriage, and it allows you to establish your separate priorities about those assets. Even if you do nothing more than that in your prenuptial agreement, this gives children from a previous marriage a chance to have half of that property and establish what belonged to Mom or Dad before the second marriage, and it establishes what you're taking with you should you leave the marriage." Statistically, second or third marriages are more likely to result in divorce than first-time unions. Because of this, a prenuptial agreement is an especially wise idea.
• A prenup is important if one of you is wealthier than the other.
• If you have assets such as a house, stock or retirement funds, you should have a prenup.
• A prenuptial agreement is essential if you own part or all of a business.
• A prenup can discuss your wishes if you may be receiving an inheritance.
• If you have relatives who need to be taken care of, such as disabled children or elderly parents, a prenuptial agreement is very important.
• If you expect to receive a big increase in income because of a growing business, a prenuptial agreement can address this issue.
• A prenuptial agreement is essential if you have children and/or grandchildren from a previous marriage.
We recommend that each partner draw up a list of assets. Furthermore, for professional couples, prenuptial agreements can be the ultimate protection against all-too-common lawsuits or medical malpractice suits. You can't predict all of your life events, and prenuptial agreements are a means of keeping your own assets safe in the event of any financial problems that your spouse may experience.

Note that Legal Helpmate provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating Prenuptial Agreement (Premarital Contract).

Finding the Best Personal Injury Lawyers

If you've been injured in an accident, then you may be able to recover compensation. Remember that you must take legal advice from a quality personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Get legal help for your injuries by finding an injury lawyer that has experience in your claim area and is confident they can help you.

If you consider asking a personal injury lawyer for legal assistance, you must not be discouraged by the sudden mesh of advertisements of various law firms and independent personal injury lawyers everywhere. For your information, there is an easier way to find the best legal counsel for your personal injury case – learn how to find a lawyer through an online directory. By this, you’ll be able to save time, money and effort, and you’ll not be searching through databases of reliable, experienced and previously-screened attorneys in your geographic region.

In searching a personal injury attorney, you won't even have to pay him unless you win a settlement for your case. Upon using a good online lawyer directory, you’ll be able to know the particulars on your legal fees, your location will then be considered, and will then weigh highly in your list of responses. What’s truly important, however, is the history of your potential attorney in handling your type of case. Since the law can be complex and complicated, you must be sure that you’ll retain the best-trained personal injury lawyer possible.

In addition, you don’t only need a personal injury lawyer who excels in personal injury law. You also need someone who completely understands the jurisdiction of your region. Also, you must ask yourself this question before hiring a personal injury lawyer – Are you comfortable with that lawyer and are you confident in his abilities? If the answer is anything other than a resounding "yes," you must keep looking. Your case is too important to entrust to someone who does not inspire your confidence.

When you start looking for personal injury lawyers in your area, don't randomly pick names from advertisements that stretch the truth. Take advantage of matching services and ensure that your needs are going to be met. When you find the best possible resource for personal injury lawyers, you will have a greater chance of turning a bad situation into one that you can cope with. Take just a little time and try using one of these services. You’ll never know, you may not have to go any further to find the most competent counsel for your legal needs!

Filing a Law Suit for Personal Injury Victims

Did you suffer physical injuries and incurred hospital bills and other costs, that are the result of the negligence or fault of another person? Under the personal injury or tort law, you can file a lawsuit and charge the person for compensation. Indeed! So, what do you need to understand in filing for personal injury law suit?

Personal injury law is the branch of civil law referred to for a personal injury lawsuit. In personal injury law, the plaintiff is the victim of an alleged wrong or in the case of wrongful death, the loved one of the victim. The defendant is the one believed to be legally responsible for the injuries sustained. Generally, personal injury lawsuits are intended to provide compensation to the injured party and discourage the continuation or repetition of the behavior that caused the injury. Specific guidelines apply to personal injury lawsuits that may vary depending upon the state where the suit is brought and other circumstances.

To establish a successful personal injury lawsuit, liability and damages are needed elements. In proving liability, the plaintiff must establish that the person did bear legal responsibility for injuries. The extent ot the amount of injury or loss, referred to as damages incurred on account of the defendant’s action or negligence.

