Salem Press has opened voting for its 2011 Library Blog Awards in the following categories: General: Blogs providing broad discussions of library topics and trends, including reviews of books and products Academic: Blogs targeting academic librarians and academic institutions Public:…
Posts Tagged ‘Time’
Types of Lawsuit Complaints
28
May
|
THE LAW OF THE CASE
23
May
|
Keane Memorial Award for Excellence in eLawyering Goes to Orange County Legal Aid
24
Mar
The James I. Keane Memorial Award for Excellence in eLawyering for 2011 is going to the Legal Aid Society of Orange County for their Legal Genie Project, reports the eLawyering Task Force of the Law Practice Management Section of the ABA, the group that makes the Award.
James Keane was the first appointed Chair of the group, and passed away tragically from cancer six years ago.
Bob Cohen is the long time leader of Orange County Legal Aid, and provided the leadership for this Project.
This project combines the use of advanced web-enabled document automation technology to generate Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 documents, as well as California divorce pleadings. It is unique because it involves a network of lawyers who provide legal advice, document review, and other assistance to clients who use the program. The use of Internet technology makes it possible for the lawyers to be involved, and to also get paid a fee, because the entire transaction is made more efficient. The lawyers who participating get the benefit of the Legal Aid brand, and the marketing that results from promoting the project.
The Project demonstrates how a vertical branded network of attorneys, empowered by a robust technology platform, can provide legal services at an affordable fee to individuals who could not normally afford a lawyer.
This is from the Legal Genie website:
“Legal Genie is a simple, affordable and reliable online service created by Legal Aid Society of Orange County. It is designed for people who do not qualify for legal aid and cannot afford the services of an attorney. It asks simple questions and puts answers on the forms in the correct place.
"Legal Genie is different from other services because it connects you to a licensed attorney on our Lawyers Referral Service panel. The LRS attorney will give you telephone consultations, review your documents and give you legal advice. Legal Genie combines the magic of technology with the help of a professional at a price you can afford.”
The formal granting of the Award will be on April 12, 2011, at a Lunch for all of the attendees of ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago, Illinois at the Hilton Hotel.
Do you have any tips for how I can best manage my family law case?
17
Mar
Managing your family law case will be one of the most challenging things you ever do. Organizational skills will come in handy in your role as project manager, but it’s equally important for you to maintain perspective and keep focused on your goal of a positive outcome. You can do this.
Where do I begin?
Your first objective is to define the scope of your project, so you have an overall picture of what you will be required to do as you navigate your case. Block out some time when you won’t be disturbed, grab a pen and some paper, and start by familiarizing yourself with the five stages a family law case typically goes through: (1) filing the initial petition and response; (2) the temporary order process; (3) discovery; (4) the settlement conference; (5) the trial if settlement fails. You can find a breakdown of this process in my post, As A Pro Se Party, You are the Project Manager of Your Family Law Case.
I recommend going through each stage, one at a time, to create action items. Be sure to consider the forms and documents you’ll need to gather, deadlines for filing paperwork, information to compile in support of your case, appointments to make and meetings to attend. Make sure you read more about finding the best family law attorney, that is quite important. At the end of this process, you should have a detailed task checklist for each stage of your case, as well as a project timeline. If you need help with this, Pro Se University offers $5 Roadmaps (several are free) to help you with your family law issue.
Label file folders for each stage of your family law issue, so you’ll have a place to house your checklists and other documents you are likely to collect. Also, buy a large calendar to prominently mark important dates and deadlines.
How can I keep from being overwhelmed by my family law project?
Concentrate on one stage at a time. Simply developing your action plan is a large undertaking, but once it’s in place, executing your to-do lists will seem less daunting. Here are some things you can do to make the work more manageable:
- Create an environment that is conducive to concentrating. This means eliminating distractions and physical clutter. Turn off your phone and television, ignore your doorbell. Your work area should only contain the tools you need in order to work on your case and nothing more. It can be comfortable and accommodating, but cannot be used for anything other than your casework.
