Top Lawyers of America

Effective Ways of Locating Legal Specialists

2007-09-29T04:25:00.000-07:00

Effective Ways of Locating Legal Specialists by Lala C. Ballatan

Finding the right attorney should be given considerable amount of effort just as if your whole life would depend upon it.

Indeed, the total outcome of your legal problems would have such a significant impact in your life. Keeping this fact in mind will be helpful in compelling you to make substantial efforts to find the right legal specialists necessary and ensure the positive outcome of your case.

For lawyers or attorneys locating the "right lawyer," would be by networking among their colleagues in the profession who have the extensive experience in the respective areas where they need counsel. After accomplishing a number of calls, they will develop a list of attorneys who are experts in their area of specialization.

Aside from this method, you can practice several other means of locating an attorney who would be the best candidate to help you with your legal concerns.

1. Search engines - if you have access to the internet, you just have to log on to search engines, enter keywords implying the specialty area. Your search would result to law firms or lawyer websites practicing such specialty area you have entered.

Resources found in the internet must be counterchecked for their reliability though. Look up for information about the attorney's record of dedication, commitment, and success especially on the case you are concerned with.

You can also look up the web sites of several authority organizations like the America Online's Court TV and local newspapers that may have a database of lawyers and attorneys according to the areas of law where they are experts.

2. Community - every community usually has attorneys specializing in a certain area of law. Aside from asking family members, friends and neighbors for recommendations, you can also approach the local attorney for his or her advice and recommendations.

If your relatives, friends and neighbors have extensive knowledge and experience with the legal community, they might be able to give you great leads. However, networking tactics also call for finding someone competent among those with the same profession.

If you have a business or family attorney then you need not search far enough to get recommendations. However if you are being referred to a colleague of his from the same law firm, then you might include that person in a short list but he or she may not be the best choice.

3. County law library - For example, if you are from Los Angeles County you can personally go to its law library for source books and directories of attorneys or lawyers. Getting into the Yellow Pages may also be helpful for you. Develop a short listing of the most qualified, according to their track records. However, use discretion and go for those with information and experiences you could easily confirm.

4. The Desk Reference of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America - they could be your top source if you are particularly in need of an expert trial attorney.

5. "Peer Review of studies of members' experiences" by Consumer and trial attorney organizations - these are conducted to recognize special experiences by their members making them a very reliable source for your short listing. They do not make an evaluation of how competent the attorney was or give certification of the recognized attorney's expertise. However, their recognition means the member indeed has actual experience.

6. Jury verdict reporting services - this can be a qualified source if you would like to check out a trial attorney's latest records of accomplishments in the courtroom.

7. "Cold calling" - you can apply this method and obtain worthy information during the process. This is done by contacting noted and known leaders of the legal community. Former presidents of bar associations, current heads of the bar association's committees and distinguished editors of legal or law publications.

Your search would be more fruitful if you try out several or all of these methods before ever retaining or hiring a legal specialist whom you could trust with your case wholeheartedly.

We have Los Angeles attorneys with expertise in trial cases involving personal injury, employment, social security disability and business laws. Please visit our website to contact our competent Los Angeles County Trial Attorneys.

About the Author
Lala C. Ballatan a.k.a Kay Zetkin discovered the pleasure of writing through her daily journals way back when she was 10. With writing, she felt freedom - to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns -- imagined and observed, to bear witness.

Divorce Lawyer NYC takes care of all the legal formalities

2007-05-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

Divorce Lawyer NYC takes care of all the legal formalities
by damyelflower

Divorce is very painful and traumatic experience in the life of a person, but sometimes situations become such that one has to go through this. Today the situation has become such that almost half of the marriages that happen in the United States end in divorce and the demand of divorce lawyer is very high too. Getting a divorce is a tough business if you do not have an efficient and reputed divorce lawyer handling your case. Otherwise it cam take ages for you to get a divorce and this can be very harassing for you. In any city in United States there are several divorce lawyers that are there to help out people who want to get a divorce from their spouse for one reason or the other.

If you happen to be a resident of NYC, you have a wide variety of options in hiring a divorce lawyers. New York City is a big city and is among of the busiest metros of the world. There are a huge number of lawyers who practice in the city and if you stay in NYC, it makes perfect sense to hire a divorce lawyer NYC. Each state in America has different legal rules for divorce and marriage and lawyers operating in particular cities or states are well versed about all the rules related to this. You can come to know about lawyer from friends or family who may have used the services of a lawyer in the recent past. On just has to make sure that the divorce that the lawyer they are hiring to work for them is reputed and experienced enough to handle their case without any problems.

It is very important for you to be properly educated about the whole thing before you hand over your divorce case to lawyer. If you have any doubts at all, you must make sure that you clarify them. You can ask you lawyer about the different aspects related to the divorce. Talk to him and have realistic expectation from the legal case. There is no point in expecting the world from the case and then be disappointed about it just because you were not properly educated about what to expect and what not. A person seeking divorce must talk to his or her lawyer about all the events that lead to the decision to seek divorce from the spouse. This is the best way through which the lawyer will be able to prepare really well to fight the case.

There are many things that you need to consider carefully while hiring the services of a divorce lawyer. First you must find out how capable the lawyer is. Well one would surely like to hire the services of lawyer who is efficient in doing his or her work. Also you must find out the fee that the lawyer charges and then determine if you can afford the fees that they are charging. There are lots of details and intricacies associated with a divorce case and the best way to deal with this is to hire the services of lawyer who is an expert in handling such cases.

About the Author
Damyel Flower is an exprienced divorce lawyer.He has successfully handled many divorce cases.He gives advice to clients who are looking for Art lawyer,Divorce lawyer NYC,celebrity divorce lawyer.To hire services of a lawyer in New York and any legal advice visit www.mtllp.com

How the American Legal System has failed you

2007-05-30T00:55:00.000-07:00

How the American Legal System has failed you
by Glyn Norman

How the American Legal System has failed you

We live in an increasingly litigious society. The chances of being sued are now estimated at being 1 in 4, with predators lurking to file spurious lawsuits and victimize anyone they think can afford it. America has most of the world's lawyers with 50,000 being added every year, each one hungry for their piece of the lawsuit pie.

This is why it is so lucrative: in the USA, if you file a lawsuit against someone, they have to respond to it. Even if it is frivolous and without grounds, you must appear in court and defend yourself. Since this is expensive, many people prefer to settle out of court, and spare themselves the time and expense of legal proceedings, even if they are innocent.

And this is where the system breaks down. Why should it cost you, assuming you are an innocent party, anything? Why should you have to pay to defend yourself from a frivolous, speculative lawsuit? In England, by comparison, if someone brings a lawsuit against you, and they lose, they are responsible for paying not only their own legal costs, but yours too. It's a worthy discouragement, and only those with a genuine case tend to take the risk.

Here however, you have to pay to defend yourself, and even if you are innocent, you are still liable for your own legal costs. In the USA, generally the richest 10% can afford a lawyer, and the poorest 10% will have a lawyer provided for them by the government. That leaves the middle 80% rather vulnerable to such predatory lawsuits.

Ideally, one would wish to have access to professional legal advice, without it costing the earth. One company that provides just such a unique service is PrePaid Legal, Inc. Through providing low-cost prepaid legal plans to over 1 million families in the US, this company is making legal representation affordable for the masses. With plans covering the whole family starting at $16 per month, no longer is legal representation the privilege of the very wealthy, or very poor, but now available to most hard-working American families.

Even though many do not need a lawyer on a regular basis, it provides great peace of mind to know that one is available, just a phone call away, and that cost no longer needs to be a consideration.

The coverage provided is extensive with unlimited phone consultations, a letter or phone call from the lawyer for each issue, contract and document review, will preparation and updates, motor vehicle violation representation, trial representation up to 60 hours the first year, IRS Audit representation and more, all for the flat fee of $16 per month - and this covers the whole family. If a situation arises which is not covered by the plan, the membership gives the person a 25% discount on all other legal services.

Five minutes after signing up for a PrePaid Legal Plan, new subscribers receive the name and telephone number of a top local law firm that will represent them in any matter. It's that quick, and that simple.

It is no surprise that an increasing number of families are subscribing to a PrePaid Legal plan, seeing it as an affordable means of obtaining legal advice, and a fantastic insurance against a ruinous lawsuit. To have the confidence and ability to say, "I'm going to speak to my lawyer about this," is certain to give any potential litigants pause for thought.

About the Author
The author, Glyn Norman, signs up grateful new members every day to PrePaid Legal Plans, and protects himself and his family with one too. Details of the plan coverage are available here: http://getmelegalhelp.info and information on the Business Opportunity marketing such plans, is available here: http://glyn.buildlastingsuccess.com/ . ID Theft Protection plans also available.

Mesothelioma: Do you need a lawyer?

2007-05-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

Mesothelioma: Do you need a lawyer?
by Patricia Hughes

MESOTHELIOMA: DO YOU NEED A LAWYER?

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in the last five years, you may wish to meet with an attorney to discuss your legal rights. Anyone who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma should consider this option. If you have a loved one who is deceased because of mesothelioma, their spouse or an executor of the estate should also consider legal representation.

There are different avenues to consider regarding representation and the possibilities of obtaining compensation. We believe it is important that you choose representation by a firm that is exclusively devoted to mesothelioma claims. We believe you should choose a firm that has years of experience and a proven track record with mesothelioma claims.

Some people do not want to file a lawsuit. For such people, they may want to know that a number of companies have filed for bankruptcy protection and have established bankruptcy trusts that pay smaller amounts to mesothelioma victims. Sometimes, if it is too late to file a lawsuit or if the mesothelioma victim is strongly opposed to filing a lawsuit, we can recover some compensation by filing claims with bankruptcy trusts. This is a decision that should not be made quickly and should only be made after consultation with an experienced legal representative.