Three bases are referred to in determining the elements of liability and damages: intentional wrong, negligence and strict liability. Intentional wrong is when the defendant have known and/or planned the injury to be inflicted. This is least often used and on the situation this arises, can be brought in conjunction with criminal charges. Negligence means that the defendant is accused of causing the injury through a failure to prevent it. Slip and fall injuries, reckless/inattentive drivers who cause car accidents are circumstances that may be involved in a personal injury lawsuit based on negligence. Legal responsibility, like for example the making or release of defective or unsafe products are involved in lawsuits based on strict liability. As long as the product was being used as intended, the strict liability applies regardless or malice or negligence.

Most personal injury lawsuits are settled outside of court and even prior to the beginning of courtroom proceedings. Those that go to trial in court are either heard ny a judge or a jury to make a legal decision on the fault and extent of damages. In some cases, the judge determines the amount of money to be awarded to the plaintiff, in others, the jury makes the decision. A personal injury lawsuit may result in an award that numbers well into millions of dollars.

If you believed you are qualified to file for personal injury lawsuit, it is important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney immediately. Remember, that there is a limited amount of time given to file for a personal injury lawsuit – the statute of limitations that vary from state to state. Get help and consult what you’ll be needing to win your case.

FAMILY- FATHER AND MOTHER I LOVE YOU

One of the saddest and ugliest parts of divorce is the fight for child custody. Children are torn between parents. They experience mental and emotional stressed. They feel confused on which parent they are to go and live with. Before we go all mushy let us first define what child custody is. Child custody refers to the package of rights as well as responsibilities that a parent holds with respect to his or her child. Child custody covers a wide spectrum of concepts. The basic essence of child custody is to find the best interest of the child and not the individual interest of the parents. In some states they follow a general rule and that is for parents to have a continuing and frequent contact with the child.

There are different types of child custody and these are as follows: a) legal custody, wherein a parent with legal custody is allowed to make certain decisions regarding the health, welfare and education of his or her child, b) physical custody, is a legal fight for the actual or physical right to be with the child, c) sole legal custody, involves the awarding of sole legal custody to one parent thus giving the sole legal parent the right to decide on the child’s health, education and welfare, d) sole physical custody, is when one parent is awarded the sole physical custody of a child meaning the child will live or remain with him or her and the other parent is not given any right from having physical custody of the child especially when the other parent has been found out to abused and neglect the child, e) join legal custody, wherein both parents are given the right to participate in decision making regarding the health, education and welfare of their child, f) joint physical custody, is where both parents have the right to be with the child and also allows both parents to conduct a parenting plan in order to settle on the schedule of taking care of their child, and the last one is g) shared custody, is wherein both the parents have equal share when it comes to the legal as well as the physical custody of the child.

As you may have notice all the different types of custody involves custody and visitation. The factors as well as the circumstances taken in consideration by the court in determining whether a parent can have custody and visitation rights are basically the same. The child visitation refers to the time given to a non-custodial parent to be with the child. On the other hand, the custodial parent’s rights to be with the child are subject to the non-custodial parent’s right to visit the child.

Together with child custody is parenting plan. This plan refers to the agreement between the parents as well as the court order in which provisions for custody and visitation rights are defined. The parenting plan also determines whether each parent or both have the capacity to make decisions with regards to the health, education and welfare of their child. The plan also includes schedules in which the non-custodial parent can spend time with the child.

Examining the Legal Billing Rates

Every time you want to avail legal assistance, your finances are also one of your biggest considerations. I’m speaking here in terms of legal billing rates. These rates really vary based on the experience, prominence and prerogative of the lawyers. Lawyer fees differ. Now, the big question is – Are these fees reasonable for clients like you? Is it just enough for the lawyers?

An article entitled “Guide to Legal Services Billing Rates” says that most lawyers will tell you that the practice of law is a noble profession dedicated to the pursuit of truth and justice. But anyone looking to hire a lawyer must realize that practicing law is first of all a business. As a result, lawyers in private practice are going to charge what the market will bear in order to make a profit from their services. Understanding this and having a basic knowledge as to how lawyers’ charge for their services may help you to negotiate the best deal when you need to hire one.

I must say that all of the payment arrangements stated in the said article are not more than enough. I think, they are just enough to compensate for the time and effort a lawyer will spend in your case. These arrangements include hourly rates, flat fees, retainers and contingent fees. The lawyer has the opportunity to choose the payment plan that you’ll have. However, the client can still open up his views if he disagrees with the lawyers’ offer. It’s still up to them to decide about the final payment arrangements.

