lawyers And Atorney



             


Thursday, May 1, 2008

Houston DWI Lawyers

Houston is said to be the most vibrant and bustling city in Texas. Being the second-biggest city in the US, it is known to be a major financial and commercial hub. As the largest city in Texas, it is a hot spot where accidents often take place. And driving while intoxicated is a major crime. According to statistics, almost 11,000 people get arrested each year for drinking and driving. Driving While Intoxicated is known as a serious crime and you can be severely punished for this.

In recent years there have been many amendments in the Texas laws regarding driving while intoxicated. Thus, Houston?s DWI lawyers have had more business. If you have been arrested for driving while intoxicated, then you must hire the best lawyer possible in order to safeguard your rights and avoid severe punishments. According to Houston?s laws, if you are arrested for DWI then you can face potential jail time or permanent license suspension. So in order to avoid this situation, you have to hire the services of a good DWI lawyer. It has been seen that lawyers dealing in these cases are generally clever enough to move the judgment in your favor so that you don?t have to pay heavy compensation. It is always advisable to contact a lawyer skilled in DWI cases so that he can guide you properly.

Houston?s DWI lawyers are said to be very smart, as they tend to move the judgment in your favor by cross-questioning the policeman himself. It is wise to delve the information about the lawyer?s capability in handling these cases, as the lawyer should be active and alert in order to catch the loopholes in the opposition party?s argument. He must be smart enough to ask few clever questions, like did the arresting officer made the arrest properly, were you properly advised and informed about your rights, and was the equipment used to check your intoxication level functioning properly. All these questions not only strengthen your case but also give you an advantage. By seeing the drastic increase in the arrests for driving while intoxicated, the lawyers have worked harder, to help to set you free.

So, god forbids and sometime you land yourself in this situation where you are arrested for driving while intoxicated then don?t forget to contact Houston?s best DWI Lawyer for more reformed and positive judgment that too in your favor.

Houston Lawyers provides detailed information on Houston Bankruptcy Lawyers, Houston Criminal Lawyers, Houston Divorce Lawyers, Houston DWI Lawyers and more. Houston Lawyers is affliated with Houston DWI Arrests

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Monday, March 31, 2008

Louisiana Divorce Lawyers

A divorce suit is perhaps the commonest of court cases. Social service institutions offering good Samaritan advice and legal knowledge, as well as do-it-yourself legal resources have proliferated in unprecedented numbers all around the country. Still, disputes and situations leading to divorce are sometimes so unique that standard interpretations of law cannot explain them and therefore, new laws and new rulings are coming up. Since the ?do it yourself? plans cannot match the unique situations, hiring a divorce lawyer becomes unavoidable.

This becomes all the more inevitable in Louisiana where the laws are different from other states. Here the rulings of the judges in the similar cases cannot influence the rulings and judgments in other courts, as happens in other states of the US. In Louisiana, the legislature frames the laws and the judges have to study them and interpret them in every new and extraordinary divorce case. Your efforts to do it yourself may result in a frustrating loss of time and effort. A good way out, therefore, would be to engage a Louisiana Divorce Lawyer.

The best course in selecting your lawyer is to contact the friends and referrals of a few lawyers and interview them to select the best one. When interviewing a lawyer, you should ask him about the length of his experience, the number of cases of your type he has handled, his membership in a recognized lawyers? body, and of course his references. There should be absolutely no hesitation is asking such questions. After all, you are not only paying him your hard-earned money, but your case is at stake. Besides, you can also ask him about the procedure or the process of the lawsuit, and how long the case will take.

Louisiana Lawyers provides detailed information on Louisiana lawyers, Louisiana probate lawyers, Louisiana real estate lawyers, Louisiana divorce lawyers and more. Louisiana Lawyers is affliated with Massachusetts Divorce Lawyers

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Saturday, March 29, 2008

Florida Car Accident Lawyers

The sunshine and warm temperatures of Florida attract millions of visitors each year. This is one factor that adds to the number of car accidents in the state -- the tourists? lack of familiarity with the roads can cause accidents. However, tourists in Florida do not cause most car accidents. Excessive speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are the two main causes of accidents.