STATUTES OF LIMITATION

All states have statutes of limitation that provide that a claim is barred if it is not timely filed. Some states require that a claim must be filed within one year of the date of diagnosis, while other states provide that the individual has as long as five years from the date of diagnosis. This not only varies from state to state, but sometimes varies depending upon the state of exposure or where the lawsuit is filed. It may be necessary, if some period of time has expired after the date of diagnosis, to file the claim in a different jurisdiction to avoid the running of the state of limitations. As a general rule, it is always better to get the process moving as quickly as possible to avoid any potential issues with a statute of limitations.

WHERE WILL THE LAWSUIT BE FILED?

A lawsuit will not necessarily be filed in the state where you live. Some jurisdictions are more liberal in awarding substantial jury awards. If you or your loved one live in a state where juries tend to be more conservative, it might make sense to discuss bringing the case in an alternative jurisdiction. Oftentimes cases can be brought in another state where there was exposure or where a defendant may be located or incorporated.
If there is a potential problem with the statute of limitations in the state where you live, the problem can sometimes be avoided by filing in another state. This should only be decided after meeting with your legal representative.

DO I HAVE TO GO TO COURT?

Typically, we can do all of the work on your case in or near your home. If your deposition is taken, this can also be done in your home or in a conference room near your home. Only if the case is not settled, might you have to be present in court for any period of time. Even if your case goes before a jury, you generally only need be present for a small portion of the trial.
In the overwhelming percentage of these cases, however, settlements will be reached prior to the trial date. Because of this, it is always best to hire experienced counsel with a track record of success. Experienced counsel who have obtained substantial awards in the past may be more likely to obtain significant settlement offers from the defendants prior to going to trial.

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT STEP?

Because mesothelioma cases have become more lucrative, the number of law firms that are seeking mesothelioma cases are on the increase. You may encounter lawyers that you know who now claim to be interested in taking your case. It is important to have experienced legal representation from lawyers who have experience negotiating settlements in mesothelioma cases.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma in the last five years, talk to an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to discuss your legal rights today.

About the Author
Patricia Hughes, from ePlus Marketing promotes her clients on and off line. For more information contact: Maune Raichle Law firm 1-800-358-5922. The firm specializes in mesothelioma cases. Or go to: www.legal-mesothelioma-help.com

Ten Ways to Build Client Trust In Your Business

2007-05-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Ten Ways to Build Client Trust In Your Business
by James Aitken

These days, with a million ads and marketing messages hitting us from every direction, the most important key to building your ad or marketing strategy is "TRUST."

Does your marketing net you as much as you'd like? Do your ads help you generate lucrative prospects weekly and monthly? Are you able to convert leads into paying clients with your marketing?

If the answer is no, then maybe you aren't expressing your trustworthiness enough. No one in the world will every buy anything from you if they don't trust that your products and services will do what you say they will do.

Do the words and images you use in your marketing help establish the trust necessary to convince prospects to believe in and buy from you? If not, then you'll benefit from the following strategies geared toward converting prospects to clients.

1. PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF YOUR CLIAMS Rather than making impersonal and dramatic claims of what your products or services do, use examples. Examples are far more believable. A case study is an ideal way to explain exactly what you did for someone and the difference it made in their life or their business.

2. GIVE THINGS AWAY FREE Giving things away free is a great way to build trust. You can give anything--a keychain, your grandma's prized apple pie recipe, an e-book or article. Giving something to people, regardless of the cost, makes them more likely to trust you and even to return the favor by buying something from you.

3. PUT OUT ARTICLES INSTEAD OF ADVERTISEMENTS Being inundated with advertisements 24/7 has instilled in us a deep distrust of ads. We tend to believe instead what we read in published articles. Rather than putting out countless ads, your time would be better spent writing articles. This establishes you as an expert who is willing to help, rather than a company trying to get people's credit card information for the sole purpose of making money.

4. TESTIMONIALS, TESTIMONIALS, TESTIMONIALS Convince your target that you're worth what you say by showing them what past clients have said about you. These are called "testimonials," and if you aren't using them you're missing a key ingredient in your marketing and advertising. They're not hard to get. Just contact some past clients, ask what they thought of your product or service, what they liked about it and how it was helpful. Then, edit their comments, ask for their permission to use their edited words, and use this material in your marketing and ad campaigns.

5. SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOUR TARGET MARKET In this industrial-economic empire that we call America, with skyscrapers and big multibillion dollar companies all around us, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we're all human. So a common misperception is that in order to sound credible your marketing should be cold and impersonal. Instead of trying to act stuffy and distant, you should do the exact opposite. People do business with people, not steel buildings and dry corporate entities. Show photos of yourself and your staff, talk directly to your target market, explain in human terms why they should trust you, be passionate and have a bit of personality.

6. GET AS MANY REFERRALS AS POSSIBLE What is the first thing you do when you need an accountant, plumber, doctor, lawyer or web design company? You ask a friend for a referral, don't you? Why? Because you trust the recommendations of friends, family and people you know. For your own business, instead of waiting for the occasional referral, implement a system to generate referrals. Use the "I'll wash your back if you wash mine" approach. It usually works, as long as you partner with companies you know provide good products or services.

7. EXCHANGE ENDORSEMENTS This is a proven strategy for doubling your marketing reach without paying a penny. Simply team up with a local business you trust and that also targets your market. Ask the company if it's OK if you use an endorsement of your company's products and services. In exchange, you do the same for them. While a personal referral is ideal, a company endorsement also adds a lot of weight to your claims.

8. KEEP IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH HOT LEADS Clients or potential clients who you see and talk to daily or weekly or even monthly are usually the ones you trust the most--and who trust you the most. You've developed a rapport with each other and during this process you've established one thing that's crucial for your business--you've established trust. Communicating with them regularly is a good way to continue to develop and even build on this trust.

9. REDUCE YOUR TARGET MARKET'S RISK WHEN BUYING FROM YOU What's your biggest concern when purchasing a product or service? Most people are worried that the product or service will not perform the way they hope. How can you prove to people that the claims you make in your marketing are true? Provide a guarantee. Also, outline clearly and carefully the value you provide and state your commitment to making sure that your product or service will not only reach but exceed their expectations.

10. MAKE CONTACTING YOU EASIER Don't leave it up to your clients to try to figure out how to get in touch with you. Show them how by making it easy as 1-2-3 for them. Put your website, phone number, and email address at the top of your website or marketing materials. Include a call to action, which most people forget. This means tell them to call, write or visit your website. Don't leave it up to them because more often than not they will not make the first move.

In summary, the best way to convert your target market into leads and leads into clients is to build trust. These ten marketing strategies help form the foundation of the trust you'll need to convince people that you aren't just out for their credit card numbers, but that you truly and sincerely want to help their business.

Beware. If this is not truly your attitude--that you really want to help people with the product or service you provide--you may want to skip marketing and go straight to filing for Chapter 11 now. Why? Because although it's true that there's a sucker born every minute, sooner or later people are going to get hip to your song and dance and word will spread to stay away from you. In that case, all the marketing and advertising secrets in the world won't help you.

About the Author
©All Access Unlimited, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All Access Unlimited provides stunning web design, effective copywriting and results-driven marketing to companies across the world. Coming from traditional design backgrounds, specialized marketing training, and real-life N.Y.C. business experience, AAU is highly qualified to take your project from concept to completion. We're also committed to establishing lifelong partnerships and friendships w

Exploring Texas Patent Infringement Lawsuits

2007-05-22T04:45:00.000-07:00

Exploring Texas Patent Infringement Lawsuits
by Nick Johnson

Texas has found its place on the map as a hot spot for legal action, particularly for patent infringement lawsuits. Texas lawyers are very busy, and with good reason. Texas lawyers are moving the patent infringement lawsuits in Texas along faster than any other state. Patent infringement in Texas is not necessarily that high, but the number of cases in Texas comes in well over the national average.

Only the central District of California will handle more lawsuits than Texas, and this is big news for small towns in Texas. Texas lawyers have been able to expedite cases, and thus Texas is making its mark on the map with major corporations as the place to be for a lawsuit.

Resolving cases of patent infringement in Texas means less down time for the companies involved, and means big business for small towns of the Lone Star State. Hotels, restaurants, and other small businesses are benefiting well from the onslaught of lawsuits involving patent infringement in Texas.

Texas lawyers are handling the bulk of the cases, typically representing the claimants, while patent lawyers from New York, California, Colorado, Maine, Florida, and Oregon have all gotten a reasonably well paid tour of the state of Texas.

The Texas courts have seen the parade of Texas lawyers as well as their national counterparts and maintain the expectation for more in the future. With the national increase in lawsuits it is completely believable that this year Texas lawyers will top their current record of 234 cases in the Eastern District alone.

With patent infringement in Texas becoming such big business for small town America, you would think the big cities were missing out. Not at all. The large cities such as Houston are certainly holding their own in the count of cases coming through Texas. So why is there such a heavy interest in bringing it to Texas?

Texas has a much higher claimant award average than anywhere else in the country. While several sources quote various numbers, the conservative figure is 78% of cases are judged in favor of the patent holders which is quite a difference from the national average of 59%. Investigations into this high number has come up with generalized reasoning.

The Texas juries which were polled stated that they made their decisions based on the letter of the law, not a "loose interpretation of the law" as some state they were asked to do by the defense lawyers. Others state that the cases are just so obvious, that it was very clear that the patent violators knew or should have known that the patent was already in existence.

