6 Must-Have Tools for New Law Students

It takes great courage and dedication to pursue a law degree. The legal system is complex and for those who aspire to practice law, the bar is set pretty high (pun intended). According to Bar passage data published by the American Bar Association, in 2019, about 70% of people passed the exam on the first try. While it’s a hard exam, it’s not impossible to pass.

Whether you’re just starting law school or you’re settling into your first position after passing the Bar, you need access to the right information and tools. The following tools will help you stay organized, continue learning, and make it easier to research case law.

  1. Excel training courses

Knowing how to use Excel is critical for staying organized and making your life easier. For instance, you can use a standard calculator to calculate your recurring expenses, but it’s easier to program Excel to do the math. When you program an Excel sheet to track your daily, monthly, or yearly expenses, any cost adjustments automatically recalculate your total expenses.

Learning how to use Excel functions, formulas, and shortcuts from ExcelTraining.com will save you time, money, and eliminate frustration. Excel should be on your radar, especially if you plan on managing billing for a law firm.

Once you know how to use Excel functions and formulas, it’s easy to create detailed Excel spreadsheets for managing clients. You can program a spreadsheet to calculate the total number of hours worked and total expenses incurred by each client.

You can also use Excel to track what you discuss in your free consultations and interactions with clients.

  1. Casemine

Studying law requires learning how the law has been applied historically. However, reading through entire casefiles is time-consuming and sometimes impossible. Serious law students need to learn from past cases, but it’s unrealistic for anyone to spend entire days and weeks reading through and interpreting one casefile. That’s where Casemine can help.

Casemine is a legal research platform that uses powerful AI algorithms to find connections between case laws. These connections include links to other relevant cases that can provide further clarity around case law.

The Casemine algorithm makes suggestions for additional relevant keywords and landmark case laws to explore. The Casemine platform doesn’t rely solely on keywords, but rather, interprets the context of documents and search queries, which supports in-depth case law research.

There are other online case law databases, but Casemine has stronger AI algorithms and provides a more thorough connection to other relevant cases. For example, using the visualization interface, you can see connections between case laws, including nuances and patterns not visible from traditional research processes.

  1. Automated billing software

If you’re running your own practice and want a hands-off approach to billing, you need automated software. Many law firms use Practice Panther because it syncs with QuickBooks Online, and clients can pay directly from the invoice. It’s cloud-based so that you can manage your finances from anywhere in the world.

Part of creating a successful practice involves getting clients to pay on time. In this context, little conveniences make the most significant difference. For example, when clients can pay directly from their invoice, you’re more likely to get that payment on time.

  1. Google Scholar

When you need to find journal publications, Google Scholar is an incredibly useful tool. Search for any topic, and you’ll get massive results to look through. While many law students rely on Westlaw, Google Scholar has articles you can’t find on Westlaw.

  1. Cite This For Me

Getting marked down in law school for referencing errors is frustrating yet avoidable. It’s hard to break the habit of making casual references to your sources; however, it’s a habit that doesn’t work in law school.

Cite This For Me makes it simple and easy to create proper citations for various citation styles, including Harvard, APA, AMA, OSCOLA, and MLA.

This useful citation tool even comes with a Chrome extension that allows you to cite your sources as you search.

  1. Westlaw

Westlaw is a comprehensive legal encyclopedia revered by law students and practicing lawyers. This powerful research tool can be used for endless purposes. When you need to answer a client’s question, a little research using Westlaw will give you accurate information fast.

Once you start practicing law, using the Westlaw database will help you create a stronger litigation strategy.

Most universities provide free access to Westlaw, but if you’ve already graduated, you can sign up for an individual access plan.

Tools are only as powerful as your commitment

These tools can help you become successful throughout your career practicing law. However, tools alone don’t bring success. Success requires a combination of powerful tools, commitment to the outcome, and the dedication to persevere.

 

 

 

 

5 Things You Need To Ask Your Bankruptcy Lawyer in San Diego

When you begin the proceedings to get a bankruptcy filing, then you are going to have to hire a bankruptcy lawyer San Diego, and you will need to be certain that all your questions are answered. Many times, it’s simple for the attorney to start from the legal proceedings and forget to describe everything for you. Bankruptcies are definitely not simple, and they are able to be procedures which are confusing and stressful.