Every driver is responsible for taking actions to prevent a car accident. Negligence resulting in a car accident in Florida represents grounds for a lawsuit. Depending on the degree of negligence, it could involve the state Attorney General's office.

Florida Lawyers are knowledgeable about the law regarding car accidents in the state and will work to prepare the case efficiently. Even though it is difficult to avoid responsibility in a Florida car accident, the lawyer will leave no stone unturned to get all the facts surrounding the case. It also has to be proved that the plaintiff has suffered damages, either personal injury or property damage. In addition, a Florida car accident lawyer will look for compensation for such things as mental anguish and inconvenience. Other aspects of the case that a lawyer will look into are facts regarding the mental state of the defendant during the accident.

The state of Florida requires that motor vehicles have a kind of no-fault insurance coverage called Personal Injury Protection (PIP). All registered and licensed vehicles in Florida are required to carry this insurance.

PIP is an insurance protection that pays the driver and occupants of any vehicle for any kind of personal injury caused by a driver who does not have insurance. This means that participants in an accident have protection if any other person does not have insurance. It is important to seek attorney help because Florida attorneys who specialize in car accident cases commonly know such information.


Florida Car Accident Lawyers provides detailed information on Car Accident Lawyers, Florida Car Accident Lawyers, Illinois Car Accident Lawyers, Texas Car Accident Lawyer and more. Florida Car Accident Lawyers is affiliated with Aviation Accident Lawyers

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Truth About Lawyers

During the matter of my divorce (that's lawyer talk - it's always the matter of this and the matter of that), I spent about $30,000 on three different attorneys in an extremely frustrating effort just to be able to see my own children. As each lawyer failed to obtain one single worthwhile benefit for me, I fired them and hired another one. I couldn't help but notice that I was never allowed to speak directly to the judge and I felt that these people were not saying what I wanted them to say as well as I could. So in the end I fired them all and decided to represent myself in court In Pro Per (as my own attorney). It was then that I learned the most important lesson of all:

The Name of the Game in court is: DON'T PISS OFF THE JUDGE!

The hard truth of the matter is that attorneys have to work with the judges and with the other attorneys every day. A client is just a client and when the case is over, it's over and they need to get on with the next one. It's really all about careers and about relationships, and the attorneys' daily business relationships are with other attorneys. They have ethical guidelines which compel them to show respect even if they don't like each other. But when it comes to the judges it's not a matter of like or dislike. The judges are little gods and the reality is that they have huge case loads which just get larger no matter what they do, and the attorneys understand that the way to help the judges is to move the cases through court as quickly as possible. Help a judge do that and you're on their good side. Take too long with one particular client and you're not. DON'T PISS OFF THE JUDGE or the judge will find a way to take it out on you and you will not like it when that happens. One particular judge actually said to me "I don't get angry, I get even". Attorneys don't have to be told that, they know it. They understand that a career can be lost by alienating a judge and that relationships can be jeopardized by alienating their peers. The vast majority of attorneys will not risk their careers or jeopardize their professional relationships for any one particular client.

So does anybody really need an attorney? The law actually implies that we don't because we are given the right to represent ourselves in court if we choose to. Does anybody really want you to know this? Definitely not, because if everybody represented themselves, how would all the law school graduates make a living? But here's the big problem. When you think you need an attorney, it's almost always because you've gotten into some kind of serious trouble and you think that the stakes are too high if you lose. It's kind of like needing a new roof. Nobody even thinks about their roof until it's too late and the thing is leaking uncontrollably. And it's only then that they find out how incredibly expensive a new roof is, and how impossible it is to educate yourself properly on the subject in order to know how to spend all that money and not get ripped off. Similarly, until you're in serious trouble, you probably don't even think about having to choose an attorney. And now the stakes are much higher than when you need a new roof because with the roof, the great danger is spending a lot of money and not getting what you paid for. With your legal difficulty, it could be about having to go to JAIL, not to mention spending a lot of money on an attorney and then having to go to jail. So when you're in that situation, the conventional wisdom is unanimous - get the best attorney you can afford.