In addition, there are certain factors impacting lawyers’ fees such as advice, outcome, overhead, experience, time and effort, difficulty of case, prominence of lawyer, geographical location, and preferred client discount. All of these affect the choice that a lawyer makes regarding the payment arrangement that the client has to comply with.

Indeed, it’s important to understand how these fees are being treated under the different payment arrangements. The decision if what type of payment best suits your paying capabilities still depends on a good communication between you and your lawyer. It may be hard to compensate for this high-paying job but then it will be your reputation that’s at stake here.

Generally, it’s always better to fairly settle everything first – especially in terms of legal billing rates – before commencing any legal proceedings. Through this, you’ll certainly have a smooth-sailing relationship with your attorney towards the success of your case.

Email Laws That Could Bring You to Jail Even if You're Not Spamming

First things first, I'm not a legal expert and so this article DOES NOT represent any legal or professional information and nor can I guarantee its accuracy. I only wrote this article to introduce you to these email laws that might affect us, email marketers.

OK, so what're these email laws?

They're the Child Protection Registry laws that have been taken into effect in the State of Michigan and Utah.

These laws established "Do Not Email" registries into which individuals or institutions that primarily serve minors can enter minors' email addresses or any email address to which minors may have access. Institutions or entities that primarily serve minors can also register their entire domain names.

People are prohibited by these laws from sending email to the addresses that have been in the registries for 30 days or more if the email contains material or link to material that is illegal for minors. And it doesn't matter whether the email is solicited or unsolicited, you still can't send such email.

You might think that the materials must be something obvious such as pornography, gambling, alcohol, etc. Yes, but they're only part of the materials.

The other part consists of less obvious stuff, namely stuff that looks fine, but might be illegal for minors because minors are prohibited by law from viewing, receiving, participating, possessing, or purchasing this stuff. This includes automotive sales, financial services such as credit card, etc.

And according to the Institute for Spam and Internet Public Policy, these laws apply to almost all people in the United States and even those outside the United States who have a physical presence in the United States. (see http://www.isipp.com/child-protection-email-address-registries.php)

So, imagine you have some email addresses in your list that happen to be already in the "do not email" registry for 30 days, but you're not aware of them. And one day, you send an email that contains a link to a webpage that has some Adsense ads that advertise some automotive sales, guess what may happen to you?

Well, your action may be considered as a computer crime and you might face civil suit and fines or/and you might even face criminal suit and penalty.

So far, there are two things that you can do to prevent you from getting trouble with these laws.

First, make sure that you never send email that contains material or link to material which is illegal for minors. This is so obvious, right?

Second, if you think that you can't comply with the first option, then you can purge your list by matching it against the registries in a regular basis. But there are fees for this.

Don't panic about these laws. Instead, find more information about it. You can start learning more about these laws by visiting the references below:

- Michigan Children's Protection Registry site:
https://www.protectmichild.com

- Michigan Public Act No. 241:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2003-2004/publicact/htm/2004-PA-0241.htm

- Michigan Public Act No. 242:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2003-2004/publicact/htm/2004-PA-0242.htm

- Utah Code - Child Protection Registry:
http://www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE13/13_26.htm

- Michigan government's press release:
http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442_21974-121645--,00.html

Durable Power Of Attorney Or Living Will

A Living Will is a legal document addressing only deathbed considerations; a client unilaterally declares his/her desire that life-prolonging measures be discontinued when there is no hope of ultimate recovery.

On the other hand, people use a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care to appoint someone to make all healthcare decisions, limited by certain elections regarding deathbed issues.

The client must be at least 18 years old and mentally competent at the time he/she executes either document but incompetent to participate in the decision-making process when either is implemented. It is important to remember that both documents are only applicable if the client is incompetent.

Under the a Living Will, a client declares that if he/she is certified to have an incurable, terminal injury/illness and/or to be permanently unconscious by two examining physicians (including the client's attending physician), that artificial life-support systems be withheld or disconnected. The client may also elect to discontinue artificial nutrition and hydration (intravenous feeding) by so designating on the form. (Find more information at: legalhelper.net/living-will.aspx)

Under the Health Care Power of Attorney, the client makes three separate and independent elections authorizing the agent:

1. To direct disconnection of artificial life-support systems in the event of terminal illness;

2. To direct disconnection of artificial life-support systems in the event of irreversible coma; and

3. To direct discontinuation of artificial nutrition and hydration.

In addition, the Health Care Power of Attorney form provides a space for the client to set forth any specific medical, religious or other desires concerning his/her health care. The client may also use this section as a backup source for organ donation. (Find more information at: legalhelper.net/power-of-attorney.aspx)

Both documents are signed in front of two witnesses and a notary public or a justice of the peace who acknowledges the client's signature. The witnesses to a Living Will are sworn by the notary public/justice of the peace and indicate that the client is at least 18 years of age and signed the instrument as a free and voluntary act.