Where Can You Find Bankruptcy Lawyers in San Diego?

There are several ways you can find a bankruptcy lawyer:

Asking Friends and Associates: You can get recommendations from your friends and family who have been through a bankruptcy and can get information from them.

Law Sites: You can go online and look for bankruptcy attorneys on law sites such as Justia list lawyers, Yelp lawyers San Diego, and other popular law sites.

For you started and to allow you to feel a little less overwhelmed, Here are a few of the questions that you need to ask your San Diego bankruptcy lawyer:

Can I File for Bankruptcy?

A bankruptcy attorney will let you know if you need to file for bankruptcy. If all your property and income will be exempt from garnishment or execution, bankruptcy might not be your very best alternative. A bankruptcy lawyer will let you know if that’s how it is.

What Kind of Bankruptcy Should I File?

There are various kinds of bankruptcies and that one is going to work for you may depend on your bankruptcy problem. A lot of people don’t understand that, and they think they can simply get their debts wiped away. This isn’t the situation, and you’ll want to be certain to understand exactly what will be submitted long before you begin the bankruptcy proceedings. In this manner, you won’t be surprised by this procedure.

How Long Will The Bankruptcy Process Last?

Naturally, there are lots of things which may impact this. You’ll have to receive all the paperwork filled out. The court dates will need to be put. The creditors will need to be contacted. Overall, there’s no set time frame that the procedure will require. But, an experienced bankruptcy attorney will understand the court systems there and will be able to assess the situation. Then, they should be able to better give you an idea of what time length the process will take.

What Will Your Fees Be?

Different attorneys cost different amounts of money. For instance, it may be dependent on the time period that the lawyer might need to spend working on the situation. From time to time, it may depend on how hard or convoluted your particular situation is.

How to Prevent Denial Of Discharge?

As well as advising you about what money you will legally spend, a great bankruptcy lawyer can help you know what you might not do before filing for bankruptcy, like moving money or property for family or friends, or incurring new debt in anticipation of submitting.

Most bankruptcy lawyers use specialized bankruptcy applications that place the request in the right format, makes certain the necessary information is filled in, and cross-references amounts between the programs.

Conclusion

There are lots of questions you will have to inquire about when you hire a bankruptcy attorney in San Diego. If you’re going through the event and you’ve got whatever you find confusing, then make sure you ask about it with the help of San Diego lawyers. In case you’ve selected a quality bankruptcy lawyer in San Diego, then they’ll be glad to answer any questions which you might have.

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Colorado?

Colorado has specific rules about who can file a wrongful death lawsuit in the state, covered in this article. For additional questions, please contact a wrongful death lawyer in Colorado for more information.

Wrongful Death Claims in Colorado

In this state, a wrongful death lawsuit is a civil action that tries to establish that a person or entity is liable for someone’s death. To do this, the plaintiff must show that negligence, recklessness, or intentional behavior caused the death.

Many personal injury cases, including slip and fall cases, car accidents, and medical malpractice, can be the reason to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

In essence, a wrongful death action is a personal injury lawsuit where the injured party is deceased. However, another party can take the place of the dead and pursue the legal claim.

Who May File

Colorado statutes state who can file a wrongful death lawsuit. Particular time limits apply to each person who wants to file suit in court. In this state, the deceased’s surviving husband or wife is the only one who can file the claim in the initial year after the person’s death. After the death, the surviving husband or wife and surviving children may file a wrongful death claim during year two.

If the person who died had no surviving husband, wife, or children, the person’s mother or father could file the claim.

Additionally, the state’s representative can file the claim to recover some types of losses incurred by the estate. This is called a survival action.

Damages in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

In most cases, the jury determines monetary damages in a wrongful death lawsuit, but a judge may perform this duty in some cases. The damages awarded in the legal action depend on case particulars. Generally, Coloradans can seek the following, following injuries:

  • Income, wages, commissions, and other compensation the person would have earned if they had survived.
  • Lost benefits, such as 401(k) and life insurance.
  • Loss of care, comfort, companionship, protection, and affection

Also, the representative of the estate can seek the following damages suffered by the estate:

  • Hospital, medical, and emergency care costs related to the person’s illness or injury, and
  • Funeral costs.