So you bust your budget and make your selection. You sit there in court and watch the attorney do his/her job. How are you supposed to be able to know whether the best possible job is being done for you? There's no way to know because you don't understand the game that's being played out. After all is said and done, the judge calls both attorneys into chambers and the goal of the meeting is to find a compromise solution that will move the case out of court. The attorneys do their thing and then they come back into court and tell you, "This is the best possible deal you're going to get. Trust me. If you don't take this deal, you're going to make the judge angry and you will never get this deal again." What can you do? Nothing. You just lost. But if you ever make the decision to represent yourself in court, you'd better understand how to behave properly or you will really piss off the judge. Here are the basics of good courtroom behavior:

1. Don't digress. Make your points quickly, logically, and in logical order.
2. Always look the judge directly in the eyes when talking.
3. Forget your ego and just grovel. Say "your Honor", "with all due respect", "forgive my ignorance" and things like that.
4. Dress well. Notice that the attorneys all wear suits. Now why do you think they do that? Because they all own stock in Brooks Brothers?
5. When you do get your chance to go back into chambers, follow rules 1 through 4 again.

If you can master these basics, you will find that an amazing thing happens. The judge will be entertained by you simply because what you're doing is very rare and it's not what they have to sit through every day. If you're good and stick to the basics, the judge will bend over backwards to assist you. Of course, there is the matter of knowing the law and proper court procedure. It's possible to lose a case just by missing a trick and being beat to the punch by your opposing attorney on a simple point of order. So . . . do you need an attorney? Probably you do, but maybe you don't. I didn't.

As Sally Struthers said in All in The Family: "Case Closed !"

Peter Cross is a Web Master who has represented himself in court In Propria Persona many times. You can find this article at: The Truth About Lawyers and his home page at: Rock and Roll with an Immortal Soul

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Monday, March 24, 2008

When The Feds Come Knocking: What Business Lawyers Need To Know About Criminal Law

But I?m a business lawyer. I don?t deal with criminals.

That doesn?t mean criminal matters won?t crop up in your practice. Maybe your client will be the target of the investigation, or only a witness, but odds are that you will encounter a criminal investigation.

Even upstanding and ?law abiding? companies can become targets of criminal investigations because of the expansive doctrine of respondeat superior. Corporations can be criminally liable for the acts of their agents and even their most junior employees so long as the acts were committed in the course and scope of employment, and were intended to benefit the corporation. Since the corporation is the deep pocket, the corporation may be targeted, along with culpable employees.

There has been a steady trend toward criminalizing conduct that used to be addressed primarily through administrative or civil remedies. Prosecutors now target certain health care and environmental cases for criminal prosecution when, in the past, these same cases would have been addressed through recoupments of overpayments or administrative fines and penalties. The broad reach of federal criminal statutes renders almost any wrongful conduct a potential crime.

There has also been a trend toward coordinating the full range of government enforcement tools ? criminal prosecution, civil suits and administrative sanctions ? through parallel or sequential investigations

How Is a Criminal Matter Likely to Come Up?

White collar matters may come up in a number of way. A client may seek advice about misconduct of an employee. A civil suit may allege criminal conduct through RICO, False Claims Act, or other fraud allegations. Evidence of white collar offenses may also come up during discovery.

Your client might also become a target, subject or witness in government investigation. In federal investigations a target is the focus of the government?s investigation, a subject is one that might become a target, and a witness is one the government believes may have information relevant to the investigation, but is not a target or subject. It is important to determine which category the client fits into as quickly as possible, and also to recognize that the status can change from one category to another.

Most white collar crime investigations begin in secret. The investigation may be triggered by a Qui Tam complaint alleging a violation of the state or federal False Claims Act. These complaints are filed under seal. Or the investigation may be triggered by an agency referral or a report from a complaining victim. During the covert stage of the investigation, the government may attempt to use undercover techniques such as consensual monitoring of conversations to elicit incriminating admissions. The government will use this period to develop probable cause to obtain a search warrant.

There are many telltale signs an investigation may be going on, from non routine focused audits, to agent interviews of current or former employees. It is common for agents to drop in on employees at home in the evening to avoid alerting the company. Confirmation that an investigation is in progress comes when the government issues subpoenas or executes a search warrant.

