RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘amount’

RIP Michigan Law’s Wolverine Scholars Program

28 Nov

In 2008, Michigan Law established the “Wolverine Scholars” program which would admit Michigan undergrads into law school if they had a minimum 3.80 GPA. No LSAT required. One may say, no LSAT wanted. A fair amount of criticism was leveled…

 

Industry Sector Analysis of Big Data Harvesting

29 Oct

“‘Big data’ refers to sets of data whose size surpasses that of what data storage tools can typically handle. As the amount of digital data grows exponentially each year, big data has the potential to become the next frontier for…

 

Should the Occupy Wall Street Protesters Be Reading the Wall Street Journal Instead?

15 Oct

“Yes,” according to Elie Mystal. In Occupy Wall Street Needs To Occupy A Library, he writes The world is complicated. It takes a certain amount of work and study to even figure out what the hell is happening, much more…

 

As the World Turns: Welcome to the Blogosphere Inside the Law School Scam

18 Aug

A “LawProf” Sampler Welcome to My Nightmare What does it mean to call law school a scam? Understanding the rage of recent law school graduates There has been a fair amount of speculation about an anonymous blogger who recently joined…

 

Computer Privacy In The News

13 Jul

Two stories related to computer privacy caught my attention. One is that law enforcement agencies are increasing the amount of warrants sent to Facebook to gather data on individuals. That law enforcement agents are interested in Facebook user details is…

 
No Comments

Posted in Web/Tech

 

Nolo Announces Law Office Concept for Members of its’ Law Firm Directory

26 Apr

Nolo, the leading self-help legal publisher in the United States, launched a Law Firm Directory several years ago. I have listed my virtual law firm in this Directory for several years and found that it yielded pretty good results for the amount of money invested as the Nolo web site is a high traffic web site that attracts consumers looking for a lower cost way of getting their legal problems resolved. Since my law firm offers "unbundled legal services for a fixed price online" it is a perfect fit for the Nolo Lawyers Directory.

Nolo recently announced their concept of the Nolo Law Office which brings even more value to a law firm listing in the Nolo Law Firm Directory. This may sound like a commercial, but it isn’t. I just wanted to share the information about this high value concept that is a great complement to law firms using not only our DirectLaw Virtual Law Firm Platform, but other law firms delivering legal services online, as well as law firms that have a more traditional office-based practice.

If you sign up for the Nolo Law Firm Directory, you also get these goodies:
 

  • Your website is linked to Nolo’s website which can contribute toward enhancing your firm’s visibility on the Internet.
     
  • You get priority placement on Nolo’s partner lawyer directories which include: the Justia Lawyer Directory; the LLRX Lawyer’s Directory, Cornell University Lawyer Directory, and the Oyez’s Lawyer Directory.
     
  • Up to 15 Nolo articles are licensed free of charge which you can published to your web site. This is excellent content that, if selected carefully, can add to a law firm’s web site.
     
  • You can access over 300 fillable Adobe .pdf forms which can be used internally in your practice. These forms are not web-enabled in the sense that they can be completed by a client using an online questionnaire, but they are very useful as an adjunct to the range of document products you can offer. For example, a law firm using the DirectLaw platform can upload a fillable .PDF to the client’s secure MyLegalAffairs web space and the form can be sold bundled with legal advice through DirectLaw’s ecommerce functionality that supports non-Rapidocs forms and documents.
     
  • You can access 160 ebooks available for download at no additional charge. This effectively gives you an in-house law practice library for free. Almost the entire Nolo catalog is available for a free download.
     
  • You have unlimited use of Nolo’s OnlIne Will and Living Trust Applications that can also be used internally. These applications are not client facing, like the DirectLaw web-enabled automated document applications, but they can be used effectively internally. (Nolo does offer these applications directly to consumers).
     
  • Finally you have use of the web-based MYCASE Law Practice Management System. This gives you a law practice management system essentially for free, the same kind of system that other vendors charge $49.00 to $69.00 a month (for solos practitioners). This is a new company that has entered the SaaS law practice management industry and competes with the likes of CLIO and RocketMatter. I haven’t done a detailed comparison of MYCASE with other SaaS practice management solutions, but its certainly worth evaluating because it is free to subscribers of the Law Firm Directory.

The fees for listing in the Nolo Lawyer’s Directory vary by practice area and territory, so I would experiment to see what combination has the highest return on investment. Having access to the Nolo Law Office concept is a real bonus that gives the entire package real value for even the smallest law firm.

 

 

Child Support Issues – I cant find the Answers Im looking for good or bad

21 Apr

My husband is to pay child support in the amount of $624 a mth. he pays / health insurance for the child which comes to about 200.00 or so a mth., before

 
No Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

 

How can I expect my life to change after divorce?

11 Mar

People know to prepare themselves emotionally when going through the divorce process, but they often fail to prepare for adjusting to life afterward. Too often, they assume that life on the other side will be easier and they vastly underestimate the new challenges they will inevitably face. To help make things less stressful for you later on, take some time to think about and understand some of the common misconceptions surrounding divorce.

What are some common misconceptions surrounding divorce?