In a few cases, families may seek punitive damages. These damages are awarded to punish the person whose reckless behavior led to the death. Punitive damages also discourage other people from engaging in similar reckless behavior.

Note that a wrongful death lawsuit is a civil action and differs from a criminal case. The federal or state prosecutor files the criminal case, and punishments include jail or prison time, fines, probation, etc.

The punishment in a wrongful death lawsuit is monetary only. A criminal case and wrongful death can be filed simultaneously. If the criminal case results in an innocent verdict, the wrongful death case still may find the accused liable for the death.

Time Limits to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

In Colorado, the plaintiff must file a wrongful death lawsuit within 24 months (2 years) of the person’s death date. This deadline is referred to as the statute of limitations.

The time available to file this civil action is further limited by filing during certain parts of those 24 months.

For example, during year one, the person’s parents or children cannot file the claim if the spouse is still living. Only the husband or wife of the deceased can file during that year.

During year two, the husband or wife can file, but the surviving children can file. If no one else has survived, parents can file the lawsuit at any time.

Check out for more great insights and free case evaluation from an expert personal injury lawyer: https://www.servetheinjured.com/new-jersey-slip-fall-lawyer/

 

 

 

 

 

Role of litigation attorneys in a civil case

The filing of a civil case must be a complex one, and it consumes more time without a litigation attorney. So when you hire a litigation attorney, he will be responsible for your civil suit from filing the civil case to winning the case because they are experts in the field of civil laws and orders. Hiring a Civil attorney will enhance your chances of winning.

Starting a Civil Suit

Once you have hired a litigation lawyer, the first step taken by him is the initial investigation of your dispute to review your case to make sure there are enough evidence and documentation present with you to support your suit. It consumes more time, and the investigation should be thorough and difficult, then only he will be able to understand your specific situation.

If your attorney has more confidence in your evidence and documentation, he or she will take charge to enter the pleadings to the proper courts which include some charges on drafting summons and suit for your case. The complaint and summons is the initial proclamation stated by the plaintiff, which will be sent to the defendant. On the other side, the defendant has to reply to the statements by drafting a counter-claim against the plaintiff.

When the process of filing pleadings is over, your attorney moves into the next step called the discovery process, which is the most time-consuming process of all stages. In this stage, your attorney will collect and analyze the evidence which may be physical, a declaration statement from a witness. To strengthen the statement of the witness, your attorney will interview with him as a judge and also a defence attorney which includes interrogatories and depositions. Interrogatories are used for documentation processes, and depositions are considered as evidence when the witness is unable to present at a hearing.

Represent Clients in the Pre-Trial and Trial Phases

In the pre-trial phase, the expert witnesses are retained by the attorney to present the needed information for the suit in an unbiased manner. In this time, the court decides whether the case is heard by a Trial-by-Jury or to hold a Bench Trial. If the first case is decided, the attorneys from both plaintiff and defendant sides will interview jurors in an attempt to make a fair jury panel. Suppose, if both parties are interested in the bench trial, they give up their right to hearing the case by jury. In a bench trial, the judge will take the decision in the civil lawsuit.

The representatives from both parties pitch their statements in a brief manner about their dispute. Then, the litigation attorneys from the plaintiff side presented their arguments and followed by the defence attorney present their arguments to the jury or judge. Next, the evidence will be presented, and the witnesses are examined in the court on behalf of both parties. Finally, the representatives from both sides will present their closing statements.

Collect Awarded Damages

When the judge or jury announces the judgement, if it rules in favour of the plaintiff, the defendant must follow it. Else the plaintiff should impose the court order. For that, the litigation lawyers file a writ of execution for their client’s need. The writ of execution is a court order which forces the monetary judgement against the defendant. To satisfy the plaintiff opinion on judgement, it may include a takeover of the defendant’s property ordered by the judge where it will be then sold at sheriff’s sale. The other ways to satisfy monetary judgement are bank account and wage garnishments.

This article is issued by a SEO Company in Chennai to educate people in Civil suits.

 

Understanding the Different Attorney Types

While all lawyers go to law school, not all lawyers are qualified to take your case. For example, the attorney who handles your divorce or child’s adoption isn’t qualified to handle your lawsuit against a drunk driver. Let’s look at the different categories of law that attorneys practice.