In a white collar case, a subpoena will likely be issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of a particular department, or by the grand jury. Production of documents may also be compelled through an Authorized Investigative Demand (AID) which may be issued by the U.S. Attorney?s office.

A grand jury subpoena may compel the production of documents and testimony. As indicated above, since grand jury proceedings are subject to strict secrecy rules, criminal prosecutors sometimes use OIG subpoenas or AID?s so the information may be shared with those investigating civil allegations.

Issuance of a subpoena does not necessarily indicate the government has solid evidence of criminal conduct. A search warrant, on the other hand, can only issue if the government convinces a magistrate that it has probable cause that evidence or instrumentalities of a crime will be found. A subpoena is often issued to non target third parties while a search warrant is generally used to obtain evidence from targets of the criminal investigation.

How Should I Respond?

Carefully. Responding inappropriately not only could prejudice your client, but could land you in jail. Federal obstruction of justice statutes are broad and lying to a federal agent is a crime whether or not the statement was given under oath (just ask Martha Stewart!).

Corporations face severe sanctions if found guilty of criminal offenses. In additional to the criminal fines and penalties faced by a company, civil and administrative consequences are onerous. For example; an entity that committed Medicare fraud could be liable for treble damages under the False Claims Act plus civil monetary penalties of up to $11,000 for each claim submitted. Companies are probably most fearful of the ?death penalty,? that is, exclusion or debarment from government programs, which is a possible and sometimes mandatory consequence of a criminal conviction or adverse civil or administrative determination.

Individuals face lengthy incarceration as well as dire financial consequences. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, white collar criminals rarely escape some period of incarceration. Also, prosecutors routinely use money laundering charges to enable them to forfeit property belonging to the defendant.

Search Warrants

Suppose a client calls frantically and tells you federal agents (with guns!) are at the door with a search warrant. What do you advise?

If the agents have a search warrant, they have a right to enter the property and search the locations described in the warrant. This first step, then, is to obtain a copy of the warrant to determine its scope and to identify the assistant U.S. attorney who approved it. An attempt should also he made to get a business card from the agents executing the search. At this stage the affidavit which sets forth the evidence establishing probable cause will generally not be available.

The most critical advice to a client whose premises are being searched is not to interfere with the agents conducting the search. If agents perceive that someone is interfering with them, they will not hesitate to arrest the person for obstruction of justice. At the same time, it is helpful if the client can monitor what the agents are doing and keep a record of what they are seizing. The client should make efforts to advise agents of privileged or other sensitive material that may require special handling or documents or equipment that is essential for maintaining the operation of the business.

While searching, agents will attempt to interview employees. Whether an employee wishes to submit to an interview is a personal decision. Under no circumstances should the client advise an employee not to talk to law enforcement agents since that could be considered obstruction of justice. On the other hand, it is permissible to explain to employees their right to refuse to speak to the agents if they decide not to and that they can request that counsel be present. Since this is a sensitive area, the best practice is to have knowledgeable counsel provide advice to employees regarding these matters.

Subpoenas

A grand jury subpoena may call for the production of documents or the testimony of the witness, or both. Subpoenas for documents can be very broad. A document subpoena will be upheld so long as it seeks documents which may be relevant to the investigation and production does not result in an undue burden on the recipient. Consequently, motions to challenge a grand jury subpoena rarely succeed. However, the prosecutor is often willing to negotiate limitations on the scope of the subpoena, or will agree to a ?rolling? production.

When your client gets a subpoena, it is important to quickly identify the client?s status in the investigation. Is the person or entity a witness, subject or target of the investigation? If an individual has potential exposure to criminal prosecution, he or she may refuse to testify without a grant of immunity. Federal law provides for ?use? immunity. If a person is granted ?use? immunity, the prosecutor may not use the testimony of the witness, or any evidence derived from the testimony, in a prosecution of that individual. Immunity can be formal or informal. With formal immunity, the prosecutor seeks an order from the district court to compel an individual to testify. For informal grants of immunity, the prosecutor agrees not to use statements or testimony of a witness under certain conditions.

