When a person is found guilty of a crime, they may be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony. This depends on how severe the crime was and under which classification the crime falls. A felony always involves more serious criminal behavior than a misdemeanor. These are some ways that the penalties for misdemeanors and felonies differ. Incarceration Those who are found guilty of a misdemeanor are not always given incarceration as a punishment.
18 December 2015
Court reporters are the individuals in the courtroom that you see typing at a rapid speed in an attempt to capture every word said in court proceedings. Their fingers are flying at speeds in excess of 200 words per minute. They have a stressful job. It lies on their shoulders to catch every detail of the proceeding. If information is omitted, it could end up causing a whole host of problems.
3 December 2015
If you accuse somebody of being liable for your personal injury, he or she may claim that you assumed the risk of injury by participating in the activity that injured you. This is known as the assumption of risk defense. Proving Assumption of Risk Just like other defenses, a mere claim of assumption of risk isn't enough. The defendant must prove that you knew of the inherent danger of the activity before participating in it and getting injured.
16 November 2015
Personal injury lawsuits happen all time. You might have known someone who filed a personal injury lawsuit and had a favorable outcome, so you might be wondering if filing a lawsuit is right for you. If you have a solid case, it may be worth the time and the money to file a lawsuit. However, there are some things you should know before you file a lawsuit so that you can be realistic about the outcome.
29 October 2015
As a pedestrian, how do you avoid getting hit by a car? The standard answers to this question include crossing the road only at designated points, avoiding cell phone use while crossing the road, and looking both ways before crossing. These are good pieces of advice, but they aren't the only ways of avoiding pedestrian accidents. Here are three more precautions you may not know about: Make Eye Contact with the Oncoming Driver
13 October 2015
Getting injured or having property damaged as the result of a car accident can be very pricey, but if you're on the victim side of the equation, then the settlement is often a light at the end of the tunnel. However, some lawyers offer contingency fees, also known as contingency agreements or contingency contracts. These "money-back guarantees" sound great at first, because they often offer you a way to protect yourself against paying for an attorney who loses your case.
28 September 2015
After making the decision to file for bankruptcy, you must decide which type of filing is best for you. In some instances, filing for a Chapter 13 makes more sense than a Chapter 7. If you fit any of the following situations, a Chapter 13 filing might be best for you. You Want to Catch Up on Payments In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you must file a repayment plan with the court.
8 September 2015
In addition to handling larger commercial transactions, real estate lawyers are also qualified to advise on residential real estate matters. Although hiring the services of a real estate lawyer isn't cheap, doing so can actually save you more money in the long run. Keep reading to discover four invaluable services offered by real estate attorneys and how they benefit you as a buyer or seller. Overseeing Property Transfers Sometimes when you buy a residential property, you end up doing so not from an individual homeowner, but rather from an estate, family trust or incorporated partnership.
18 August 2015
In legal disputes with other family members, the best recourse can sometimes be avoiding the courtroom and heading to mediation. Unfortunately, some people avoid mediation due to misconceptions about it. To help you understand why mediation is a good option, it is important to learn the truth about some of those misconceptions. Mediation Takes Too Long One reason that some people shy away from going to mediation is that they believe it takes too long to get through it.
5 August 2015
Domestic violence can leave victims struggling to rebuild their lives and their finances. Some victims attempt to regain a semblance of normalcy by bringing legal action against an abuser, which wasn't possible in the past. For many years, spousal privilege laws prevented one spouse from suing the other; these days, only a handful of states still have such laws on the books. Even those states still allow victims to sue for intentional torts, which are acts committed with a sense of purpose.
22 July 2015