Criminal Law

Criminal law typically involves a crime of some sort. It could range from a traffic ticket to murder charges. However, it always stems from a purported violation of laws or regulations. The success rate of criminal justice attorneys is a key factor in selecting them, because people are desperately trying to avoid going to prison or paying hefty fines.

Personal Injury Law

Personal injury law involves a personal injury of some sort. Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean you were hurt. The damages in personal injury cases can include medical bills or simply the Emergency Room bill and ambulance fee though you were told your child was fine. It also includes property damages, lost wages, and expenses you wouldn’t have incurred if the injury had not occurred. On the other hand, personal injury cases may arise due medical mistakes, neglect or oversight. For example, you can file a claim against a medical facility or medical professional for failing to do their job properly, whether or not they corrected their mistake. (Malpractice law is a form of personal injury law.)

Work with personal injury specialists like those at Baumgartner law firm if you are dealing with a personal injury case.

Family Law

Family law includes everything related to one’s family. It includes prenuptial agreements and divorces. It includes adoption, emancipation of minors and child custody disputes. It you need to lower your child support payments or alter your visitation agreement, you need a family lawyer.

Bankruptcy Law

Bankruptcy lawyers typically only handle bankruptcies. This could be liquidation bankruptcies or debt repayment plans. They may also help you negotiate settlements with your creditors outside of bankruptcy.

Estate Planning Law

Estate planning law can include drafting wills and power of attorney documents. It also includes creating and managing trusts. Estate planners may work with tax attorneys to determine the best overall plan for minimizing inheritance taxes while passing on a business or property to heirs.

Business Law

This broad category includes employment law and corporate disputes. For example, a business may sue a contractor for failing to do their job properly. And they may try to mediate disputes on what a clause of a contract really requires of each party. Intellectual property often falls under this category, whether you’re licensing the right for a company to mass produce your invention or fighting them over copying your product despite your existing patent covering it.

Tax law can be considered a type of business law. However, it is sometimes treated as a separate legal category. While the most famous cases involve the IRS, you can end up challenging audits from city, county and state tax authorities, as well.

Worker’s Compensation

Worker’s compensation is generally considered its own legal specialization, though it is sometimes a department in a personal injury law firm. Worker’s compensation covers injuries, illnesses and deaths caused by workplace events.

Immigration Law

Whether it is an illegal alien trying to gain legal residency or someone on a student visa trying to secure an H1B visa, they require the services of an immigration lawyer. Immigration law sometimes overlaps with family law, such as when you’re adopting a child from overseas or trying to bring a foreign bride into this country.

How To Lose Your Driver’s License In Colorado

Losing your driver’s license in Colorado is much easier than you might think. It’s not at all uncommon to get a letter in the mail informing you that your driver’s license has been suspended or restrained without any idea how it happened. There are more than sixty-five ways to lose your driver’s license in Colorado due to traffic tickets, and it can happen even if you are paying tickets right away. If you’ve been racking up tickets and points, it’s important to call an experienced Boulder driver’s license attorney or Boulder traffic lawyer as soon as possible to avoid losing your license.

The First Step To Losing Your Colorado Driver’s License Is Usually Suspension

Your license can be suspended for simply for getting too many points on your license during a period of time, even if you pay the tickets immediately. Who would have known? If you’re convicted for not having liability insurance, you’re usually required to obtain special, and expensive, SR-22 insurance that contains a rider where the insurance company guarantees that the policy will remain in effect for a certain amount of time. Failing to obtain the insurance, or cancelling it, can result in suspension. Your license can also be suspended for failing to provide proof of insurance, failing to comply with child support or simply ignoring tickets. Suspensions are by their nature temporary and steps can be taken to have your license reinstated.

How a Boulder Driver’s License Attorney Can Help You

In order to reinstate your license, the proper protocol must be strictly followed. The first step is to determine your eligibility date which will be based on the underlying cause for your suspension. Some types of reinstatements are more straightforward than others. For example, if your license was suspended for failing to pay child support, getting it up to date and an administrative fee is all that is required. The process is similar for unpaid tickets. Points suspensions will usually require the completion of a suspension period as well as proof of liability insurance. The best way to ensure that your license is reinstated promptly is to work with an experienced Boulder driver’s license attorney.