- Set aside enough time to get through a few items from your checklist. Don’t try to tackle everything at once, but mix easier tasks with more complicated ones. The energy and ego boost you’ll feel from accomplishing the smaller items will help you power on. People generally underestimate how long it will take to do something, so I recommend doubling your estimate. If you think it will take you half an hour to fill out a form, give yourself an hour. It is better to have extra time on your hands than to miss a deadline.
- If you are stretched thin and your calendar is already full, consider saying no to some of your personal obligations. Effective project managers know how to prioritize. You may need to make some tough decisions if you want to stay focused and on task.
- Be as prepared as you can. If you are working on a computer, constantly back up your files. You don’t want any of your hard work erased. It’s also a good idea to keep a notebook at hand so that you can write down any ideas or questions that come up. Written reminders are important because you will be keeping track of many details, and you don’t want to rely on memory alone. They can also help you quickly pick up where you left off if you are interrupted.
- Above all, take care of yourself during this process. Eat and sleep well, take breaks and cut yourself some slack. It’s perfectly reasonable if other areas of your life fade to the background for a while. Your number one priority is to get through your case and achieve a favorable outcome. Keeping this in mind at all times will be invaluable.
Pro Se University offers affordable legal help for individuals living in King County who are not able to afford an attorney. If you need guidance along the way, contact us or attend a free 30-minute appointment. We will help you get on track and through your family law issue.
Photo by Andy Ciordia
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.
Getting a Patent For Your Idea or Invention
03
Jan
A client came to me today wanting to know if I could represent him to obtain a patent for an idea he had. He said that he contacted a patent attorney, the only one in the phone book, and he wanted $9,000.00 for representation. I had to tell him that I could not represent him in the matter. Patent law is considered a very specialized practice in the legal profession. Most patent lawyers have a scientific and/or engineering background and even passed a special bar exam in addition to the one all other attorneys passed. Their specialized skills and expertise command high fees.
Consistent with the recuring theme of this site, you can file for a patent without an attorney. You will have to spend a lot of time doing the research and drafting the necessary documents, but it can be done.
Before embarking on the acquisition of a patent, make sure your idea or invention is one that is patentable. You must have a unique idea that is not yet for sale or known about. This means you have to research the idea to insure it is original.
Furthermore, you must be able to describe all aspects of your invention. A simple idea is not patentable. For example, I think we should all have affordable flying cars and robot maids. However, I don’t have any knowledge of how to put these ideas into place, so I could not obtain a patent. You should have well crafted designs and ideally, you should make prototypes showing that your idea actually works.
Consider the economic viability of your invention. Weigh the likely market for your product, the cost of production, and determine if it is likely to be profitable. If not, it is not worth the costs of obtaining a patent.
Once you’ve determined that a patent is right for you, you can obtain a provisional patent for a fraction of the cost and effort that the regular patent will cost. This will allow you patent pending status for one year. During this time, you can start marketing your product to test the waters. You may then file for a regular patent.
This article was based on a real question somebody had. If you have a question about a legal matter that you’d like answered, please do not hesitate to contact FreeForLaw.com. Also, if you’d like to purchase a product, such as a book from Nolo, and you find the information on FreeForLaw.com helpful, please link from this site to help pay to keep this site up and running. Here are some publications you might find helpful:
THE DONALD TRUMP AND SARAH PALIN PLATFORM!
Donald Trump for President with his running mate Sarah Palin, please go for it. Or we wouldn’t even mind Palin for president and Trump underneath her, although one thinks that the Donald doesn’t like to be number two.
But just as McCain showed his statesmanship last time by assuring the election of Obama, it will now be re-assured. Obama will be re-elected, and the Republican party will once again be dumped.
And so it goes, with continued weird U.S. elections. Long Live U.S. style democracy!
Posted in COMMENTARY-Passing parade, Palin Trump 'U.S. Election'