Cases regarding patent infringement in Texas are expected to grow, and Texas lawyers are prepared for the job. Just as the cases in Texas are agreeably sized as everything else in Texas, so are the verdicts. Cases involving it in Texas are subject to judgment awards as large as everything else in Texas. Some Texas lawyers state that this is due to the understanding of the potential financial devastation that stealing from another company can bring. Texans seriously look down upon stealing, which is what most patent infringement equates to.

Obviously, Texas lawyers are quite skilled at what they do, and when it comes to protecting patent rights, skill of the lawyer means everything. Patent infringement in Texas means results for claimants. Texas lawyers are serious about the results they bring in for their claimants. Thus, it would make sense that if you're in need of a patent infringement lawyer and are in need of results, Texas would be the place to look.

After such a high peak in Texas patent infringement cases, it would be reasonable to believe that the peak is over, and that there will soon be too many Texas lawyers, But the truth seems to be revealing itself a bit differently, as patent infringement in Texas is still only second to the central district of California. What does this mean for the future of patent infringement in the United States? Only time will tell. But as of right now, if you're in need of a lawyer, the place to be is, or course, Texas.

About the Author
Nick Johnson, lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group, represents individuals or companies with cases involving patent infringement. Find more information at: http://www.toppatentinfringementlawyers.com or call 1-888-311-5522

Should Lawyers use Metadata?

2007-04-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Should Lawyers use Metadata?
by Michael Goldstein

I use Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and many other office programs. Do you use the same? What many of us to not know is that in each email and office file we create, we are also creating a hidden trail of data about our documents. These programs automatically save information such as who worked on the document, when and for how long was the document open, who printed the document, when was it printed and from what work station. In addition to personally identifying information, is private comments used for intra office use as well as a trail of all content that was deleted from a document. For those of us who are in the know, it is not difficult at all to retrieve some if not all of this information from every document that is sent to us. The question clearly beckons, should lawyers review metadata in documents? Is reviewing this data ethical, when the author of such data likely had no idea they were creating it?

Metadata by its definition is simply, data about data. It can contain all sort of identifying information. One of the easiest ways for metadata to be left in a document is for the comments section to leave the comments feature turned on. Similarly, if you leave track changes turned on, the receiving attorney can not only read confidential comments that were meant to be intra-office or privileged communications between he attorney and client, but also the attorney can see what content was deleted from the document.

In a recent American Bar Association opinion by its ethics committee, reviewing issues such as metadata sent to lawyers, the committee stated that reviewing metadata meets with the professional responsibility guidelines. 06-442 (August 5, 2006). The committee did add the footnote, "This opinion assumes that the receiving lawyer did not obtain the electronic documents in a manner that was criminal, fraudulent, deceitful, or otherwise improper, for example, by making a false statement of material fact to opposing counsel or to any other third person (Model Rule 4.1(a)), using a method of obtaining evidence that violated the legal rights of a third person (Model Rule 4.4(a)), or otherwise engaging in misconduct (Model Rule 8.4). Such scenarios are beyond the scope of this opinion."

Perhaps even more interesting than the opinion itself, the committee stated that there is no specific language in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct that would forbid an attorney from reviewing the metadata in electronic documents. The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 4.4(b) reads: "A lawyer who receives a document relating to the representation of the lawyer's client and knows or reasonably should know that the document was inadvertently sent shall promptly notify the sender." However, when an attorney receives a document that they requested, and the opposing counsel is negligent in removing or redacting information, it is not the job of the receiving attorney to censor what they read.

Is it negligent for an attorney to send an electronic document such as a Microsoft word document or archived email file without first scrubbing it for metadata? This question beckons an analysis of whether even in today's technologically savvy business and legal environment, the reasonable attorney is aware of metadata and how it can possibly breach privilege by sending confidential comments, or reviling trade secrets, in addition to arming the opposing the counsel with great evidence for a deposition and cross examination.

Does the attorney have a duty to scrub the file and does that duty extend to files sent to the attorney by the client to hold similar to an escrow agent holding funds? If there is a duty does simply sending a file breach that duty? Even if a breach occurred is there an injury to the attorney's client and was the damage proximately caused by the breach where the attorney sent the document?

It is my contention that too much has been written on the existence of metadata in the past couple of years for someone to not know of its existence. Yet, to understand how to clear out metadata, or even all of the specific details it contains may fall outside the scope of what a reasonable attorney might know. As such, I would suggest that it is fair to review metadata, but at the same time, I believe it is also fair that you must inform the sender of their mistake.

About the Author
Should Lawyers use Metadata was written by Michael Goldstein for the Law Office of Goldstein and Clegg, a Massachusetts civil litigation law firm.

America's Next Top Model Designer Charged With Sexual Assault

2007-04-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

America's Next Top Model Designer Charged With Sexual Assault
by Groshan Fabiola

Last week, fashion designer Anand Jon was charged with six felonies by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. He faces complaints regarding vulgar acts on a minor and rape of multiple victims he allegedly committed between October 2004 and March 5, 2007.

Jon, a 33-year old Indian-born fashion designer, has made numerous appearances on the reality show America's Next Top Model. Known for embracing modern technology in his designs, he has uniquely established himself as a much-admired designer to a number of celebrities and infamous icons like Paris Hilton, Princess Olivia de Burbon, Gloria Estefan, Alanis Morissette, Janet Jackson, Mary J Blige, Michelle Rodriguez, Tara Reid and The Al Saud Royal Family just to name a few.

His frequent participation on the show America's Next Top Model has added positive exposure to the well-established designer. However with the charges he is currently faced with, no amount of America's Next Top Model publicity can absolve him from the noise surrounding his accusations. If proven guilty, Jon could be convicted for life. His bail has been fixed at $1.3 million.

In addition, sexual charges are not the only buzzing news following fashion designer. Apparently, his eligibility to work in the United States is also in question. Even though his lawyer maintains that he came to the US with a professional work visa, people from Immigration have already included Jon in their watch list.

And despite the formal complaint against him, he remains firm with his denial, asserting his firm respect for women. In fact, his attorney explained that Jon is in a difficult position having been surrounded by numerous women who aspires to make it big in the industry. He also stresses the high probability of these women making "false allegations" against his client. His first court date is scheduled on April 4, 2007.

About the Author
For more info about America's Next Top Model and especially about America's Next Top Model Designer Charged With Sexual Assault please review http://www.buddytv.com

How the Insurance Companies Look at Mesothelioma

2007-04-15T00:31:00.000-07:00

How the Insurance Companies Look at Mesothelioma
by Nick Johnson

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer that is found in the mesothelium (or protective covering) of the lung, heart, and abdomen. It is caused by the exposure of asbestos and is the focus of thousands of lawsuits across America. Many people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are those who worked in factories, automotive factories, construction, and with jobs that manufactured or produced products that was made of the asbestos fibers. Thousands of people are winning billions of dollars in mesothelioma lawsuits; however, the insurance companies frown on these lawsuits because of the lack of evidence that the asbestos exposure is the cause of the mesothelioma. The insurance companies are feeling the pain of these lawsuits because they are losing billions of dollars.

Although it is proven that mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, it is not known for sure where and when the asbestos exposure really occurred since it probably occurred over the course of thirty to forty years. Mesothelioma is not a disease that occurs overnight. It occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to asbestos. Many people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma worked for company's decades earlier where asbestos exposure was very high. It is evident that that the mesothelioma was probably caused by this exposure, but the insurance companies say that there is not real evidence to prove this exposure. Therefore, the insurance companies really frown on the mesothelioma cases.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you are having a hard time getting your insurance company to pay for your medical expenses, then you should contact a mesothelioma lawyer. You have a right to have your medical expenses paid regardless of what evidence your insurance company says it has or is missing. There are mesothelioma lawyers who are trained and who have a lot of experience in dealing with insurance companies and mesothelioma and they can answer any questions or concerns that you have about your mesothelioma and how your insurance company is or is not handling your medical expenses that are related to your condition. So, if you feel you are not receiving fair benefits or treatment from your insurance company in regards to your mesothelioma, you may be able to file a lawsuit and you may be entitled to many benefits as a result of your mesothelioma lawsuit. There is no need to suffer more than you already have. A mesothelioma lawyer will be able to help you.

About the Author
Nick Johnson is lead counsel with Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs in many states and focuses on injury cases involving Fen-Phen and PPH, Paxil, Mesothelioma and Nursing Home Abuse. Call 1-888-311-5522 today or visit http://www.johnsonlawgroup.com for a free case evaluation.

Survivor Lawyer in Trouble with the Law?

2007-04-14T01:48:00.000-07:00

Survivor Lawyer in Trouble with the Law?
by Groshan Fabiola

Angarita, a 28-year old attorney, was born on April 20, 1978 in South America. He came to the United States to study at the University of California where he acquired his Bachelor of Arts degree. Eventually, he attended Harvard School of Law where he got his Juris Doctor Degree. He was also a member of the Harvard Boxing Club where he honed his interest in boxing, as well as other sports activities like running, yoga, basketball and weightlifting. Prior to his becoming an attorney, he worked as a tutor, and an operations director. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, and works as a freelance lawyer. In the future, he aspires to put up his own educational consulting company.

According to the complaint, Angarita "used threats and violence to deter and prevent" officers from doing their jobs. His misconduct was apparently an upshot of his dispute with his girlfriend after a Survivor viewing party, which now translates to charges with two counts of offenses of resisting arrest, one felony count of battery with injury to an officer and an offense for possession of marijuana.

In TV world, Angarita remains as one of Moto tribe's strongest players on Survivor, able to control and lead in certain situations. But in real life, his chances of survival in court appear to be slim. He is scheduled to return to the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, March 14, 2007. Will Angarita be able to remain in the game? Stay glued and catch Survivor: Fiji on Thursdays at 8:00 PM on ET/PT on the CBS network.