How Has COVID-19 Impacted Personal Injury Suits?

Personal injury lawsuits are a major part of the average court’s docket, but with COVID-19 still threatening communities around the country, it’s been hard to keep up with the litigation schedule – and the problem isn’t just with the courts. Rather, in addition to court system delays, victims have to contend with law firms closing their doors, aggression on the part of insurance agencies, and barriers to post-injury medical care. It’s a challenging situation and it’s forcing lawyers to rethink how they handle their cases, with interesting results.

Going Virtual

One of the biggest changes to litigation in the age of COVID-19 is the shift from in-person interactions. That includes virtual consultations with lawyers, telehealth appointments, and even entirely virtual courtroom experiences. This can be off-putting to some victims, who may think that it’s better to delay their claim until it can be handled in person, but any lawyer familiar with the system will emphasize that you can’t afford to delay. Delays can compromise the case and make it harder to tie your injuries to the accident that caused them.

You Need A Network

Because normal services – not just legal, but medical and administrative – have been so significantly disrupted by COVID-19, one of the most valuable things accident victims can do is work within a network of service providers. That’s why the Baum Law Firm provides clients with medical referrals to ensure they have access to the care they need in a timely manner, and that they receive it from doctors with experience handling personal injury cases. At a time when systems are lagging behind so significantly, working within a network of service providers can ease communication and keep your case on track.

Predatory Proceedings

Personal injury claims can take quite a while to resolve under normal conditions, and that’s stressful for victims. Factor in the extended timelines created by COVID-related delays and victims can become panicked. This may be one of the hardest things for personal injury lawyers right now – extending empathy to clients and reassuring them that their case remains a priority. The degree of delay right now can cause victims to panic and accept predatory settlements, but appropriate client management on the part of lawyers can minimize the likelihood of this happening.

Court In A Time Of Crisis

Navigating personal injury claims requires that all the right pieces be in place – medical care, legal support, insurance coverage, and much more. As with the problem of case delays, managing all of these moving parts is hard under the best circumstances, but it’s much harder when clients may be out of work and struggling to pay their bills; at that point, their court cases cease to be a priority. Instead, they need to focus on day to day survival. The fact that personal injury lawyers typically operate on a contingent basis can help, but if a client is struggling to pay for their health insurance or rent, it may not be enough.

It’s unlikely that courts, especially in major cities, will resume normal operation in the near future, and when they do, they’ll be facing a serious backlog of cases, as well as an influx of COVID-related litigation. These delays will make personal injury lawyers’ jobs harder and leave clients in limbo for months, at a minimum. Law firms need to prepare for this reality because, when it comes to personal injury cases, delays aren’t just about time – they’re a sign of a system in crisis.

 

Why Empathy Still Matters in Legal Practices

Lawyers are increasingly turning to technological solutions to improve productivity and results, and the job itself requires a technical precision that is in some ways completely divorced from human emotion; there can be no emotion manipulating your stance when interpreting the law.

However, empathy is still vital for success in most legal practices. Empathy is the capacity to connect with and understand the emotions of another person. In this context, it usually refers to empathy with your clients, but may also refer to empathy with opposing counsel, judges, or potential jurors. In any case, with sufficiently high emotional intelligence, you can incorporate more empathy into your practice and ultimately see better results.

But why does it matter in the first place?

Creating Comfort for Clients

First, expressing empathy allows you to create a comfortable environment for your clients. When speaking with them one on one, you’ll be able to understand what they’re going through, and communicate with them in a way that makes sense to them. This has a number of positive effects, both for the individual case and for your practice overall.

For starters, your communication will greatly improve. Clients who trust you will be far more likely to open up; they’ll tell you more important details about their case and their circumstances, and will be more likely to ask questions if they don’t understand something. Also, because you understand what they’re thinking and feeling, you’ll be able to frame your explanations in a way that makes more sense to them. For example, if you’re practicing family law, navigating a child custody battle or a heated divorce, you’ll be able to gather more details about your client’s marriage, and you’ll be able to better inform them of their options moving forward.

Additionally, practicing empathy helps you establish a team environment. You and your client are collaborators, working on a common goal. If you’re able to relate to them and understand their frame of mind, you’ll be better capable of helping them achieve their goals.

