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We know an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and even then, we know regular checkups with our doctor are healthy. We go to the dentist every six months (or at least we should) to make sure our teeth are clean and we don’t have cavities. It’s easy to understand the value of preventative medicine, but what about preventative legal advice. Too often, we wait until a crisis before talking to an attorney, and, in many cases, by then it might be too late....

If your New Year’s resolution was to finally get around to starting your own business, we’d like to support you in your efforts. And even if your motivation isn’t New Year’s-related, we still want to give you a heads up on what legal risks to watch out for. After all, when you create a company, you create an entirely new legal entity. That means it has responsiblities to the government and to other legal entities, both people and corporations....

Are your summer plans less about pool parties and more about paychecks? For many high school and college students a summer job is essential, not just for the extra spending money but for the work experience and references it may provide. According to The Washington Post, the teen employment rate has remained near an all-time low even as the overall economy has improved. This means that finding and keeping a summer job these days takes more than just a solid resume and a warm smile (although those certainly help)....

Whether you’re freelancing, telecommuting, or your own CEO, you may be eligible for some substantial tax deductions if you work from home. From incorporating your small business and deducting your home office to expensing coffee and donuts (and the weight loss program to work them off), here are five tips to get you started: 1. Simplify Your Home Office Deduction. If you have a set-aside home office, how do you properly claim it on your taxes?...

Being a surrogate mother is an amazing and selfless act. Even for surrogates that receive compensation, the act is still one of extreme generosity. However, the law surrounding surrogacy is still not fully developed as science routinely advances faster than the law. Below, you’ll find seven of the top legal questions surrogate mothers ask. Despite how crazy it sounds, surrogate mothers have been asked to have abortions. While uncommon, sometimes even a surrogacy agreement may have terms that call for a surrogate mother to have an abortion under certain circumstances....

If you know you’re headed towards divorce, it’s time to get up and hire a divorce attorney. This is true even if you haven’t yet filed divorce papers or separated from your spouse. Why? It’s called “conflicting out.” If your soon-to-be ex is sneaky or vindictive, he can make it very difficult for you to find a divorce attorney that fits your needs. To explain “conflicting out,” we need to look at the rules of professional conduct....

Upset that the National Labor Relations Board is intervening in a labor dispute between Boeing and unionized workers over the relocation of a manufacturing plant, Senate Republicans have introduced the Right to Work Protection Act. Related laws are currently being considered in Maine and New Hampshire, and are expected to see consideration elsewhere. Though federal law undoubtedly protects workers’ right to form and participate in a union, it has left it up to states to decide whether union membership can be made mandatory if a union already exists....

Would you buy a car without knowing anything about the car’s specification and capabilities? Would you sign a contract without asking what the contract requires? Would you let a doctor do whatever he likes to your body without explaining anything to you? Well, you shouldn’t and you don’t have to. You have a right to decide what is done to you and your body. Because of this right, we have the concept of informed consent....

It’s true that you can sue the police for false arrest, provided that your situation meets the right criteria. While courts often grant law enforcement immunity as to not hinder their investigative duties, that immunity is qualified, meaning that police officers may not freely and willingly violate an individual’s rights. When an officer engages in such conduct, an individual may bring a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. 1983, which makes it illegal for government employees to deprive an individual of his rights under the Constitution....

An Indiana Amish SUV crash has killed two children. The fatal buggy crash took place at around 10 a.m. on Monday. The crash occurred when a horse pulling two carts carrying 6 Amish children was hit by a SUV. The SUV hit the horse and the first cart, according to Reuters. Ten-year-old Jenna Miller was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. Seven-year-old Jolisa Miller died later at a local hospital. Three of the other children had head injuries, while one had shoulder injuries and denied treatment....

Not long after we all fell in love with CSI and the science behind forensic evidence, much of that science was called into question. Beyond the accidental errors and purposeful evidence tampering at crime labs and by lab technicians, it turns out that the underlying basis for many types of forensic evidence was flawed. Now, another long-trusted crime fighting aide is coming under scrutiny. As Radley Balko writes for The Washington Post, it turns out drug sniffing dogs aren’t especially good at sniffing out drugs....

Rolling Stone and Columbia University’s School of Journalism released an in-depth report detailing the myriad journalistic failures with an article covering an alleged rape at the University of Virginia. In response, Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity implicated in the story, has announced plans to take legal action against Rolling Stone. But do they have a case? Can reporters and news publications be liable for stories that turn out to be false?...

What is “gross income” and more importantly, why do we even care? This is one of the most pivotal of income tax questions. “Gross Income” is one of the most important income tax rules and it really is a starting point in income tax calculation and in understanding how much you owe Uncle Sam. Now, let’s confuse you by getting all taxy and legal. Don’t worry, we’ll ease the pain and translate these income tax rules, once we’re done with the legal jargon....

Purveyor of exquisite jewels and luxury timepieces Cartier is going a bit downmarket these days, or at least that is the implication they are concerned about. Cartier is suing designer discount site HauteLook.com for false claims regarding advertising and trademark infringement over the website’s sale of Cartier watches. Cartier is not suing HauteLook for selling fake watches, but for selling real watches and doing it incorrectly. According to the Complaint filed by Cartier and provided by Fashionista....

Barring some serious turn of events, the civil trial process is already underway for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the suspect accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day. But if the nation’s intelligence chief Dennis Blair had it his way, the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group should have been brought in first. Since the incident, others are also beginning to question how and why the government decided to place the 23-year-old Nigerian national in the civilian court system....

When small business owners start out, often, they use their own personal accounts to get going. And it’s not just limited personal bank and credit card accounts, but also personal phone lines, personal internet services, and even personal cable TV or music subscriptions. Small business can operate for years using personal services, but legally, it could result in some serious legal trouble. For example, if your business operates from your personal bank account, even if you are structured as a corporation, you will likely be found personally liable in any legal disputes the business faces....

Erin Andrews is a sports personality that is better known for her lawsuits than her sideline coverage. The Examiner reports that the Erin Andrews peephole video may have yet another lawsuit in the works. Here’s a little back story …. David Barrett took an unauthorized video of Erin Andrews while she was in her hotel room on location for a sporting event. The video went viral, and ultimately landed Barrett behind bars for thirty months....

The Examiner reports that Sony is facing a lawsuit from a blind gamer named Alexander Stern in California. Mr. Stern contends that even after repeated requests he made to Sony via email to revise their games to make them more accessible, the company did not revise their games. For blind gamers, this is a big deal. The gamer sued under Title III of the ADA and under California civil rights law....

Recent discussion of whether C.I.A. interrogators should be held liable for acts now considered to be torture highlights the questions that come up when deciding who should be held to account when an employee violates the law. Particularly because (unlike the federal government) small businesses can’t claim sovereign immunity if sued, they must pay strict attention to the doctrine of “respondeat superior.” This holds that an employer is liable for the bad acts of an employee if the employee was acting within the scope of their employment....

Your apartment is freezing. The front door is hard to open. Ants and other crawly creatures have block parties in your kitchen. Under the principal of warranty of habitability, landlords have a duty to maintain rental properties at a standard fit for human habitation. Also, states maintain housing codes that require landlords make certain listed repairs. However, many tenants have probably felt the frustration of trying unsuccessfully to get a landlord to make repairs....