About the Author
For more information about Survivor and especially about Survivor Lawyer in Trouble with the Law? or more related subjects please click http://www.buddytv.com

America's Next Top Model Designer Charged With Sexual Assault

2007-04-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

Expert Legal Help From True Lawyers

2007-04-10T03:35:00.000-07:00

Expert Legal Help From True Lawyers
by Timothy Maler

Have you ever imagined what will happen if you are sued or an arrest warrant is issued against you? The first thing that would come to your mind is to hire a lawyer, who shall provide the legal help. Often we come across situations where we find ourselves engulfed into legal matters. At these situations the best possible thing we can do is to find an attorney to cope with the trouble. The best place to find an attorney, among the various sources, is the attorney directory. Here the lawyers and attorneys are listed as per their specialization in different legal issues like registration, consumer protection, child custody, divorce etc. So whether you have any complain against a product, you want to file a divorce, or there is an arrest warrant for you, you can always seek Legal help from the true lawyers.

In our everyday life, we often come in close interaction with law and being a good citizen we must abide by the law of the state we live in. But sometimes we get a brush with the law like we get sued or sacked for no apparent reason. In the world of web you have ready access to any Lawyer Directory or Attorney Directory and when you feel the need for an attorney now you can just click one of these directories to find true lawyers and attorneys. Many lawyers are registered members of these online Lawyers directory and attorney directory, thereby providing us the most authentic and complete legal help.

The true lawyers apply the legal theories and knowledge to solve legal disputes and advance the interest of their clients who seek legal help. There are matters like registration and parking summons for vehicle owners and we need not always seek help from an attorney in such cases; we can always depend on self-help. But if the things go worse you must ask an attorney for legal help regarding the legal aspects of these issues. Sometimes it may happen that we have many ways to resolve a legal issue or that we are in jeopardy about what to do in a particular legal turmoil. In such a situation we can ask a lawyer about our queries on the specific legal issues or can hire a lawyer to present our case in the court. Entrepreneurs and businessmen usually prefer to ask an attorney regarding the intricacies of a legal issue before arriving at any legal decision.

For entrepreneurs and businessmen, legal help can be sought in matters related to estate planning, partnership deeds, financial agreements and business negotiations and transactions. Having wide knowledge about the law of the land and regular interaction with various legal issues, the true lawyers are the best professionals who can give expert advice to their clients and advance the interest of the clients. Professional legal help from the true lawyers can help us make the best benefit out of the rules and regulations imposed by the government.

Being a country comprising of fifty states, United States has a complicated legal system as all the fifty states have their own constitutions other than the common constitution of the nation. There are several laws that differ in different states, and it is not possible for a common man to know and understand all these law properly. For this reason we seek legal help from the true lawyers and attorneys whom we can find from the attorney directory or lawyers directory.

The directories help us to find an attorney from the state where we have faced the legal issues. Not every lawyers in a state deal with all legal issues; many of them specialize in different subjects like administration, transportation, tax, wills and probate, adoption, divorce, business laws etc. If we have some legal issues dealing with transportation law there is no point in going to an attorney who specializes in administrative laws or to ask an attorney specializing in divorce cases for the legal help. For this the Attorney directories provide a list of specialized lawyers who can be helpful for us in resolving the legal issues we have. After we find an attorney suitable for our job we can contact them and let the lawyer know about the legal issue. In the later stage we can ask an attorney to give expert opinion in this matter and with them we can even have the benefit of Attorney Referral service.

If the lawyer dealing with the legal issues feels that his or her opinion must be seconded by another attorney or that he or she is unable to find a solution for the legal issue, he or she may go for an attorney referral, i.e. they will refer another attorney to deal with the case. Generally the referred attorneys are very experienced and can provide the specific legal help. When the matter is related to tax planning, estate planning, drafting will or trust, business negotiations or personal matters like divorce or adoption, what is sought most is the legal help from the true lawyers.

When we feel that our reputation, finance or job is at the stake, we cannot help but find an attorney to provide us with the required legal help that will be beneficial to resolve those legal issues. With the online Attorney directory, an attorney can expect to be consulted 24 hours a day and seven days a week by the common people seeking legal help. This will add to the reputation of the lawyers. By registering in any lawyers directory the lawyers can expand their client base significantly. They can take the benefit of online chat to stay in touch with the client all the time to provide them with the necessary legal help. Also the clients can get in touch with a lawyer instantly if they feel that they need an attorney now.

All of us can have a close interaction with the law at any point of time. It is therefore necessary to know something about the law. When we are empowered with the law we can deal with many legal issues by ourselves. But if we feel that we really need legal help we can always bank on the true lawyers.

About the Author
We are a community of consumers and attorneys who meet on True Lawyers to share information about legal issues, or contacts at support@truelawyers.com

Divorce: Heed The Warnings!

2007-04-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

Divorce: Heed The Warnings!
by Teri Plaxton

In today's society, divorce is more the norm than ever before. Uttering the words "I just didn't see it coming." is a usual phrase from people getting divorce, mainly because they prefer to not take the signs more seriously and just let things be. There are signs that show the couples are heading for a divorce, and knowing them may help in preventing, or easing the pain of the process. Since communication breakdown is often a glaring sign on the road to Splitsville, it isn't surprising that one partner in a relationship is often caught off guard by the dreaded delivery of divorce papers. Below are seven warning signs of a marriage going sour.

1. The Stranger Beside You. Do you and your partner spend hours together under the same roof, at social engagements or performing routine errands, yet rarely engage in meaningful conversation? Existing in silence is a primary symptom of major marital problems.

2. Under a Microscope? Do you feel like your every action is being watched and criticized by your partner? Can you do no right in their eyes? Too often partners will funnel larger relationship issues into negative criticism of day-to-day tasks.

3. Heard It Through the Grapevine. Has your major source of information about your partner - their career, problems and personal achievements - become mutual friends and overheard phone conversations? When you start becoming "the last to know," communication needs to happen.

4. What's That Smell? Over time, your comfort level will inevitably end that desire to look "perfect" for every encounter with your partner. However, a drastic decline in personal appearance and hygiene by your spouse could be a sign of surrender.

5. Infomercials and Baywatch Reruns. If the buzz of your household's television becomes constant, there may be a problem. It is common for individuals to overwhelm themselves with distractions (television, books, model-building in the basement) to avoid dealing with a troubled marriage.

6. Drama Without Purpose? Do you feel like a Broadway actor giving the same performance eight times a week? If your arguments become routine with all the same issues and no resolution, then your marriage is either standing still or dying fast. You may need the assistance of a professional counselor to help direct these conversations.

7. 1-900-HELP-ME. Is the physical intimacy in your relationship so far gone that calling up a party line seems like it would be worth $20 a minute? A significant decline in physical affection is one of the most recognized symptoms of a flailing relationship.

* If the scenarios in this article seem all too familiar, there are several things to keep in mind when dealing with these issues and making decisions about marriage or divorce:

* Marriages rarely fix themselves. Don't walk on eggshells, afraid to bring up sensitive issues. If your relationship is on the rocks and you aren't moving toward either a solution or dissolution, then you aren't actively managing the process and need to take a more proactive role.

* Don't be afraid to rely on professionals. Marriage counselors, couples retreats and communication workshops are great first steps to reviving a relationship and building a stronger, more balanced partnership.

* If divorce seems inevitable, start preparing. If your instinct says your relationship won't last, be proactive: have an initial consultation with a lawyer and make copies of important financial and legal documents.

Recently, there has been a growing number of divorces across America and there seems to be many misunderstandings of the causes and effects of these family breakups. Several recent studies have tried to identify the causes of this trend and evaluate the results. While the findings of these studies have not been completely proven, they still have corrected a lot of the faulty information from past research that has been generally accepted as true.

About the Author
Do you want to find out the secrets of which dating sites are the best? Or maybe you would like to know the most effective, cheapest and easiest way of using them to work for you to find a gorgeous partner online? If so, then you must read some of the hundreds of free articles available at her blog at http://www.pandadatingsites.com/info .

The Secrets of Having a Successful Personal Injury Claim

2007-04-02T05:02:00.000-07:00

The Secrets of Having a Successful Personal Injury Claim
by rainier policarpio

In any manner, a number of us have been engaged in accidents which cause us to suffer slight or serious personal injuries. Whether it is brought out by our own fault or other party's misconduct, injuries or impairments still cause us to suffer much. However, on the latter case, it is highly-recommendable to file a personal injury claim against the unruly party to compensate whatever damages you have incurred.

The Personal Injury law, or the Tort Law, covers all the items which can be associated with personal injury cases. It also states all the possible sanctions which the accused may suffer including the financial damages that he may be obliged to pay to the victim. This law aims to aid the poor victims in their monetary needs such as paying for their hospital bills and sustaining their families' daily basic necessities. Also, some torts can be included in criminal offenses that put a guilty party in jail. Otherwise, it is still necessary for the victims to pursue a case in the court to get it started. But, in doing this one should first know the basics of the Tort Law and strictly follow the proceedings of the case in order to bring quite a superior result in his legal battle.

Primarily, an individual should take in to account the three bases of the personal injury case before filing a petition. In most of its occurrence, the accident can be attributed to Negligence which explains that the defendant has to take the responsibility on whatever effects his failure of exercising his duties may inflict to the victims. Moreover, these incidents may also be connected to Intentional Wrong which means that an individual who will be proven of knowing the probable consequences of his actions but still choose to pursue it and cause injuries to people, is might as well be culpable of violating the law. The very last is Strict Liability which is applicable to those cases where the violator manufactured substandard or defective products which later cause injuries and impairments to those people who utilize it. These torts are the mere point of arguments in a personal injury lawsuit. That is why an individual must first determine what among these three torts is applicable to his case in order for him not to be lost in the process of his filing the claim.