Before granting immunity, the prosecutor will want to know what the witness has to say. This can be accomplished through a proffer or what is known as ?Queen for a Day? immunity. Under this procedure, the government reserves its decision to grant full immunity until it has had an opportunity to interview the witness, but agrees that it will not use the statements made during that debriefing session if it decides not to grant immunity.

A corporation has no 5th amendment right to refuse to incriminate itself. Consequently, a corporation must generally turn over documents in response to a subpoena. A corporation, however, may assert an attorney client privilege as to documents to which the privilege attaches.

Agents will usually attempt to interview witnesses when they serve the subpoena. Some agents have been known to tell the witness that he or she won?t have to attend the grand jury session if they agree to be interviewed. Your client should be aware that they do not need to speak to the agent, and if they choose to, they should tell the truth. Making false statements to federal agents, even if not under oath, is a felony offense.

Representation Issues

When the white collar investigation involves a business entity, a variety of representation issues arise. Separate counsel may be necessary to represent the interests of the entity and its employees, officers and agents. The employer may be required to indemnify its employees, officers and agents for legal fees incurred during the investigation.

When a company gets wind that the government is conducting an investigation, it will often conduct its own internal investigation. To the extent that investigation is done under the auspices of counsel, it may be protected by the attorney client privilege. Counsel for the company and counsel for individuals involved in the investigations may enter into joint defense agreements to facilitate sharing information without having to disclose it to the government. While the results of an internal investigation may be privileged, the government may require the company to waive the privilege and turn over its report of investigation as a condition of any settlement.

Difficult Tactical Choices

Because most white collar investigations now involve parallel proceedings, clients are often faced with a ?Hobson?s Choice? in deciding how to proceed. For example, if the client attempts to assert his or her 5th Amendment privilege in a related civil case, an adverse inference may be drawn. On the other hand, testifying in the civil proceeding may waive the 5th Amendment protection and the testimony will be admissible in the criminal case. Sometimes these dilemmas can be minimized by obtaining a stay of the civil matter pending resolution of the criminal investigation.

Another difficult tactical decision is whether to voluntarily disclose evidence of criminal conduct to the government. In some circumstances disclosure is mandatory. Most often, though, there is no legal duty to report but the pros and cons of voluntary disclosure must be carefully weighed.

What to Do?

Since the stakes are high, government investigations should always be taken seriously. Business lawyers should be alert to the first signs of a criminal investigation and be prepared to advise their clients, or refer them for advice, about the many risks involved and the difficult decisions that need to be made.


Geoffrey Goodman is a former federal and state prosecutor who specializes in defending companies and individuals against the government in criminal and regulatory investigations and prosecutions. He also conducts internal investigations and handles matters in both federal and state court. http://murphyaustin.com

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Article Marketing for Lawyers

What is article marketing? Article marketing is a clever method of promoting a product or service through the use of articles. You simply write articles relating to your expertise. After you've created an article, you share your article with the world. Content is a valuable commodity on the Internet. If you provide good content, your article will likely be picked up for use in blogs, newsletters, lenses, portals and websites.

Article Marketing is an excellent way to promote a law firm. Law Firm articles can help establish credibility for your practice, help establish yourself as an expert in your field, brand your firm and lead potential clients to your firm. Also, since articles can be syndicated, there's an enormous potential to utilize articles to drive visitors to your law firm's website and to ultimately generate more business!

The following are some tips and ideas on how to write and promote your law firm articles.

Start with existing articles. In many cases you may have articles you've written in the past that are still relevant. Why not dust those off and use them to market your firm? In most cases, the content is still relevant or could be easily adapted to fit current trends and conditions.

Write new articles. Share your expertise by writing articles based on practice area topics for which you practice. For example, if you represent clients who have been involved in 18 wheeler accidents and would like to target more 18 wheeler cases, simply write an article about 18 wheeler accidents. To support your topic of choice, consult with research and statistics organizations. They provide detailed statistics, trends and information which can be referenced. Combine hard facts and data with your own experiences for a compelling article.

Keep articles relatively short. Articles do not need to be lengthy. Many articles fall between 150 - 500 words. Keeping it short is a good rule of thumb, particularly when the article is going to be viewed and read on the web. However, oftentimes, it's difficult to convey a message in so few words. In those cases, try to keep the topics under thousand words.

