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Divorce is one of the hardest legal events anyone will ever face. When you divorce, you face losses that are not just emotional, but financial and legal as well. This blog series will help answer some basic questions you might have about divorce. You know one thing – your marriage is coming to an end. After that, there’s a seemingly endless list of questions and precious few answers. And most of those unanswered questions center on the paperwork and procedure involved with filing for divorce....

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. There has been a lot of information in the news about health care reform and how it affects small businesses. Yet, I still find many business owners scratching their heads trying to understand what it all means for their businesses. You need to know what your business is required and not required to do. Not knowing can cost you unnecessary expenses and penalties....

Kids do funny things sometimes. Jack Dorman, 6, a student at a Los Angeles elementary school recently drew what school officials called a “disturbing picture.” So what did they do? Take away his crayons? Call his parents? Send him to the principal’s office? No, they sent Jack Dorman off to a psychiatric center for a 72-hour hold. Now the mother, Syndi Dorman, is fuming mad and speaking out against the LAUSD after the incident went down at Taper Avenue Elementary in San Pedro....

Maybe your spouse did something so heinous, you can’t bear the sight of her. Or maybe you don’t feel safe with your boyfriend under the same roof. Sharing a living space can make a whole lot of sense, until it doesn’t. But what can you do then? Do you have any legal right to expel an ex from a shared apartment or house? Sorting out residency when a relationship ends is never easy, but there may be ways to at least simplify the process, legally....

The fact that an Indiana couple found hidden cameras in their Florida Airbnb rental, and that local law enforcement believes dozens of renters at the same location may have been illegally captured on video going back years, is distressing. But it’s not new. Airbnb was sued two years ago after a German woman discovered a hidden camera in her California rental. Clearly the owners of the rentals are violating criminal statutes and could be civilly liable for the secret surveillance, but what about Airbnb itself?...

Although the circumstances are still unclear police are investigating a possible murder-suicide of a Dallas-area mayor and her teenage daughter. Authorities discovered the bodies of Coppell, Texas Mayor Jayne Peters, 55, and Corrine Peters, 19, shot to death at their home. Police were prompted to go to the mayor’s home when she failed to arrive at a city council meeting and did not call to explain her absence. Her daughter, Corinne Peters, was an outstanding student and bound for college at the University of Texas at Austin....

A chiropractor and his wife collected more than $135,000 in federal housing assistance, all while living in a $1.2 million waterfront home in Seattle. David Silverstein and Lyudmila Shimonova were sued by the U.S. attorney’s office for welfare fraud. Prosecutors demand that they pay back the funds and thousands of dollars in fines. Shimonova claimed that stated she lived alone with her two children in the Seattle home. She represented that Silverstein was her landlord, and that she only had assets of less than $5,000....

Many small businesses put themselves on daily deals websites like Groupon and LivingSocial. But other business remain wary. Some business owners complaint that they draw in customers that are frugal and only willing to spend a certain amount. And the daily deals sites take a cut of the purchase. In the end, a business can sink a lot of money into a deal that may not result in long-term business growth....

Last October, during fraternity’s outdoor party at USC, an attendee was hit in the head by a drone that was photographing the event. Not much is known about how the injury occurred. However, what is known is that the drone was being operated by the third party event production company known as Perfect Event Inc. The drone’s impact on the head of the victim caused her to almost immediately start bleeding profusely, though she did not lose consciousness....

Swine flu anxiety got you down? Well you can chin up a little as the FDA approved its first batches of swine flu vaccines developed by four pharmaceutical companies, ensuring that there will be enough to reach Americans who seek H1N1 vaccine protection. The U.S. has put in an order for 195 million doses of H1N1 vaccine which is projected to be enough for the country’s 300 million-strong population. Though the numbers don’t seem to add up, the U....

For most people, moving to another state means worrying about selling your old house, making sure the movers don’t break your glasses, or remembering where you packed the coffee pot and mugs. But for victims of domestic violence, moving to another state could mean putting miles between you and an abuser but still worrying whether you’ll be protected in the new state. Will your ex find you? Will the police protect you?...

A recent trademark violation lawsuit explains why the burger chain In-N-Out is steamed at a Wichita, Kansas dry cleaner. The dry cleaner, which opened last year, decided to more than just fluff before folding, it decided to go by the name In-N-Out Cleaners, and also used a logo and had signage that was stunningly similar to the famous burger joint. The dry cleaner, since being notified, has taken down their similar looking signs, both in real life and online, and has also stopped using the name In-N-Out....

Whether you have an original design in mind, or you’re thinking of the ever-popular butterfly, infinity symbol, or Chinese character, your tattoo options are pretty plentiful. Your tattoo artists, on the other hand, are more limited. But you should find one anyway. Thanks to state and local law, it’s probably illegal to test your ink skills on a friend, no matter how badly he wants that cheap, DIY tattoo of a rising Phoenix....

It’s NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. While we can’t offer expert tips on how to tackle writer’s block, we can address some common legal concerns for those who make writing their business. This November marks the 15th year for NaNoWriMo – a month for aspiring and established writers to band together, support each other, and, well, write their hearts out in an effort to complete an entire novel....

Tech giant Apple is facing another lawsuit that claims they are liable for an auto accident which resulted in a death because the at-fault driver was using their iPhone at the time of the crash. Underlying the claim is the fact that Apple apparently has the technology to prevent drivers from using their iPhones in dangerous ways while driving. This newest lawsuit is also premised upon the same patent used in an earlier lawsuit, which shows that Apple has the technology to detect when a device is being operated by a driver in order to prevent certain features, like texting, from working....

Attorneys, accountants and small business owners take note: New IRS rules for tax preparers went into effect Jan. 1. The new IRS rules include education requirements, background checks, and competency exams for different classes of tax preparers. The changes aim to protect consumers from “the inept and the unscrupulous,” a board member with the California Tax Education Council told BusinessWire. California and Oregon are currently the only states that require tax preparers to meet education and exam requirements....

If you’re going through a divorce, you’ll want to be careful when filling out your online dating profile, especially if you’re signing up for Match.com. According to a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), 64% of respondents say they’ve cited Match.com as a source of evidence in divorce proceedings. That means many divorcing parties and their attorneys are looking to Match.com and other dating websites to uncover incriminating evidence to use against the other spouse in a divorce....

Two years ago, Kaitlyn Timko, the 10-year-old behind the “Pa. Girl Sues Dad” headlines, was in the back of her father’s car when he swerved into another lane, setting off a chain of events that would leave him with four bullets in the head and a very traumatized daughter. Brought by the girl through her mother, the lawsuit contends that her father’s negligent behavior is the legal cause of her emotional distress, making him responsible for the costs of therapy....

A personal trainer is suing New York City for injuries he sustained when he attempted to climb a large rock in the city’s Hudson River Park. Jonathan Stock, 32, of Brooklyn, says he ruptured his Achilles tendon after he fell from the boulder in June, according to the New York Post. Stock is suing both New York City and the Hudson River Trust. His argument: There should’ve been a sign to prohibit people from rock climbing....

Recently, the San Francisco Gate posted an article that outlined the deadly dangers posed by the poorly designed S-curve on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. That stretch of road earned a repoutation as a ganger zone after an accident earlier in November where a truck crashed through the guard rails and fell on San Francisco’s Treasure Island. The trucker was killed in the accident. Since the S-curve was opened after being added to entrance of the the SF Bay Bridge back on September 8, there have been more than 42 accidents....