Another thing is, like any other criminal court case, the petitioner is given the free will, under the law, to seek legal assistance coming from a respectable and duly qualified personal injury lawyer to help him out in his endeavor of pursuing the legal battle. This right will certainly boost the chances of the victims in obtaining success and in acquiring the largest possible financial damages in the shortest time. To add, a legal representation will probably ease the burden of these victims from undertaking the complicated procedures, thus, giving them much quality time to spend with their families and friends.

Finally, the actualization of one's rights and the adherence to strict safety precautions is still much better than being engaged in this unpleasant situation. In whatever activities we execute, we must put in mind that prevention is much better than cure.

Our Los Angeles Accident Attorneys specialize in all fields of personal injury, business law, social security, and employment cases.

About the Author
Rainier used to work in a publishing company as a writer and eventually became an associate editor. He dealt in writing instructional materials for secondary and tertiary students. His passion in writing inspired him to read a lot and subsequently enabled him to gain more knowledge and skills.

What Florida Lawyers Are The Attorneys You Want To Hire

2007-03-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

What Florida Lawyers Are The Attorneys You Want To Hire
by Markus Skupeika

LAWYERS AND LIFE

People do go often down the memory lane about their life. After couple of hours thinking it gets to the realization that life is eventful, indeed it is.

When people like you meet the life span. You find good aspect of it and the bad one as well. The good aspect consists of joy, happy feelings, and excellent works that you have ever performed and last but not the least bubble- memories. Those things reflect through the gateway of smiles and blushes.

On the contrary, life gets dumb and stops for a while when it comes to meet accidents, pains and grief ness or sorrow.

It will be harsh to talk on accidents in life. When the stipulated accidents like car accidents, motorcycle accidents, boat accidents, truck accidents or things like that spread out its wings over the life, you become blank from your mind and stay as disheartened as if you think the atmosphere and the environment around you has been stopped. People like us measure pain the significance right on that.

WHAT WE DO?

We are the people who put the value of loss and pain for the people who has been hurt or injured during the accidents, as we all know it does not come with the ring at your doorbell. Thus we do stretch out our hand by giving you the proper and adequate suggestions and methods of implementation by which you can come out of this stagnant situation. Being a part of the civilized world "what you do?"

After leaving the bed in the morning and complying with the essential work and then you rush to your office and work destination. On your way to that place you meet the either car's disorder due to break down of the system or ran over of the car on you due to reckless driving by an irresponsible individual. We Florida Lawyers are right behind you at that point of time not only through visibility but also stretched out hand of ours on the Internet browser.

As a victim of the accident you are caught in the dilemma whether to call a lawyer or not. You must to go for the first option. If you are not interested enough to recall a lawyer you surely lose your rights compensation is the more desirable thing from the conductor of the car accident. You cannot demand your compensation through verbal steps. Some legal ways that need to be followed and there lies the significance of the lawyer. In regard to defend your rights you should switch to the lawyer. The Florida Accident Attorney will be able to send a legal notice to the accused party and can draw him to the court. There are some several queries that he will ask to the concerned party and slowly he will lead to that point that mentioned accused person has committed a crime and he will be penalized by the court. The court will go ahead and asked the person to compensate. The entire compensation will come at your way. During this period you will become an idle (if you were working some where). The lawyer will make sure that the proper arrangements have been made to pay you off. The methodology will be set in such a way to reimburse the victim of the accident. You need to know a certain thing that you will not be able to get the reimbursement after winning the case.

For those people Lawyer Car Accident Florida advices you don't need to spare a single penny. All this advices and consultations (wherever is applicable) will be done at free of cost.

As you send the request to us to work on a knot has been tied between us automatically. Your privacy will be taken care of by our expert official.

About the Author
Discover what Florida Accident Lawyers recommend with out a consultation online. Free Advice at NetworkLawyers.net News Spot. Ask about the No Reimbursement Package from Firm Florida Lawyers.

Frivolous lawsuits: Why are they so prevalent?

2007-03-29T22:23:00.001-07:00

Frivolous lawsuits: Why are they so prevalent?
by Rocco Beatrice

ASSET PROTECTION is the concept of protecting and preserving one's assets from frivolous lawsuits designed to primarily destroy your current and future lifestyle.

Let me put it another way, up to now, you've probably worked very hard to get where you are. But my guess is that you've worked too hard, endured too much stress ... and for what? It can all evaporate before your very eyes because of of one or any frivolous lawsuit.

One of the fastest growing businesses in America is an army of contingent-fee lawyers. Did you know that 80% of total world's lawyers are in the United States and 130,000 new students are currently attending law school?

Of one well-known and notable frivolous lawsuit that I can recall is the woman who was awarded $2.3 million in a suit against McDonald's because she spilled hot coffee all over herself. (The Award was later reduced but not eliminated).

Here is an actual account of a frivolous lawsuit: while driving to an appointment, one of the employees remembers he needs to contact a coworker regarding a meeting. He dials the number on his cell phone, and briefly takes his eyes off the road. In that instant, a vehicle in front of him shifts lanes, and he strikes it, seriously injuring a 78-year-old woman. Under exactly this scenario, a jury awarded a $21 million judgment against Dykes Industries of Little Rock, Arkansas.

PREDATOR-PLAINTIFFS FILED 30 MILLION NEW LAWSUITS LAST YEAR

That's over 82,000 lawsuits per day and the number keeps growing! Opportunists make careers out of filing lawsuits, knowing that the expense of defending against these attacks is so high, a settlement will likely be offered.

How Opportunists Find Out You're Worth Suing. Your bank, brokerage and credit card transactions provide a remarkably detailed account of who you are, what you own and even describe or provide insight about your opinions, interests, ideology and religion. These records may be subpoenaed in a lawsuit and used against you. Like or not, your life has become an open book. Literally, you have NO financial privacy. I don't mean to alarm you but the information that is recoverable about you and your family is frightening. The truth is just about everything you might want to keep private - details of your bank accounts, your phone records, medical records, credit reports and even your Social Security number can be viewed by anyone, anytime - for "the right price."

The United States has some of the most relaxed privacy laws in the world. Information about you is bought, sold or shared without your knowledge or consent every day. You can slow down this trade in your data, but you can't stop it.

WHY FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS ARE SO PREVALENT IN AMERICA TODAY

In 2004, more than nine million Americans had their identity stolen and approximately 1.8 million were sued. For a few dollars, you can perform a search on the Internet to locate your target's home address, work history, and telephone records and even balances in U.S. securities and bank accounts. Most other countries regulate this trade in information much more strictly than the United States. And in countries with bank secrecy laws, it means that this kind of financial information can never be shared, except under stringent conditions. Information about you, your wealth, your home and everything in it is for sale to the highest bidder.

For example: Computers have become valuable digital assistants. But they may also contain sensitive information about your finances, spending habits and personal life. In the wrong hands, these little facts could not only embarrass you but could be used against you in court.

IDENTITY THEFT: CAUSE OF AMERICA'S LAWSUITS?

Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America. In 2005, at least 130 reported security breaches exposed more than 55 million Americans to potential ID theft. In 2006, I.D. theft was spiraling out of control. In 2006, more than 30 million Americans have had their personal data potentially exposed to identity thieves.

STATISTICS ON IDENTITY THEFT

May 22, 2006: 26.5 million military identities exposed when a laptop was stolen from a U.S. Veterans' Administration employees' home.

June 1, 2006: 1.3 million customers exposed. The Texas Guaranteed Student Loan company announced that 1.3 million customers were at risk of ID fraud after a contractor lost unspecified "computer equipment."

June 6, 2006: 72,000 identities exposed. Officials with Ohio's Buckeye Community Health Plan notified authorities that four computers were stolen containing 72,000 Medicaid subscribers' personal information.

June 8, 2006: 65,000 identities exposed. The YMCA announced that a laptop stolen from an office in Providence, R.I. held credit card and SSN's, checking account data and names, addresses and medical information.

June 18, 2006: 970,000 identities exposed. Insurance giant AIG announced that it lost personal information of about 970,000 consumers after a burglary in Midwest.

PROTECTION FOR LAW AGAINST FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS

And forget about the protection of the law. In many cases, the law seems like it's on the side of those who would steal from you!

Did you know these facts?

- If you loan a vehicle to a friend who injures someone or damages his property, you can be sued. - If you lend money to someone to purchase a vehicle, you may be responsible for any damages or injuries that person causes in an accident. - If a guest in your home does something illegal during their stay, your property can be seized. And you're not innocent until proven guilty in such cases; rather, it's up to you to prove your innocence, or lose your property

WHY ARE FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS SO RAMPANT?

You didn't hang a 'GET LOST' sign around your wealth.

It's a justice system run amuck. In the United States, we have a highly unusual judicial system. Contingent-fee lawyers act like predators or armed street gangsters. Judges and juries act like Robin Hoods, determined to redistribute your wealth. Statistics are staggering: you will be sued more times than you will have a hospital stay.

And what's outrageous is that our judicial system helps them by:

(1) making it easy for your predator-plaintiffs to sue. (2) predator-plaintiffs and their lawyers will sue you for just about anything they can dream up; and (3) plaintiffs don't need to pay their lawyers in advance. They will work for a percentage of whatever they can squeeze out of you.

The Trap has been set! Clever gold-digging lawyers have been successful in casting you as the villain. You are the "greedy rich" at the expense of working stiffs. Judge and juries are out to get even.

It's always about "the money!" Lawsuits have become the plaintiffs' number #1 negotiating strategy. Lawyers have learned that for the $175 court filing fee, one of two things will likely happen:

1. Either you give them money to go away. Or else, 2. They'll keep you tied up in court for 2 to 5 years and then the jury will give them your money. In either case, the money comes out of YOUR POCKET.

