You’ve done the hard part. You have done your research and decided you think you have a legitimate personal injury claim. Now comes the even harder part: finding the right personal injury layer. But hiring an attorney doesn’t need to be such a daunting task if you know what to look for in a personal injury lawyer. Practice: There are almost as many practice areas of personal injury law as there are ways to get injured....
The more time you spend shopping, connecting with people, and looking up information online, the more your online privacy is at risk – unless you follow a few simple steps to stay safe. Information you share over the Internet is used by advertisers, but they’re not the only ones paying attention. Malicious hackers can piece together your information online to steal your identity or invade your family’s privacy. Unfortunately there isn’t a simple “security” button on your computer or smartphone that will keep all of your personal data safe....
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system officials have agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement to the 5-year-old daughter of Oscar Grant, an unarmed man fatally shot by a transit police officer on Jan. 1, 2009. Bystanders captured the video on cell phone, which depicted then-Officer Johannes Mehserle, 27, pulling his gun and shooting Grant in the back as another officer kneeled on Grant. The settlement ends part of a federal civil rights $50 million lawsuit, brought by Grant’s family, as previously discussed....
As the death toll from last weekend’s Canada train explosion is expected to rise, the American company that owns the railway could soon face dozens of lawsuits. A runaway 73-car train, which included tank cars carrying petroleum, exploded in the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on Saturday. As many as 50 people may have been killed, leading some to call the railway company’s chairman a “murderer,” Reuters reports. The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, which owned the train that blew up, is actually based in the United States....
While Second Amendment guarantees the right of all citizens to keep and bear arms, there are limits to Second Amendment protections. States can, for example, limit the type of weapons people can buy, regulate the licenses and background checks required to buy and carry firearms, and may even disqualify certain people from gun ownership. And the White House just tightened restrictions on who can sell guns. But what about a gun that has already been purchased legally, then given as a gift or shared between spouses?...
A child protective order is issued by a court to shield a child from contact with an abuser or other dangerous person. The child does not need to be the direct victim of abuse to qualify for protection. A child protective order is a court order. The specifics of the law – and even what the orders are called – vary from state to state. By issuing the order, the court’s intent is to regulate contact between parties who can no longer do so on their own....
Concealed carry laws are a hot topic, as the nation reels from a series of recent mass shootings. But concealed handgun laws have also led to some common misconceptions. Laws in 49 states and Washington, D.C., allow certain citizens to apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon (often referred to as “CCW”); only Illinois does not, according to the website USA Carry. With the aim of clearing the air, here are five common myths about concealed carry laws:...
With businesses needing to make the most effective use of smaller advertising budgets, they can be pushed perhaps too far in claims they wish to make about their product or services (or those of a competitor). It’s a good time for small businesses to remember the basics of unfair and deceptive advertising rules. Truth and evidence seem simple enough, but what does it mean for an ad to be “deceptive” or “unfair”?...
The makers of licensed botulinum toxin products like Botox and Myobloc will need to change their products’ labeling to include boxed warnings on serious health problems that can result if the toxin spreads beyond the injection site, under a mandate issued today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA order came after reports of adverse health problems and at least one death linked to the use of Botox to treat cerebral palsy and spasticity, which are uses that haven’t been approved by the FDA....
Should TSA pat-downs for kids be the same as pat-downs for adults? Many Americans probably feel that it’s unnecessary for young children to go through the same TSA procedures that adults go through. And, parents may be concerned especially because pat-downs have become more invasive. Some pat-downs even involve touching an individual’s private areas. But, the Department of Homeland Security has recently announced that less-invasive TSA procedures will soon be implemented for children....
Imagine facing 25 years in jail, accused of possessing heroin with intent to sell, and yet having no idea that you even had a scrap of drugs on you. One would think that’s a possibility on a vacation in Mexico, but not driving around in your new-to-you used van in Florida. Crull, like potentially 80 other victims, had been approached by Martin County Sheriff’s deputy Steven O’Leary for appearing suspicious. After all, he was a long-haired young man snoozing in an old model Chevy Astro van at night with an open Budweiser can in the cup holder....
The NY Post reports that more and more New Yorkers are not only cohabitating, they are also more interested in cohabitation agreements. When people move in together, they think it will be happily ever, sometimes until the relationship reaches an expiration date. That’s when they realize that setting forth the guidelines for who gets what may be necessary. A cohabitation agreement is a legal contract between two unmarried individuals who live together....
Though making moonshine can still get you arrested in many states, as of last year brewing your own beer is legal in all 50 states. Alabama and Mississippi were the last two states to lift their prohibition on homebrewed beer, but finally relented after years of lobbying, reports Business Insider. But before you set to work on brewing up your own king of beers to rule your home castle, there are a few things to keep in mind....
Divorce and custody issues are never easy, and things can get even harder if kids refuse to obey a custody order. So what can you do if children refuse to see one of their parents, as ordered by the court? You can have a judge send them to juvenile detention, apparently. That’s the answer a Michigan family court judge came up with, as she sent three siblings to juvie for refusing to see their father....
“This is a sad day for the Kraft Foods family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families. The loss of a loved one is a great sorrow.” The above quote was in response to the Philadelphia shootings that killed two and injured others at the Kraft Foods plant early this morning. The two victims died on the scene, and another is said to be in critical condition at a local hospital....
Establishing paternity can often be a squeamish subject for a parent, but it may be necessary to obtain legal protection for a child. Unmarried fathers seeking custody or visitation rights for their children often need to establish paternity in order to get the law on their side. For mothers hoping to extract child support from deadbeat dads, establishing legal paternity is key after locating the father. Since paternity can be critical for a parent’s legal rights, here is a general overview of how to establish paternity:...
We here at FindLaw know that legal jargon can be confusing. We hear people misusing legal words and phrases all the time. So we’ve decided to help you better understand all the legal phrases tossed around on Law & Order. Here is a new educational series we like to call FindLaw’s Legalese 101. People seem to misuse the word hearsay a lot. Contrary to popular belief, hearsay isn’t just something that someone else said about you that you don’t like....
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of Constance McMillen, a lesbian student from Jackson, Mississippi who wanted to bring another lesbian as a date to her prom. McMillen sued the district over its prohibition of same-sex prom dates. According to the ACLU, instead of allowing McMillen to attend with her date, they cancelled the original prom, then orchestrated an off-site prom for most students and a second fake or “sham prom” for McMillen and less than a dozen other students....
When does a service business located in California have to register with the California Board of Equalization, and start filing yearly returns declaring (and paying) California use tax? Since 2010, if your service business is a “qualified purchaser” under California Revenue and Taxation Code section 6225, your business must register for an account with the Board of Equalization (BOE). And once registered, you will have to file a use tax return every year....
Along with a number of other Catholic institutions, the University of Notre Dame has filed a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s birth control mandate. At its heart, Notre Dame’s birth control lawsuit is about religious freedom. The school is arguing that both the original birth control mandate and the subsequent compromise violate its constitutional rights. If enforced, the school would be “compelled to act in a way contrary to Catholic teachings....