The Living Will witnesses may not be the client's spouse, attending physician, heirs-at-law or person with claims against the client's estate.

The Health Care Power of Attorney witnesses may not be the designated agent, the client, spouse or heir or person entitled to any portion of the client's estate upon death under Will, Trust or operation of law.

People are frequently confused as to why both a Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney are necessary or appropriate. The Living Will is helpful as a backup document: In the event that the client enters an irreversible coma and the health care agents designated in the Health Care Power of Attorney are deceased or unloadable, the Living Will sets forth the desires of the client concerning his/her death-bed treatment which may be followed by attending physicians. The law provides that to the extent that a Durable Power of Attorney conflicts with a Living Will, the Health Care Power of Attorney controls. Copies of both the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and the Living Will are forwarded to the client's primary care physician for inclusion in medical records.

Both documents are revocable through normal revocation procedures.

Note that LegalHelper.net provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed legal documents for any occasions.

Divorce Online Sevice. Why Should We Lose Money And Time Applying For Divorce?

Attempts to use the worldwide Web as an effective means of struggle against bureaucracy are undertaken constantly and sometimes successfully. Today it is possible to fill in a tax declaration, apply for bankruptcy or to receive a legal consultation. And lately there are sites offering online divorce services.

It is usually easier to marry than to divorce, especially if the spouses who wish to do so must divide their common property as well.

Divorce is extremely difficult business in rich families. For wealthy Americans in this case, it is accepted that the former husband or wife may pay rather large sums of money for the divorce process. It is not enough that the divorce in itself involves strong emotional stress, so they also pay an extra thousand on top of the $10-20,000 to lawyers to carry out this occupation, and sometimes it is even more.

Why should we lose the money and time applying for divorce, if there is the cheap and fast alternative - divorce online. You find the site, take your mouse, you press on the button - and you are a divorced person. With a minimum of formalities, as in Las Vegas, for the conclusion of a failed marriage appears the divorce.

To terminate a marriage on site, a couple wanting to apply for divorce need only a credit card and a computer with access to the Internet. The divorce case was finished within 30 minutes and cost $199.

People who hate discussing and relaying specific instances in dialogues with lawyers use the services of the site. In the virtual world of divorce, the couple that does not require court, after inputting all necessary data for divorce, merely prints the forms, signs them, and sends them to the judge. That is all.

The high cost of lawyers has not forced people to refuse divorce. The deep reasons for divorce lie in the emotional - sensual sphere. The most painful and unpleasant situation is dialogue with a third party hired to engage in and bear your personal problems in general divorce discussion.

The founder and head of a company like Legalhelper.org that supplies online documents for divorce disagrees with the opinion of opponents that cheap divorce can minimize the importance of divorce. It is true that the divorce will cost them only $199 but this will not push the majority of people to end less-considered marriages faster and more often. Similarly, the high cost of lawyers has not forced people to refuse divorce. The deep reasons for divorce lie in the emotional - sensual sphere. The most painful and unpleasant situation is dialogue with a third party hired to engage in and bear your personal problems in general discussion.

Note that Legalhelper.net provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed legal forms from its site for your uncontested divorce (either no-fault divorce or fault divorce).

Divorce Online in Minutes

Legal Helpmate provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed legal forms from our site for your uncontested divorce (either no-fault divorce or fault divorce). Legal Helpmate provides a simple online divorce service for making your divorce process less expensive and stressful for you. It’s easy. You simply answer some basic questions that produce the proper legal documents necessary for your uncontested divorce. The divorce papers are tailored to reflect your income, your assets, your children, and the divorce law of your state. You receive these completed, ready-to-print legal documents of divorce online together with simple instructions on how and where to file for divorce. Our online divorce service always gives you the exact legal documents needed to obtain your uncontested divorce (either no-fault divorce or fault divorce) in your state. The turn-around time for receiving each completed legal document online may be immediately or it may be within 15 minutes, depending upon the divorce law of your state. Why should we lose the money and time applying for divorce, if there is the cheap and fast alternative - divorce online? You find the site, take your mouse, you press on the button - and you are a divorced person. With a minimum of formalities. In the virtual world of divorce, the couple that does not require court, after inputting all necessary data for divorce, merely prints the forms, signs them, and sends them to the judge. And that’s it. A Company like Legalhelpmate.com that supplies online documents for divorce disagrees with the opinion of opponents that cheap divorce can minimize the importance of divorce. The fact is, it just makes a bad situation better.