That's their strategy and it works every time. Sure you may win your case but at what price? You could win yourself all the way into the poor house. To win your case, you could easily pay six figures to your law firm (beginning with $5,000 to $15,000 retainer and $350.00 per hour).

So even if you win, you lose.

For many self-made, hard-working citizens, the "American Dream" can become the "American Nightmare." Exorbitant taxes, lawsuit-friendly courtrooms, persistent predator plaintiffs, and contingent-fee clever lawyers are a constant threat to everything you've worked so hard to accomplish. It could all evaporate before your very eyes.

Common traits shared by plaintiffs' lawyers and armed street gangsters:

They love money. The more they stand to gain, the better they like it.

They love to gamble. They don't mind losing cases now and then, because the winners far more than pay for the losers.

They love to fight. They don't mind wrestling with your lawyers for years in an effort to see who comes out on top.

They love to control. They will gladly spend weeks in depositions asking you tough questions so they can show you who's boss.

WHERE FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS CAN ARISE?

Who can't wait to sue you? Just about anyone you can name. A partial listing, but not all inclusive:

EMPLOYMENT LAWSUITS ARISING FROM:

- Age discrimination - Racial, Gender - Religious - Pregnancy - Disability - Mental illness - Addiction discrimination - Sexual harassment - Peer harassment - Gossip among employees - Job references (good or bad) - Whistle blowing retaliation - Wrongful termination - Negligent employee retention - Releasing medical information - Unequal mental vs. physical health coverage - Employee injury from chemical exposure and the list goes on

PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE LAWSUITS ARISING FROM:

- Medical malpractice - Legal malpractice - Psychological malpractice - Engineering malpractice - Architectural malpractice and much more

BUSINESS LIABILITY LAWSUITS ARISING FROM:

- Environmental cleanup liability - Products liability - Shareholder liability - Securities fraud - Liability of outside directors - Liability from unsatisfied customers - Personal injury when a customer drinks too much and hurts someone - Personal injury when a customer slips and falls and much more

PERSONAL LAWSUITS ARISING FROM:

- Divorce - Lawsuits by children - Lawsuits from business partners - Creditors claims - Accidental injury caused by a family member - Pregnancy (your son gets a girl pregnant) - Personal injury caused by a drinking guest - Personal injury when a guest slips and falls and much more

THE KEY TO AVOIDING FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS

So the key to preventing and minimizing lawsuits is NOT TO OWN ANYTHING IN YOUR NAME. The key to protecting your assets is to make sure predator-plaintiffs and their gold-digging lawyers can't get their hands on your money. When plaintiffs' lawyers discover they can't get your money, they won't waste any time trying. If they can't get anything, they will get 1/3 of nothing. They can and will find someone else to sue.

Question: Which do we need more -Doctors or Lawyers?

Answer: The American Medical Association lists a total of 650,000 licensed doctors in the U.S. and with approximately 67,000 medical students in school.

Take a look in your own telephone book yellow pages. There are approximately 950,000 lawyers with approximately 130,000 attending law schools. Most of them live on a contingent-fee basis. Don't become a statistic. Learn from other people's mistakes. Learn to become every contingency-fee lawyer's nightmare.

I urge to start planning today and start planning for solid asset protection and wealth preservation strategies. Then implement your plan. I always say it's better to do something than nothing. If you do nothing then you're a bulls-eye target for these lawyers and any frivolous lawsuit they can dream up of.

About the Author
Rocco Beatrice, CPA, MST, MBA, award-winning trust and estate-planning expert. 71 Commercial Street #150 Boston, MA 02109 tel: +1.508.429.0011 fax: +1.508.429.3034
Sign up for a FREE newsletter to learn how you can reduce your taxes legally, protect your assets, secure your privacy & preserve your money for an accelerated, successful financial roadmap.Irrevocable Trust Asset Protection

How the American Legal System has failed you

2007-03-27T01:58:00.000-07:00

Bush is Leading US Into A Deadly Trap

2007-03-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

Bush is Leading US Into A Deadly Trap
by Karen Fish

My fellow earthlings. I come in peace. What is peace to one person may be war to another. War, what is it good for? It's especially good for selling newspapers. I read the news today oh boy, 300 people shot in Lancashire. The headline today was "Top aide of Muqtada al-Sadr arrested". The United States captured Sheikh Abdul Hadi al-Darraji. Name one person who ever heard of this guy before today. Here is the inside story of what's really going on with Iraq and Iran straight from the horse in the Godfather's mouth.

The human eye is connected to the human brain. When the eye first sees the headline it appears to read "Muqtada al-Sadr arrested." This is deliberately designed to evoke great feelings of joy in the reader of the propaganda to convince the poor unsuspecting reader that in fact the mission has been accomplished just as President Bush prepares to expand the war into Armageddon so that he can meet Jesus on the Temple Mount and just as he prepares to address the nation in the State of the Union address. The Muslim World is so dying to wipe the smirk off of that simpleton's face that they are strapping suicide bombs to babies in the shopping mall.

Is it doggy style or doggie style? Today my desk lamp burned out. The only light in the room was coming from my monitor. I found this very upsetting. It was very dark. It was too dark. Johnny Depp is going to play Freddy Mercury in the new Queen movie. Biographies are big in Hollywood today. Philip Seymour Hoffman carted off the gold medal for portraying Truman Capote. Now some other unknown is going to cart off the statue and thank everyone she knows for playing Queen Elizabeth. There hasn't been a good movie in 5 years. All of the Hollywood movie legends have died except for Elizabeth Taylor and she's in so much pain that it's hard for her now to stimulate Bubbles.

Who would you say are the best figure skaters ever? So I go shopping for a new desk lamp. I buy two. Hillary Clinton's campaign slogan is "Two for the price of one." This is why Laura Bush has formed an exploratory committee in her run for the Presidency. It is to get around the term limits law. Plus Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush aren't into moving right now. They aren't in the right head space. Tell me why you cry, and why you lie to me? I get home and my previously dead desk lamp is now working perfectly, as though to taunt me, as the executioners of Saddam Hussein chanted "Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada" prior to handing Saddam Hussein his head on a platter. Not that it's obvious that Muqtada al-Sadr was hiding under the ski mask, with his pinky ring in the video and his nose fully exposed as he wrapped the rope around Saddam's neck as his pals chanted "Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada". Executions in Iraq are so N.F.L. Now America is wildly cheering the capture of Sheikh Abdul Hadi al-Darraji as if Michael Jordan had just sunk a fall away jump shot at the buzzer to beat the Lakers in the seventh game of the NBA finals. Talk about premature celebriation. Watch President Bush trumpet this historic victory Tuesday night in the State of the Union address. 3,200 newspapers had this story as their headline today. The American minds are being molded like German minds in 1939 with baloney as their leader leads his country into the abyss. This is all very Deja Vu.

The world today is filled with freethinkers. A freethinker is a person who forms an opinion about religion, politics and morals independently of tradition, authority or established belief. Tradition, Tradition! Politicians are more fickle than men. The word fickle give me that big pickle baby come on now you know you want to come on come on come on, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, baby! Oh baby yes! And that was just my vibrator. The word fickle is an adjective. It began in the modern English as fikel. Then it changed in the Old English to ficol meaning tricky. It is the base of befician, to deceive, betrayal, deceit. Now fickle means changeable or unstable in affection, interest, loyalty, capricious. If you look it up in the dictionary there is a picture of Monica Lewinsky.

Truman Capote is quite relevant today because only Harry Truman has ever dropped the big one. Truman Capote wrote "In Cold Blood". Frank Capra was an American producer, film director and film writer who lived to be 94. His second film was "A Hole in the Head" starring Barzan al-Tikriti and John the Baptist. Frank Capra's ninth film was called "State of the Union". You may have heard of "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." In 1928 he did "The Power of the Press". Frank Capra made "War Comes to America" then "Know Your Enemy: Japan". All of the great directors are dead.

The white people of America are having real self esteem issues today. There hasn't been a white heavyweight champion in 72 years so the film industry created Rocky Balboa. Rocky is now coming out of retirement to fight Meyer Lansky. Remember 911? Osama bin Laden sent 19 men with box cutters to topple America like dominoes to its knees. Remember Abu Musab al-Zarqawi? He led al-Qaeda in Iraq until June 2006. America celebrated "Mission Accomplished" when they killed him, like that would be the end of violence in Iraq. Al-Qaeda wasn't even in Iraq until America deposed their former ally against Iran Saddam Hussein. What America has succeeded in doing is turning Saddam Hussein from the most hated man in the Muslim world to the most revered. Now the American propaganda machine is pretending that the recently captured press secretary of Muqtada al-Sadr, Sheikh Abdul Hadi al-Darraji is Osama bin Laden.

Lets make this simple. If America kills Muqtada al-Sadr the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will replace him in 30 seconds. He probably already has 50 successors groomed and waiting and drooling for the job. Even if America kills Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Ayatollah al-Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tomorrow right before the State of the Union address the Sunni and Shiite Muslim world will still be seething at the American presence in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai and Iraq. What is going on here is a fight for two thirds of the world's oil in the Persian Gulf and a struggle for World Domination between Christianity and Islam.

We are now moving into the Apocalypse, the extinction of life on earth in Nuclear World War 3 and its aftermath nuclear winter then ultraviolet summer. America does not see that Russia is building the Iranian nuclear reactor in Bushehr Iran or that Russia just delivered to Iran $1 billion worth of surface to air missiles to protect Bushehr. America does not see that China has signed a deal to buy Iran's oil in return for drilling rights in Iran. America forgets that with the aid of China and Russia little North Vietnam defeated the United States. China and Russia are not ever going to allow an alcoholic deserter and a guy who shot his own lawyer in the face to grab two thirds of the world's oil from their own backyard. Are you kidding me? "Get serious or I'll have to whip you you bad little boy!" said Anna Nicole Smith dressed in her hottest leather to her new husband Ayatollah Ali Khameni. Anna Nicole Smith doesn't go with losers. She sees the writing on the wall.