Comfort for clients is also good for your reputation and your future. Even if you don’t win the case or see favorable results, your client will remember how well you treated them—and how comfortable they were with you. They’ll be far more likely to refer you to a friend or family member in the future, which is very important for growing practices.

Preparing for Opposition

Empathy also allows you to proactively prepare for potential opposition. There are many forces that could be working against you, depending on what type of law you’re practicing and the nature of the case. For example, if you’re defending someone being accused of a criminal act, you’ll face a prosecutor who’s going to see your client in a negative light and relentlessly attack them. If you’re fighting a custody battle, you’ll have another parent and another lawyer to contend with.

Obviously, preparing a defense is part of your job, whether or not you want to practice empathy. But empathy can make this responsibility easier—and can help you get better results. Empathy allows you to tap into the thoughts and feelings of other people, so you can anticipate and defend against them—or in some cases, exploit them as weaknesses. What is the other side thinking and feeling? What would they be willing to sacrifice to achieve their goals? What do they want to hear right now? With sufficient preparation here, you’ll be a better negotiator, and you’ll make a better argument in front of a judge and/or jury.

Improving Empathy

With this philosophy, you can improve your practice by improving your own empathy. But to many of us, empathy is unintentional; it’s a byproduct of our understanding of others. Fortunately, there are several tactics you can use to improve your own ability to practice empathy:

  • Put emotions into words. First, spend more time putting emotions into words—including your own. It will help you think about feelings in a more concrete, understandable way.
  • Consider the feelings and circumstances of others. Throughout daily life, ask yourself how other people might be feeling—and why they might be feeling that way.
  • Mirror facial expressions and body language. When talking to other people, go out of your way to mirror their facial expressions and body language. This will help you innately feel what they feel, to a degree.
  • Challenge your own biases and worldviews. Think carefully about the factors that may limit you from comprehending the circumstances of others.

No matter how naturally empathetic you are to start, you can improve your emotional intelligence and provide better services for your clients. The more time and energy you spend on these efforts, the more you’ll be rewarded.

Why Hire Felicetti After a Car Accident

Cаr ассіdеntѕ оftеn lеаd tо ѕеrіоuѕ іnjurіеѕ. Mаjоrіtу оf car ассіdеntѕ are caused bу carelessness аnd unrulіnеѕѕ оf drіvеrѕ. Some may аlѕо оссur duе tо іntоxісаtіоn оr drug-іnfluеnсеd ореrаtіоn оf саrѕ. Poorly dеѕіgnеd rоаdѕ аnd inappropriate trаffіс ѕіgnаlѕ соmbіnеd wіth dеfесtіvе vеhісlеѕ or tіrеѕ mау also саuѕе accidents. In оrdеr tо соmреnѕаtе fоr damages іnсurrеd, сhаrgіng a lаwѕuіt аgаіnѕt the nеglіgеnt driver may bе required. Similarly in thе саѕе оf аn ассіdеnt a реrѕоn mау аlѕо be rеԛuіrеd tо dеfеnd himself against a lаwѕuіt. Judicial рrосееdіngѕ regarding thе ѕаmе tеnd to bе еxtrеmеlу соmрlісаtеd аnd lеngthу. As such, enlisting thе ѕеrvісеѕ of a lawyer such as Felicetti рrоvеѕ to be іmроrtаnt. Lаwѕ rеlаtіng to саr accidents tеnd tо be vаrіеd аnd соmрlеx.

Lawyers dealing еxсluѕіvеlу іn car ассіdеntѕ hаvе a grеаt deal оf knоwlеdgе about thе vаrіоuѕ lеgаl аѕресtѕ, whісh affect a саѕе оf саr accident. They аrе fаmіlіаr wіth the рrосееdіngѕ аnd rеԛuіrеmеntѕ, which nееd tо bе fоllоwеd whіlе charging оr dеfеndіng a lаwѕuіt. A lоt оf рареrwоrk аnd fоrmаlіtіеѕ are required to bе completed. Thеѕе may relate to fіllіng uр of іmроrtаnt forms, dеаlіng wіth insurance companies аnd vаrіоuѕ judісіаl machineries.