Discrimination in the Workplace

In today’s age of globalization, workplace discrimination is strictly forbidden by the laws of almost every state. However, there are still several companies that discriminate their employees or usually their applicants because of their race, religion or sexual preference. Remember that it is improper and unlawful for an employer to evaluate or fire an employee based on an illegal issue. And in order to protect the rights of all employees, there are legislations and measures that can help them if they’re experiencing discrimination.

Proving discrimination in the workplace can be a challenging task. You must gather evidences that you actually experienced discrimination from your employer for unacceptable reasons. When you’ve gathered some proofs on your case, finding a lawyer in your area is the next thing to do. Basically, a legal specialist can help you evaluate your situation is you are eligible for a civil lawsuit.

On the part of the employer, you have to be aware of the anti-workplace discrimination laws in your state so that you know how to answer all the accusations of your employee when involved in such situation. It might also be necessary for you to consult an attorney so that you’ll understand if you are really at fault and if how you’re going to answer your employee. Always make sure that you know how to justify the legitimacy of your decision to fire your employee by gathering valid facts, too.

Regardless if you are the accused or the accuser, you’ll probably need the assistance of a legal expert to represent you. I know that most of us go to our respective jobs for the foremost reason of earning a living to make our lives better without actually knowing what anti-discrimination law is all about. This only implies that it is important to give this law even a single thought so that when we are trapped in the same situation, we know what legal actions to take.

Therefore, if you think that you, your friend, or your loved ones have been treated unfairly in the workplace, gather relevant facts first and then don’t think twice to file a lawsuit against the employer. Take note that anti-discrimination laws exist to help these powerless employees when oppressed. You have to make sure that your voce will be heard by seeking legal advice from a legal specialist and knowing what you’re entitled for. This will surely start a bright future for you and your family.

Defending Your Relationship

A power of attorney is a legal document that allows you to dictate who you would like to make decisions on your behalf. While there are many useful purposes for a power of attorney, they are especially important to unmarried couples, which live together, when a partner becomes incapacitated and unable to make decisions. In such situations, the law usually designates the incapacitated person's next of kin as the decision maker. With a power of attorney, unmarried couples can give their partners the power to make such decisions.

Powers of attorney can be as general or specific as you decide. You can give your partner the power to make decisions on your behalf at any time or only when you become incapacitated. You can also dictate what types of decisions you are authorizing your agent to make. A health care power of attorney (also referred to as a durable power of attorney for health care, medical power of attorney, health care proxy and appointment of health care agent of surrogate) would authorize your partner (or other agent) to make decisions about your medical treatment and dictate who you would like to be able to visit you while receiving medical treatment.

By executing a power of attorney for finances (also referred to as a durable power of attorney for finances) you could dictate whom you want to make decisions about your legal and financial matters. You can be very specific about what actions you are authorizing your partner (or other agent) to make, including which accounts he or she has access to and the types of decisions he or she can make.

Note that LegalHelper (http://www.legalhelper.net) provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed power of attorney for any occasions.

Contested And Uncontested Divorce

A divorce case is contested if the parties cannot agree on every one of the issues involved in their particular situation. Common areas of disagreement include, but are not limited to: grounds for divorce, custody of the children, visitation rights, division of the assets of the marriage, child support, maintenance (alimony), payment of family debts, contribution toward educational expenses (college or parochial), payment of health insurance for the dependent spouse, income tax structuring, etc

When a divorce case is filed, it is given an identification number and is deemed by the court to be a matter that will ultimately require trial time in order to resolve all issues. Divorce cases are generally called for trial in the order in which they were filed.