One of the biggest misconceptions concerns money. Both women and men tend to believe that their finances will not change significantly after a divorce. They don’t take the time to sit down together and figure out how the income that previously supported one household will be able to support two in the future. Instead, each party expects to sustain their current lifestyle while the other makes concessions. Typically, women believe they will receive more maintenance than the court is likely to award, while men believe that they shouldn’t have to pay alimony and that everything should be divided equally, even if their spouse hasn’t worked for many years. In most cases, both parties will end up living off of a lower income post-divorce.

You may be able avoid frustration and disappointment down the road by setting up a budget during the divorce, either together or on your own. At the very least, a budget will help you to anticipate upcoming lifestyle adjustments. In fact, you may want to start cutting expenses now if you can, or think about ways to eventually increase your income.

Other common misconceptions about divorce involve children. Parenting after a divorce can be complicated, but it helps to be flexible and open-minded. Many women are used to being the primary caregiver and find it difficult to let go of the high level of control they once had over their children’s lives and schedules. Depending on your custody arrangement, your children may spend time between two homes, which means increased time away from you. This can be painful at first, but remember that your children have two parents and that it is essential to their well-being and development that they spend time with both of them.

Men struggle with their own parenting challenges after divorce and are frequently surprised by how difficult it is to raise a child on their own. They are also often caught off guard by the amount of child support they are required to pay.

It is important to note that the amount of child support one pays is related to the amount of time each parent spends with a child. The parent who has the child most of the time will receive child support from the other parent. If the child spends significant time with both parents, then the paying parent may get a credit against the support payment to account for this extra time. Also, if primary parenting of multiple children is split between the parents, then child support is based on this “split-custody” arrangement. In these situations, we use a formula to calculate which parent will pay support and in what amount. This formula was developed by Division I of the Washington Court of Appeals in the case of In re Marriage of Arvey, 77 Wn.App. 817, 894 P.2d 1346 (Wash.App. Div. 1 1995).

It is also important to remember that the issues of child support and parenting are treated separately by the court. This means that one parent cannot withhold visitation from the other parent because he or she has failed to pay child support. Instead, the parent who is not receiving his or her court-ordered support must bring legal action to enforce the order to pay.  But in the meantime, the nonpaying parent is still entitled to enforce the parenting plan. This is because to do otherwise  would be unfair to the child, who has a right to spend time with both parents.

How can I clear up any misconceptions I may have about life after divorce?

You can learn about the realities of divorce by reading through the Pro Se University blog archives or you can sign up for the next free 30-minute Attorney Appointment. We are here to help.

 

Always Consider the Cost of Raising a Child

16 Jan

This is an important post because people who pay child support or may be ordered to pay child support often think they are being asked to pay too much. In reality, the non-custodial parent who pays support rarely pays nearly as much to raise that child as the custodial parent.

There are tons of costs associated with raising a child that often are not thought or. That child will likely need more living space, daycare, you’ll have to buy more groceries,on  clothing more than others as they grow up so fast,if you are looking for comfortable clothing or accessories check the alpaca line for winter.

Now remember the toys, bigger car, education expenses, recreation expenses, health care, toys and added utility expenses. I’m sure there are other expenses not listed here.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) surveys the average costs. You can find the 2009 report here. You can see that the costs vary depending on the income of the household, the number of children, and the age of the child/children. A single-parent one child family usually pays about $9,000-12,000 annually to raise a child. So, if for example, you are ordered to pay $300/mo., you would only be paying $3,600 towards that amount. As a side note, most people who actually have kids say that the USDA figures are far too low.

So if you have a support order you think needs modified, I would encourage you to use this USDA Cost of Raising a Child Calculator to determine if the amount really is unfair. Also if you are in a divorce or custody battle and you think you would save money by winning custody, think again. You most likely would actually save money by paying child support. Haven’t had kids yet? Use the calculator to make sure you can afford them before you do.

 

Copy, Credit, Meals

16 Sep

This is addressed to my professional actor friends, full members of the Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA, and Equity.

It is to say that I am tired of being invited by student directors to act in their videos, or films, for their benefit and for nothing.  This is a huge step backward to the very beginnings of these esteemed organizations, back to the twenties and thirties.  Student actors, go ahead.  Professional actors, STOP!

Yes, we are entering a new era in the film making process. Yes, the old rules are a-changing. But no, what remains unchanged is the cold hard fact that we need to earn a fair amount of money to survive. SAG and AFTRA and AEA were conceived to ensure that this happens. But what has taken its place?

I am told that I may perform in an AEA condoned "Equity Waiver" theatrical production. That means that I have the opportunity to "practice my craft" for not much more than car fare.

I am told that I may perform in a SAG or AFTRA condoned  "student production" to "practice my craft" for a copy of the result "for my reel".  My reel has become an essential adjunct in the job-hunting process.  Job hunting has become the premier industry in today’s Hollywood (and New York). Hundreds of websites have come into being, offering job hunting services for a price. And so, the poor actor’s pockets, bare due to the near impossibility of getting paid these days, is made even more bare by the new necessity to subscribe to these websites.

The dignity of the professional actor is severely threatened. The new image is that of a young actor, with pleading in his eyes, one hand out, and the other behind his back, to protect it, I guess. While the producer/director wields his traditional authoritarial stick over the actor, ensuring the continuance of a feudal system tolerated since the dark ages. And the middle men, the managers, the agents, the lawyers, and some teachers and casting directors, earn their living in dependence upon the actors lack of confidence, "teaching" said actors "new tricks".