Russia now has 25,000 100 megaton nuclear bombs which split into eight in mid-air. The Hiroshima Bomb "Little Boy" was only 50 kilotons. Think megabytes and kilobytes. China can nuke American satellites out of the air and China has are you listening carefully America a 300 million man army which Nostradamus predicted would now march across Europe and grab it like a bird flu chicken by the throat and rip its head off. So America have fun cheering the capture of the press secretary of Muqtada al-Sadr. It may be a good idea to bring the troops home now and convert to cars which do not need gasoline and bicycles before Russia, China and Islam hand us our heads on a platter. Do you think that George Bush and Harry Reid are going to conquer Russia, China and 1 billion Muslims? George Bush couldn't even rescue Oprah Winfrey from the Louisiana Superdome. The Asians have an incredible infield. They have Ali Khameini on third, Osama bin Laden at short, Vladimir Putin at second and Hu is on first.

About the Author
Karen Fish is a writer currently living in Los Angeles California. The Temple of Love http://www.thetempleoflove.com

Six Requirements For Financial Independence

2007-03-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

Six Requirements For Financial Independence
by Joe Rispoli

All of us would like to be financially independent, but what can you actually do to become financially independent?

1. Be in business for yourself 2. Sell a product that is in demand 3. Absolutely guarantee the product 4. Give better service than your competitors 5. Reward those who do the work 6. Attain your success by building the success of others.

One way to gain financial independence is through Network Marketing.

Network marketing as predicted by experts, is showing definite signs of going mainstream. More and more people who previously rejected Network Marketing, are now getting involved, and large companies that used traditional methods of marketing in the past, are now adopting the concept.

What is it? Network Marketing, as it is called today, has been around since the 1950s. Network Marketing originally known as Multi Level Marketing (MLM), is probably one of the most misunderstood concepts in America today.

In Network Marketing, companies move products through a group of independent distributors who buy wholesale, sell retail, and sponsor other people to do the same. For your efforts, you can earn overrides on multi levels of people in your organization.

What is so attractive about this business is that there is no prejudice. Anybody over 18 can prosper and succeed. No color, race, gender, age, employment or educational background can stop you. All you have to do is be open minded and follow the simple steps laid out by your company. You have unlimited earning potential. There is no ceiling. Simple, Fun, Money are three words that can be associated with the most powerful marketing method to distribute products in the 1990s and beyond. Personal growth, along with financial freedom is two of the things you can expect from Network Marketing.

Why Am I So Confused About It?

First, ask yourself what the difference is between Network Marketing and Multi Level Marketing. Nothing! They are one in the same. MLM has been around for forty some odd years now and started as a part time business opportunity. By the middle of the eighties many people were earning substantial amounts of money and were beginning to do the business full time. By this time the phrase "Multi Level Marketing" had a pretty tarnished reputation. Well deserved, we might add. Any new industry is going to have its con artists but this had many. Perhaps that is why a lot of people refer to this as a pyramid scheme (which of course is false).

By this time, John Naisbitt had published his well received and highly successful bestseller "Megatrends" and devoted an entire chapter on networking. We had been doing it subconsciously all along and we still do. So the industry came of age: More and more people were using the phrase, "Network Marketing." Companies selling growth patterns astronomical in both the quality and quantity of people and found this marketing concept to be a wonderful way to move products in the nineties and beyond. Network Marketing was born.

In Network Marketing you are not a door to door salesman, so lets dispel that myth up front. You are in business for yourself (as an independent agent), but not by yourself. You can have very little start up costs and you buy wholesale and distribute product at retail. But, unlike other marketing methods, you have the ability to build a group of people under you, all distributing a little bit of product everyday and then collecting an override on the organization you helped to create.

Remember, this is a group effort (in business for yourself, but not by yourself) and the big money is in organizational overrides. It is almost like owning a chain of stores, or owning a large marketing distribution company. In traditional business (lets use a corporate sales organization) the sales manager hires by adding new people and assigning territories. If a person gets terminated or resigns, you subtract. If the sales organization has 100 people you will probably have a manager for every 5 people. Traditional business is structured a lot like Network Marketing, but in traditional business you do not collect overrides. How many times have you ever recommended a friend for a job in your company and collected an override for it? But, someone on top did! So, the power lies in the ability for Network Marketers to multiply and duplicate.

You build your organization by going wide and deep. Start by lining five people across. Teach them to line five people across, and have them teach their five people. So everyone is working with five people, just like traditional business. Only now, anybody who has desire and the ability to learn simple concepts has the ability to earn vast sums of money by exposing great products everyday and teaching others to do the same! And in time you will have a bigger sales force, all well managed and trained without the headaches of inventory, paperwork, computers, payroll, and staffing. You are an independent agent, all that is handled by the parent company. Once you have successfully trained five people, you go out and repeat the process again, you will have attrition, but are now multiplying, going wide and deep and just subtracting, not dividing when attrition occurs.

People ask me all the time what I do for a living and my reply is always, "I talk to people, and the more I talk, the more my business grows." It took IBM 40 years to reach One Billion Dollars per year. Some quality MLM organizations will have surpassed that mark in less than 7 years!

Getting Educated, Trained, Going Back To School

Signing an application and sitting back just will not cut it. You must be trained first. We train with our jobs. Or better yet, how about the airline pilot you are going to entrust with the job of flying you to your destination. We guess it would not matter to you if he were trained. Or the doctor, the lawyer, well you get the point. Like any business, you need to be trained. Actors and actresses rehearse, professional sports teams practice, and so should you.

Like a passion, be prepared at all times. Be ready. Like that hobby you are so well informed about. It took a lot of effort for you to learn what you did, right? It probably took quite a while to pick all that information up. Other than pure personal enjoyment, it probably cost you money. But yet some people are not willing to commit time to learn something new or have the patience to see it through, and we are talking your life here! Five, ten fifteen hours a week, that is all it takes. Consistency, every day, week, month. Commitment, just like you have with a job. People helping people. Your sponsor is helping you develop five people. You are doing the same with your five people and have those people do the same.

Simple Business Plan, show, try, tell, do. You need to, 1. Commit to your Network Marketing Business. 2. Use the companies great products. 3. Expose the products and opportunity to others. 4. Duplicate the above three things by teaching others to do the same.

"Help Other People Get What They Want And You Too Will Get What You Want."

Zig Ziglar

Word Of Mouth Advertising

You do it all the time. Now let us get paid for it. Do you ever go to a restaurant, enjoy it, and tell your friends about it? Or how about that movie you saw this past weekend, or the sale at you local store? Yes, you probably mentioned that too. Did you ever wonder how some hit movies make forty million dollars in a single weekend? Pretty amazing numbers when it takes a lot of seven dollars to equal forty million. Did you ever get a commission for doing that? How about a "thank you?" Not even something free? We are still waiting too.

The idea of Network Marketing is to pay you for your work. Any great company has great products that people use and enjoy so much that they tell their friends about it. These are products that are generally superior to that of anything available in the marketplace.

The power of Network Marketing is the multiplication and duplication of you. You earn money recommending people to try a product you are already using. In traditional business, companies spend huge amounts of money to get the work out. In Network Marketing, you are the advertising. The huge amount of money that went to advertising is no longer needed, so it goes to you.

It has been my experience that regardless of the quality of the program you are promoting, regardless of its commission plan, regardless of its free web page offer, regardless if its a "Ground Floor Opportunity" and regardless of anything else that is being promised, if you figure out the best way to duplicate your efforts, chances are you are going to succeed.

About the Author
Through years of research Joe Rispoli has put together the most relevant of free advertising resources for your home business! Visit his website to find out how to advertise your business for free. If you would like more on network marketing then see How Do You Succeed At Network Marketing?

Characteristics of Successful Leading Practitioners

2007-03-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

Characteristics of Successful Leading Practitioners
by Munish Dev Rathee

Based on the training and consulting I have done with practitioners across North America and the United Kingdom, I have identified the following three characteristics of successful Leading Practitioners. * Sturdy visibility and reliability amid high influence referral sources * Web sites that are client centered, easily navigate able, and highly noticeable on the internet * Have a status for creating a better client experience. How do you boost your visibility and credibility amongst referral sources so everyone who spends time in front of your target market can confidently and efficiently speak about you and your proficiency? You do this by making sure referral sources know who you are and what your expertise is. This requires that you have a distinctive value proposition and have recognized who the high influence referral sources are. Once you have your memo and know your top referral sources, your next step is to communicate your message to referral sources that could benefit from knowing about your proficiency and service. Your objective is to have referral sources know enough about you and your expertise so they can easily and confidently say to potential clients, "Let me give you the name of a specialist who can help you .... The following are three action steps you can take to increase your visibility and credibility among high influence referral sources: * Conclude your message: Provide transparency about what you do, who you do it for, the value you offer, and how you distinguish your services. * Explain your target market: Know the individuality of your best clients and referral sources so you have matched your core strengths and values with those of an alert market. * Spend time with quality referral sources who are consistently in front of your target market: 1. Set up 2-3 purposeful lunches a week - learn about referral sources' key goals and tell them your core message. 2. Stay in touch with referral sources by sending articles of interest. 3. Invite referral resources to events and trainings. 4. Send letters of introduction about your services; include your brochure or a brochure on collaborative practice. 5. Contact your clients' providers ( i.e., if you are a lawyer, contact clients' mental health professional and let him/her know about Collaborative Practice) 6. Congratulate referral sources who are in the news. 7. Set up interviews to study about referral sources' practice so you can develop your own professional network and refer your clients to the best professionals in your community. 8. Help your referral sources to be successful - bring as much value as you can to your referral sources. By spending the time identifying who your best referral sources are and then consistently doing the activities to strengthen those dealings, you will see a boost in class referrals and you will pull towards you advantageous clients who are a good fit for your services and expertise. The end result is more control over building a practice that you take pleasure in and brings important value to your clients.