A divorce case remains a "Contested Divorce" until each and every item is resolved. If, however, at any time during that period of the divorce case, the parties and their attorneys can reach an agreement on all of the issues, they can then stipulate to the court to have the matters heard as an "Uncontested Divorce" (no fault divorce) matter. When this occurs, the court will accommodate the parties to the marriage and provide an expedited Hearing in which it will hear proof regarding the grounds of the divorce and the settlement of the divorce. If the standards of the court and the law are met, the court will approve the settlement and enter a divorce Judgment on that day or shortly thereafter.

Remember that, it is usually easier to marry than to divorce, especially if the spouses who wish to do so must divide their common property as well.

Attempts to use the worldwide Web as an effective means of struggle against bureaucracy are undertaken constantly and sometimes successfully. Today it is possible to fill legal forms for divorce by divorce online legal services.

Note that Legalhelper.net (http://www.legalhelper.net/divorce.aspx) provides an easy-to-use, quick, and economical online method for creating completed legal forms from its site for your uncontested divorce (either no-fault divorce or fault divorce).

Getting a Car Accident Lawyer

According to research, a car accident is the leading cause of deaths among people aged six to 29 in the United States. And figures continue to increase every year not only in the U.S. but also in almost all countries in the world. So, if you or your loved ones have been involved in a car accident, it will be of great help to you if you’ll ask legal assistance from a car accident lawyer. Through a legal specialist, you will be able to understand your legal right and options towards a successful lawsuit.

For your information, car accidents are being governed by wrongful death statutes that vary in different states. Therefore, when you decide to hire a legal specialist for your case, you have to know if the lawyer id particular with the state law where the car accident has occurred. If you still don’t know, a wrongful death refers to an untimely death of a person dude to the negligence of another person – in this case, due to a car accident. This situation entitles the dependents or beneficiaries of the deceased to financial damages.

A car accident lawyer specializes in auto-related injuries and realizes how each accident falls within the wrongful death law of a certain state. You will certainly want to avail the services of such attorney when you are in search of truth and justice, and when you are entitled to a just compensation for the financial losses, physical injuries, and emotional pain that you have gone through.

The good news when you finally decide to hire a legal specialist in your car accident case is that you can find one easily and conveniently. You can either ask for recommendations from your friends, workmates or other lawyers that you’ve worked with in the past. Remember that lawyers usually recommend cases to other lawyers they trust. Also, when you log on to the Internet, you can easily find lots of online referral services that can suggest a qualified attorney. The last one is actually the most convenient way to locate a car accident lawyer in your area.

Indeed, when a car accident takes the life of a loved one, emotional suffering is the most difficult feeling to contain. And maybe a wrongful death claim can lessen, even in a small way, the feeling of anger and hatred inside of you. You have to know that filing a lawsuit can really be hard on your part because you have to establish reliable evidences to prove your claim. Finally, you also have to be patient enough as the legal proceedings take place. After all, in patience, there is success.

Choosing an injury attorney

The legal profession has a rich history rooted in the English justice system. Over the years, the terminology has become modified and the meanings have been muddled.

A lesson on the courtroom

Court rooms were made up of three sections. The first section was reserved for the legal bench where the judge sat. The third section was reserved for the common folk who came to observe the proceedings. In the middle section was where people with familiarity of the law could stand. They would be separate from the commoners and could address the judge. These three sections were separated by two rails, known as "bars," from which we get the terminology of a barrister or that a lawyer is called to the bar.

For most people, the subtle differences in names of those in the legal profession do not matter, but is important to note that a barrister was originally not an attorney, although many people will refer to them as that today.

And the other guys

Aside from barristers, historically the other legal professional was a solicitor. The solicitor is the one who was an attorney. Barristers could represent a client in court but attorneys could appear in the place of a client.

Add to that the words "lawyer," "counsel," and "legal adviser," and you get a mishmash of terms that has come to mean a legal professional.

If you find yourself in legal trouble or are involved in a lawsuit, you'll probably not care where the term attorney came from. However, it is interesting to note the roots of our system that stemmed from tradition.

You will probably find lawyers, barristers, solicitors, and attorneys in the yellow pages all under the term “lawyer.”

It's not surprising that such confusing titles and jargon comes out of the legal system!!!

Boating Accident Lawyers Know Best

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a boating accident, you need an individual who basically understands what you’re going through especially when you are considering to file a lawsuit against the person who is at fault of the incident. I am referring here to a boating accident lawyer who knows the legal implications of your trial and who will be your greatest support along the process.