It іѕ a соmmоn misconception thаt thе ѕеrvісеѕ оf all lаwуеrѕ dealing іn саr accidents are expensive. Thіѕ is not true. A lawyer оf gооd rерutаtіоn will not сhаrgе fоr аn іnіtіаl соnѕultаtіоn. So, іn саѕе the реtіtіоnеr has questions аbоut іnjurіеѕ ѕuѕtаіnеd durіng аn accident and further рrосеdurеѕ tо be followed, іt is аdvіѕаblе tо call a lawyer. Bеѕіdеѕ, іt іѕ оbѕеrvеd thаt mоѕt lаwуеrѕ now work оn соntіngеnсу fee basis, whісh mеаnѕ that thе lаwуеr gets раіd оnlу if thе реtіtіоnеr gеtѕ соmреnѕаtеd. A good саr ассіdеnt lаwуеr іѕ gеnеrаllу expected tо inform the сlіеnt with thе likely costs аnd fees оf a lаwѕuіt, аѕ well аѕ thе chances fоr ѕuссеѕѕ. A реrѕоn оught tо be аwаrе оf thе рrоbаblе costs аnd еxресtеd оutсоmе оf thе саѕе. Aссоrdіnglу, a реtіtіоnеr ѕhоuld рlаn hіѕ budget tо оbtаіn орtіmum services оf a lаwуеr. Infоrmаtіоn rеgаrdіng thе services оf car ассіdеnt lawyers can bе оbtаіnеd thrоugh thе yellow раgеѕ оr thе Intеrnеt. Cоnduсtіng a bіt of research аnd соmраrіng prices can hеlр a реrѕоn еnlіѕt thе ѕеrvісеѕ of аn аffоrdаblе саr accident lаwуеr.

5 Things To Do When Someone Dies

When someone close to you dies, it can be overwhelming and confusing. If you are in charge of making arrangements and notifying other family members of the passing, your life can be thrown into chaos as you handle funeral arrangements, public notifications, and sorting personal possessions. Then you must deal with the demands of everyone that loved the deceased. To help you through the challenging time, here are five things to do after someone dies.

1. Notification

There is no proper way to let family and friends know about the death, but all relatives should be told. You can call the children and ask them to let their individual family members know, or you can send out a mass email or phone alert notifying everyone on your list of the sad event. Be sure to ask each recipient of your message to pass the information on to their family members and the deceased’s friends.

2. Legality

You will need a legal document pronouncing the death of your loved one before you can notify anyone to whom the deceased owed money. A doctor, hospital staff, or hospice nurse can fill out the legal forms you will need before you can order the death certificate you required for notification most companies require.

3. Attorney

Contact the deceased’s New York probate attorney about the passing. This will allow the lawyer to gather necessary documents and prepare for the reading of the will, identification of trusts, and passing of estate issues. The attorney can also begin working on estate or probate taxes.

4. Funeral

The wishes of your loved one pertaining to the disposition of his or her body may take some time. Being an organ donor, asking for cremation, or having a plot at a local cemetery is information best found in the will. Check before you make burial arrangements to make sure the wishes stated in recent months are the same those as listed in the legally binding will.

5. Property

Make sure all personal property of the deceased is secure, including automobiles, homes, and recreational vehicles. If the deceased rented the property, notify the landlord and police that the apartment or house may be vacant for a few weeks, and ask them to keep an eye on the area if possible.

These are only a few of the many tasks associated with making arrangements for the dispersal of property and personal goods of someone that dies. Ask a family member to help you with the numerous tasks to get through them all quickly.

 

Beyond Texting: The Importance Of Avoiding Distracted Driving

What constitutes distracted driving? To many people, the phrase conjures up images of drivers texting behind the wheel, or perhaps trying to dial their phone to make a call. Beyond that, though, most assume that as long as your eyes are on the road and your hands on the wheel, you’re doing what you need to do – but the reality isn’t that simple.

To protect yourself and others when behind the wheel, it’s important to address all elements of distracted driving, which goes far beyond your physical stance. By paying attention to these three different modes of distraction, you can prevent car accidents and model appropriate behavior when on the road.

Visual Distraction

One of the three core types of distraction that contribute to car accidents is visual distraction, those actions that draw our eyes away from the road, and many things we do behind the wheel contribute to this kind of distraction. For example, if a child is clamoring for something in the backseat, a parent might briefly turn around to fetch a dropped item, or you might glance away to change the radio station.