Find a Topic Once you've decided to write an article, it may not be as easy to find a topic to write about. It helps to write about something you have a passion for. That passion will carry over into your article and in turn, produce a piece the reader will be compelled by.

One way to find a good topic for your article is to do some keyword research. If you are hoping to attract clients using the article, it helps to know which topics prospective clients are using to locate law firms and legal information pertaining to your practice area. There are a number of tools available on the web for keyword research. To locate them, search for the phrase "keyword research" in your favorite search engine and you'll generate a whole wealth resources. You may also choose to hire an Internet marketing consultant to handle this task. Oftentimes consultants have the necessary tools and expertise to give you a clear understanding of topic you should be addressing.

Don't Forget Your Author Box The author box consists of your personal biography, copyright notice, and a link back to your law firm's website. This should be kept brief. You want to state in the article box that permission is granted to re-publish this article online as long as the author box is left intact and as long as the hyperlink is linked to the correct website.

Not a writer? Have Someone Write an Article for You It's quite possible that you don't have the time to write your own articles or maybe writing is not your forte. No problem. There are a number of consultants available who can do this task for you. It's referred to in the industry as "ghost writing". There are a number of quality professionals who specialize in copywriting and ghost writing. You simply convey your thoughts and expertise verbally or in written form and let these "wordsmiths" do the rest.

Another suggestion is to tap into your law firm's internal resources. It's quite possible that someone on your staff is an excellent writer and can do the work for you.

Include a Picture Including a picture reminds the reader that there is actually a person behind the article. It lends credibility to the article. Additionally, a photo helps brand yourself in your field with name and face recognition.

Share Your Article Once you've written your article(s), you need to let people know that they are available for reading and re-publishing. There are a number of organizations or individuals who may choose to re-publish your article on their Blogs, MySpace, Lenses, Websites and other online mediums.

To share your article, you need to submit it to any number of article syndication sites and article directories. These sites give authors the opportunity to dramatically increase traffic and exposure by syndicating to thousands of publishers almost instantaneously.

Search Engine Benefits By sharing your article, you not only promote your name and brand, you increase your rankings with the major search engines.

Search engines determine rankings based on a number of factors. Two of those factors are incoming link popularity and keyword density. By including an active hyperlink in your author box for articles, you increase link popularity. Each time your article is re-published, you receive a one-way link back to your site! Also, if your article is on a particular topic with strategic use of keywords, your article is more likely to show up in top results with the search engines.

As a legal professional, it's critical to your success that you establish yourself as an expert in your field. By publishing quality articles with useful content, you WILL drive prospective clients to your firm and establish credibility that will secure more clients. Article marketing is one of the most powerful marketing methods available to lawyers ... and best of all, it's FREE!

Laurie A. Williams is a veteran Internet marketer for the legal industry. She has been involved in Internet marketing for over 10 years. Please see her site, LegalMarketingPros.com for more information

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Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Lawyers Offer Valuable Legal Advice For Personal Injury Victims

After having been injured in an accident through no fault of their own, most victims will find themselves feeling confused and distraught. With a sea of lawyers waiting to provide legal advice, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. Many personal injury victims turn to the valuable legal advice of a licensed attorney in an effort to protect their rights and help to ensure that they are fairly compensated for lost wages, a reasonable degree of pain and suffering and medical bills.

Depending on the nature and severity of the accident, some victims may require medical treatment immediately. Such is often the case with automobile accidents, in which the person(s) who caused the accident will be responsible for all damages. Following an automobile accident, an attorney will provide not only provide legal advice, but will also conduct settlement negotiations in an effort to settle the matter before having to go to trial.

Settlement negotiations typically begin at the conclusion of medical treatment. The only exception to this rule may be if the victim requires a lifetime of medical care resulting from the injury and wishes to pursue a lifetime damages award. During the negotiation procedures, the attorney will determine the total amount paid for medical bills and will also evaluate the reports from physicians, x-ray technicians and a confirmation of lost wages when deciding on a fair amount to demand for pain and suffering. After discussing the various options with their client, the attorney will continue with a settlement demand. During this time, an attorney may refrain from offering legal advice in an effort to let the client decide if they agree with the settlement demand. The final amount is naturally up to the victim.