Basically, you need an experienced and competent boating accident lawyer to back you up in your case. Who would want a lousy lawyer? No one. And so, if you’re in this situation, you’ll want an attorney who has all the important set of skills and a winning professional background. What you’re going through isn’t easy so you really need somebody to support you, aside from your family and friends, in the persona of your boating accident attorney. He’ll be the one to evaluate your possibility of having a case and the amount of compensation that you deserve.

There are lots of boating accident lawyers who can be found wither online or locally. You can ask your friends and co-workers for recommendations. Also, have a lawyer recommend a boating accident attorney whom he knows too. Remember that a lawyer only recommends lawyers whom they trust and whom they believe in. You can also try online referral services where previously-screened lawyers will be matched to your lawyer requirements. This is the most efficient way to locate a proficient legal specialist.

Boating accidents bring pain and suffering to its victims especially to those people who have lost their loved ones from such incidents. Therefore, it is really important to have outstanding legal care to depend on so that you can recover faster. And as expected, your lawyer will guide you all throughout the legal process and towards a successful lawsuit. In addition, an experienced lawyer will always prioritize your case above anything else.

When a boating accident lawyer has already been practicing this area of law for quite some time, you can expect him to become a better establisher of truth and justice. He can already view every angle of the situation and say what legal actions to be given consideration. And as a victim, you also need to be knowledgeable and confident on your lawyer that your case will soon end up successfully. This is indeed a benefit on the part of the victims of the accident as you work together in your case.

A Divorce Glossary

Divorce lawyers and law firms can provide a great deal of divorce information and divorce advice; but sometimes, all that legal jargon can be confusing to say the least, not to mention intimidating. Getting a good, low cost divorce settlement requires planning and research.

So, why not start here? We have provided you with a good glossary of legal terms related to the process of getting a divorce:

Alimony
A regular support payment by one divorced spouse to the other

Annulment
A court declaration stating that a legal marriage never existed

Arbitration
Having a disputed matter settled by a third party who is not a judge.

Attachment
A court-ordered seizure of a debtor’s property.

Attorney at Law
A state-licensed advocate who is hired to prepare, manage and try a case in court.

Alternative Dispute Resolution
A process of negotiation, mediation and arbitration, in lieu of a trial, as a way to resolve issues pertaining to a judgment of divorce.

Case Information Statement (CIS)
A financial document specifying the details of your respective incomes, expenses, assets, and debts.

Child Support
Money paid by one ex-spouse to another toward their child’s expenses.

Common Law Marriage
A marriage without a license or ceremony in which the couple cohabitated for a minimum number of years (varies from state to state).

Default
Failure to do something (such as make a payment) on time.

Discovery
The legal procedures used to gather all the facts necessary to settle a case or to prepare the case for trial.

Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)
The legal separation of a married couple so that each one may be free to marry again.

Equitable Distribution
A fair division of the assets acquired during your marriage.

Inventory and Appraisement
A list of jointly-owned property along with the current value of each one.

Joint Legal Custody
An agreement in which a divorced couple share the rights and responsibilities of making major decisions about their child’s life.

Joint Physical Custody
The shared right to have a child live with one or the other parent at different times of the week or year.

Judgement of Divorce
A legal document following a settlement or trial that grants a divorce and states the court’s decisions with regard to alimony, support, custody, visitation rights, and equitable distribution.

Maintenance
Alimony or child support payments

Marital Settlement Agreement
An out-of-court agreement that resolves all issues surrounding a divorce.

Mediation
A process by which a dispute is resolved and an agreement between two parties is reached with the assistance of a disinterested third party known as a mediator.

Non-Marital Property
Property that belongs exclusively to either the husband or the wife and, as such, cannot be divided between the two.

No-Fault Divorce
A divorce granted with the mutual agreement of two spouses, or when one spouse has left the marriage for a certain period of time (varies by state).

Rehabilitative Alimony
Alimony that helps the ex-spouse to become self-reliant.

Separation
The absence of one spouse from the household before a divorce.

Separation Agreement
A temporary agreement with regard to support, child custody and property for the period between the onset of separation and the granting of a divorce.

Spouse
A husband or wife

Support
Payment due to one spouse from the other regarding housing, food, clothing, and other expenses.

Transfer
To switch legal ownership from one person to another.

Verification Statement
An oath declaring that the information stated in a document is true.

Visitation
The right for a non-custodial parent to visit his or her child.