It might seem harmless – how much could really change about road conditions in those few seconds? In reality, though, visual distraction can be deadly. In the United States, 9 people die each day because of the actions of distracted drivers.

Manual Distraction

The second major type of distraction implicated in distracted driving is manual distraction, and it often goes hand-in-hand with visual distraction. When you text and drive, for example, you’re not only looking at a screen (visual distraction), but taking your hands away from the wheel (manual distraction). A particularly reckless behavior, teens are particularly prone to texting and driving; 3,000 teens die every year while doing so, compared to 2,700 drunk driving deaths. Luckily, texting and driving laws do seem to have been somewhat effective at curbing this dangerous behavior.

In addition to texting and driving, other common forms of manual distraction behind the wheel include eating, applying makeup, making phone calls, and fiddling with GPS. During the past several years, many applications – specifically GPS programs – have implemented tools to keep people from using the programs while the vehicle is in motion. Often, it’s just an extra step like confirming that you’re the passenger, not the driver, but it’s a little bit of reinforcement that still helps.


Cognitive Distraction

Finally, the third type of distraction that can make our roads more dangerous is cognitive distraction. To drivers, this may be the least noticeable because it doesn’t necessarily involve physical behavior. For example, most people don’t think that replaying that fight they had in their head while driving is a form of distracted driving, but really it’s a type of cognitive distraction – it takes your mental attention away from the road.

Using hands-free devices, such as a voice-controlled, mounted cell phone, is also a type of cognitive distraction. Rather than focusing on road conditions, you’re focused on operating your device (often glitchy in voice control modes) and conveying your message. It may seem like a minor allocation of your overall attention, but that’s all it takes to make you a more dangerous driver.

Driving – whether you’re on quiet local roads or a major highway – demands all of your attention, and any time your attention goes elsewhere, you’re putting yourself and everyone around you in danger. Remember, you can’t control what anyone else does on the road, but you can control your own actions, emphasizing attentive, defensive driving so that you’re ready for anything.

Mortgage Laws That Help Protect Homeowners

The process of purchasing a house is one of the most important steps you will make throughout your lifetime.  The numbers you’ll see on the paperwork will be large, and it’s important to fully understand what’s going on throughout.

Fortunately, there are federal laws in place which protect the rights of borrowers.  The contracts involved in the swap of such a large sum of money should be something you understand.  Take a moment to read up a bit on some mortgage laws that help protect homeowners as they embark upon the purchase of a lifetime.

Truth in the lending process

The federal government makes provisions for buyers in the way of transparency.  Lenders are legally required to provide you with your annual interest rate, the amount financed, how many payments you’re responsible for paying, and what the total cost of the loan will be in the end.

The Consumer Credit Protection Act, passed in 1968, also grants homebuyers the chance to back out of their loan within three days of finalizing the paperwork.  The Truth in Lending Act requires that lenders produce truthful advertisements for loans as well.

Equal Credit Opportunity Act

It’s wise to know what lies ahead when you go to get a home loan approval letter.  Don’t allow lenders to push you around and set forth unrealistic stipulations.  Dig into what the Equal Credit Opportunity Act offers homebuyers.

ECOA is the law that provides protection against discrimination.  Your prospective lender is not legally allowed to deny you the funds based on your race, color, sex, religion, national origin, or age.  Don’t ever follow through with a loan application that asks questions that are not truly relevant to your situation.

Fair Housing Act

The Fair Housing Act provides legal protection for homebuyers by stating that lenders can’t decide to change the stipulations of your contract on a whim.  For instance, your bank can’t say you have to pay 10 percent interest just because you are African American.

Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act was put into place on new year’s day of 2010.  RESPA provides legal protection throughout the process of buying a home.

More specifically, RESPA means that lenders have to fully disclose closing costs prior to the actual signing.  This, in turn, keeps lenders from hiking up closing costs at the last minute.

New Homeowners Protection Act

The Homeowners Protection Act was created to protect homeowners from excess interest on their loan.  After paying on your loan faithfully for a while, you can qualify for the cancellation of PMI.  You must first pay down the loan to 80 percent at a minimum to start looking for this benefit.