As a general rule, it takes approximately 30 days to receive a response regarding the settlement demand. This letter is sent to either the individual directly, his/her insurance company or attorney. Upon receipt, a counter offer will typically be returned to the victim's attorney. This process is very much a 'back and forth' negotiation where each side is trying to determine what the other is willing to accept. If the counter offer is not acceptable, the victim's attorney will prepare yet another letter and may decrease the demand amount slightly. This is often done in an effort to show good faith negotiations and will show the other side that the victim and his/her attorney are being reasonable. A series of letters and telephone calls will usually be exchanged before an amicable settlement is reached. While an attorney cannot instruct their client on what to do, they can provide legal advice regarding the fairness of the offer and how that figure may change if the case were to proceed to trial.

The information in this article is to be used for informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional legal advice. Individuals who need legal advice should consult one of the lawyers in their area who can assist them with their questions and concerns.

To find out more about {http://www.legaladviceguide.info}legal advice, please visit our website at http://www.legaladviceguide.info . It contains tons of free legal advice articles, resources and tips

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Social Bookmarking for Lawyers

Ticklr.net is the latest social bookmarking site with a twist: Lawyers and legal links only.

Ticklr.net fills a void felt by many lawyers and other members of the legal community who asked for a simple way to maintain all of their legal links and legal bookmarks at one site, similar to del.icio.us, but without all of the non-legal information.

Ticklr.net is an easy way for lawyers and other members of the legal community to store all of a lawyer's favorite legal links in one place, accessible from anywhere; share legal bookmarks with everyone,including members of your law firm, other lawyers, members of the legal community and friends on your watchlist or just keep them private; and tag your legal bookmarks with as many labels as you want, instead of wrestling with folders.

What about the name? Ticklr.net is a legal bookmarking site. Lawyers use a tickler file system to keep track of important dates and information about cases. A tickler file system tickles your mind and makes you remember. That's just what Ticklr.net does. Ticklr.net tickles your mind and helps you remember your legal bookmarks anywhere, anytime. Drop your legal bookmarks into the world's largest Ticklr file.

Blogging has changed the way many lawyers practice law. By using as many legal resources and links available, lawyers can increase their blogging productivity and efficiency. Having all of a lawyer's legal links in one place like Ticklr.net makes the links easy to share with other lawyers in the same practice area and can help the free flow of ideas and cut down on the time it usually to takes to find quality legal information.

Ticklr.net is a great place for the public to search legal links easily. What better place to research a legal topic than the bookmarks used by lawyers?

Ticklr.net is part of the LegalHelpOnline.org network of legal sites helping lawyers with blogs.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Law School Does A Great Job Of Training Lawyers To Be Professional Skeptics

That's Part Of The Reason Their Own Marketing Efforts Are Destined To Fail.

Here Are 8 Great Suggestions From Law Firm Marketing Professionals That Are Guaranteed To Produce Results.

Lawyers practice law, NOT marketing. Effective marketing takes a certain amount of faith and patience. It just doesn't happen overnight. To make matters worse most lawyers tend to over analyze any marketing plan. Some gain satisfaction in proving "beyond a doubt" there is no way marketing can be effective for them.

When it comes to marketing, most lawyers don't have a clue. It's not their fault. No one in law school ever told them the practice of law involved actually starting a business.

Here are a few suggestions from law firm marketing professionals about what it takes to successfully market your law firm.

1. Realize that there is some risk involved in lawyer marketing. Start taking a little risk. Even a turtle has to stick his neck out to make progress.

2. Realize that being a lawyer is being a business owner. Start thinking like a business person. Stop defining yourself as "an attorney". Instead, define yourself as the owner of a law firm.

3. Realize that when it comes to marketing, you need to stop arguing with the marketing experts. You went to law school. Unfortunately they didnt offer even one single course on actually marketing your practice.

4. Realize that traditional law firm marketing is dead. The old yellow pages ad and "word of mouth" isn't going to cut it anymore in the Internet age.

5. Realize that you need an "effective" Internet presence to exist in today's law firm marketing space.

6. Realize that you are no longer considered an "ambulance chaser" just because you advertise effectively. Times have changed and so have the attitudes and perceptions about lawyers who advertise.

7. Realize that effective law firm marketing comes at a price. Start focusing on the end result (more billable hours) instead of fixating on the beginning cost.

8. Realize that "Education Based Marketing" coupled with a solid "Client Referral System" is the recipe for effective 21st Century Law Firm Marketing.

OK, so let's say you buy into the fact that you need to start an effective law firm marketing campaign. Where do you start? With the basics of course. If you practice law in New Jersey or the surrounding states of NY, PA, or DE you are really in luck.

Here is a bit of shameless self-promotion. Start by getting a listing in the Law Firm Directory. http://www.jerseyjustice.com/resources/add.cfm Otherwise, look to obtain a listing in another highly trafficked legal site in your state.

If you don't already have a dedicated law firm website, it's time to get one. But don't just throw up a few web pages and expect clients to start beating a path to your firm. Your website needs to be effectively designed and marketed as well. Otherwise it becomes a solitary billboard in the desert that receives little or no traffic from clients searching the Internet superhighway for attorneys able to relieve their pressing legal problem.

Find a professional legal marketer with a proven track record and experience in promoting individual as well as multi lawyer firms. Then listen to what they have to say and act on their suggestions. All the while be sure to they provide blind control testing all of your marketing efforts so that you know what is working best.

Every practice area has it's own set of characteristics that influence results. In other words, one size legal marketing does not fit all firms. Allow your marketing consultant to custom tailor a program that works.

Learn how to attract new clients, increase referrals, strengthen client loyalty and build your image as an authority in your practice area. When you first begin marketing your legal services it is common to rely on intuition and common sense to make decisions. But in most cases the results from your own marketing efforts won't produce the desired result. That is why it is wise to hire a professional legal marketer.

How do you find a qualified legal marketer? Simple. Go to any major search engine like www.Google.com and type in "Lawyer Marketing". Then look for the top generic listing. If he is a good enough marketer to earn the number one or two spot for the term "lawyer marketing" (considering all of the formidable competitors), it should be good enough for you.Tony Merlino is webmaster and Legal Marketing Consultant at Jersey Justice.com

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Personal Injury Lawyers at your service



Accidents and personal injuries can never be prevented. It can happen anytime and anywhere without even knowing it. You are unaware with the things that are going to happen with your surroundings. Since this is unstoppable, there are certain rules to compensate with your losses and injuries. In doing so, consulting a lawyer will ease the burden and you can fight for your rights just the way it should be.

Some people and victims decline to consult a lawyer with the thought that seeking one will only make them spend a lot of money without winning anything and make it even worse. Sometimes they fear of making their case get too complicated so they remain silent and still. Everyone has the right to be defended and reserves to fight for their rights.

It is true that cases and hearings are too stressful and nerve-racking but if you caught a good lawyer to handle your case, it is never a problem at all. You just leave it to your lawyer and you will be left worry-free.

If by chance you get involved in a personal injury case, you should claim for your compensation with no second thoughts. It will never be difficult in dealing with it as long as you find the right lawyer to guide you with the proceedings. Filing a case will never be a hassle if you have a lawyer because they all do the steps for you and all you have to do is state your claims.

This is never a problem anymore because there are so many lawyers to consult. One good thing is you will never think that your lawyers will not exert their efforts because they will be paid if your case gets successfully resolved. So you will never have to pay for nothing and waste a big amount of money. Plus, you get fully compensated with all your claims and make sure you are left with nothing.

Your compensation will cover repairs, medical treatment, doctor fee, damages on your vehicle and other evident physical injuries. So if you experienced all these, it is very necessary for you to consult a lawyer. They are designed to keep your case on the right track. So when you feel that your rights are violated, do not have doubts to consult a lawyer before you miss it all!

For more related articles, you may visit http://www.mesrianilaw.com

Karen Nodalo came across writing when she was about 11. The whole craze for writing started when she first wrote her diary during elementary years. After school, she would write in it first before doing homework. She finds it cool and until now she still keeps one.

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