About the Author
Munish Rathee working for Ferris consulting, the site provides consultancy for Law Firm Marketing.

How to Select the Right California Compensation Attorney

2007-02-26T23:09:00.000-08:00

How to Select the Right California Compensation Attorney
by Aretha Singh

Have you been injured? Did you know that because you live in the state of California that you can make a claim to receive compensation for that injury -- regardless of the nature of your injury? Your best strategy is to secure a reputable California personal injury attorney - one who knows your rights under the law, one who will give you the professional advice you need in order to get all the compensation you deserve.

Your search for the perfect compensation attorney should start as soon as you are injured. You should only confer with those compensation attorneys who provide free consultation. One should discuss his/her case and get opinions of a few attorneys before selecting their legal representative. Various opinions from different lawyers enable you to get a better insight and prospective of the case, which will help you decide which lawyer will be suitable for getting you the best compensation. To get the best deal, you must enquire about the amount of compensation that the attorney will get for you and how much he/she will charge you for the legal services provided, before making your final decision.

From here, all you have to do is make a logical decision based on your own person needs. Do not fall into the trap that many people fall into by neglecting to act on your personal injury case before it is too late. Give the California personal injury attorney a call and ask for some basic advice.

Finally, after you have met with all the prospective attorneys on your list, you will need to choose the one who best understands your unique needs. Please do not put this matter off until "some other time." Many people have lost out because they waited too long! Call a California personal injury attorney for a basic consultation¡Kand do it TODAY.

About the Author
For more articles by Aretha Singh, visit First Compensation, and Reef Attorney. Both have some good articles on compensation and legal issues.Get your own completely unique content version of this article.

Litigation can put you out of business in a heartbeat

2007-02-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

Litigation can put you out of business in a heartbeat
by Dr Mike Teng

Many companies underestimate the potential gravity of getting into litigious situations. Lawsuits, especially in cases where one does not have strong legal legs to stand on, are potential minefields for disaster. Many organisations work hard to grow the top line only to have a lawsuit siphon off the money. It is like having a purse with holes in it. Regardless of whether you win or lose the lawsuit, the ultimate winner is the lawyer. Unfortunately if your company happens to be the loser, the magnitude of the costs and damages could possibly derail your business overnight.

Visit www.corporateturnaroundexpert.com for more information Many contractors in Singapore also got themselves into trouble by taking on contracts indiscriminately despite poor margins, unrealistic deadlines and liabilities. Eventually, they were held liable for massive liquidated damages for delays in completion and consequential damages resulting from their work. The risks involved were disproportionate to the returns from such jobs. Some of these sub-contractors were hopeful that they could make money from variation orders or additional scope of work not stipulated in the original contract. However, these variation orders were not properly signed off before the additional work was executed as a result some main contractors took advantage not to pay in times of contractual disputes. Also, projects often get delayed for many uncontrollable reasons and that these sub-contractors had to contend with counter claims and back charges from the main contractors.

In many cases, these sub-contractors could not afford a protracted litigation battle and had to settle out of court with the main contractors for an unfavourable settlement. Many of these sub-contractors would be been spared the headaches if they had avoided taking on such onerous contracts. Be wary of the ramifications of litigation especially in the case of China. An effective strategy in China means understanding the myriads of legal and regulatory issues at the state and provincial level, the city or even local level. Conflict and contract dispute resolution, remedies and legal recourse significantly differ from region to region. This can be a minefield through which to navigate. However, much of the headaches can be minimised if one clearly understands the legal issues involved at the outset. It is important to understand these issues at the start.

In China, the government has great involvement with the business sector. For example for state-owned enterprises (SOEs), it is difficult to delineate between public and private business ownership. Therefore, it is important to understand the legalities before entering into partnership with the SOE. With the entry into World Trade Organisation, China has progressively removed many artificial barriers in the business sector. However, China remains basically a closed market and tightly managed by the government. It is a prerequisite to understand the rules and regulations of your industry. The law will always catch up with you if there is any non-compliance whether deliberate or through sheer ignorance. Your disgruntled staff or competitors will report to the authority on your non-compliance as reporting against one another is a common communist trait.

Litigation once nearly destroyed America's small aircraft industry. It also threatened to topple powerful brokerage firms because of the conduct of their analysts. The Catholic Church is also vulnerable to an onslaught of litigation due to the spates of alleged abuses by its priesthood. The other classic example is Arthur Anderson. The suspicion of improprieties and litigations caused massive customer defections.

If you reckon that your company can benefit economically by ignoring a law, you may be kidding yourself. Be extra careful. If non-compliance results in safety hazards for employees or the public in general, do not break the law, it is not worth it. Also, during hard times when you cannot repay your creditors, try convincing them to extend the payment period rather than sue you in court. Most creditors such as the banks would prefer that the matter be settled amicably as it is bad publicity for all parties concerned, both the plaintiff and the defendant.

Therefore it always pays to play by the law in the long term. If you are a boxer, you do not chew up the ears of your opponents. You will be barred from future matches or worse still be put in jail like Mike Tyson. Your reputation will also go down the tubes.

About the Author
http://www.corporateturnaroundexpert.com

Dr Mike Teng (DBA, MBA, BEng, FIMechE, FIEE, CEng, PEng, FCMI, FCIM, SMCS) is the author of the best-selling business book "Corporate Turnaround: Nursing a sick company back to health", in 2002. In 2006, he authored another book entitled, "Corporate Wellness: 101 Principles in Turnaround and Transformation." Dr Teng is widely recognized as a turnaround CEO in Asia.

How the Insurance Companies Look at Mesothelioma

2007-02-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

"How To Never Overpay for A Home or Real Estate"

2007-02-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

"How To Never Overpay for A Home or Real Estate"
by John Davis

Recently I have noticed that there are a lot of people out there overpaying for property and I can help but to ask myself why. The reason that I have come up with is lack of education that is given to prospective buyers. As a buyer, you rely on your realtor to protect you. In Webster's dictionary it defines the word client as:

1: one that is under protection of another: DEPENDENT 2 a: a person who engages the professional advice or services of another b: customer c: a person served by or utilizing the services of a social agency

As buyers, we look to professionals such as lawyers, realtors, title companies, appraisers, and banking officers to look after our best interest because we trust that they are looking out for our own well being as their client. Now clearly we feel that is their job, their responsibility to look after us, don't you agree?

Well, under some state laws buyers are considered buyer beware states. What does this mean to you? Well, it is simple - Let the Buyer Beware. In other words, your realtor cannot tell you that you are paying too much for a property. If they did, they put their job at risk. So in this report we will discuss steps you can take to insure that you are not paying too much for your property. We start by explaining the appraisal process.

Appraisals Explained

Now before you get a loan, your lender will require an appraisal on the property. This is simply to check the value of the home to make sure that the lender is protected with the money that they lend you. The lender will send the sales contract to the appraiser to get the appraisal done. Here is what the appraiser will do: they will look for sales that are in your neighborhood that are similar in size and style. Then they will give their opinion on what the homes are worth. Now, an appraiser can look for homes that have sold for less, for more, or about what you are paying. They will look for homes that support your price on the sales contract. After all, they want the loan to go through so that they can get paid, the loan officer is pushing for the loan to go through so they can get paid.

So where does this leave you?

Just for a moment, imagine that you are in the market for a house. You have been looking, then you find one that is what you want. The seller is asking $100,000, you tell your realtor that you are going to offer $95,000. But in actuality the homes in the area that are similar to the one you are buying are selling for $85,000, but you are not aware since you are relying on your realtor for protection. Now you buy the home at $95,000 feeling good about your purchase. Now, in one year, imagine you lost your job and was forced to relocate and sell the property. If the homes in the area have been selling for $85,000, guess what? You now owe more than what your property is worth. For the average home in America, there is a 4-6 month time that it takes to sell the property and sellers typically get 95% of the value of the home.

This is not a make-believe scenario. Just last week I had someone to call me wanting me to purchase their home. They had bought it only 1 year ago for $38,000. They were 4 months behind on their house payment. The house was falling apart and needed serious repairs. So, I check the comps to see what has sold in the area and the homes that did not need any repairs were selling for $20-$30K. She paid $38K for one that needed serious work! She overpaid by at least $20K. Now, in 1 year the home is not suddenly going to be in need of all these repairs. If she had done her homework she would have not overpaid.

Now the bank is threatening to foreclose, here is what will happen if they foreclose: The bank will hire an attorney to foreclose, thus running 3 - 4 ads in the newspaper to auction of the house. In most cases the bank will take the home back. Now, everyone knows that there are people looking for foreclosed property that they can pick up cheap- right? Now if the bank takes an amount less than what was owed, then you (the homeowner) are still responsible for the remaining debt.

The bank will then seek for a deficiency judgment. If they get a judgment, they can then possibly garnish your wages and the judgment will attach to anything you own for up to 10 years. After that they can re-file for another 10 years.

The bank can also forgive the debt that you owe. You are thinking this would be great - right? Well there is a catch- if they do this they will send you a 1099 for the difference for unearned income. I witnessed a seller get a 1099 for unearned income for the remainder of the debt that was owed for over $67K!

Many of these scenarios would not happen if people would just not overpay for their property to begin with. What about the Realtor? I hear you ask. The realtor's job is to sell houses. That is what they are there for, they sell. They will rely on you and your inspector to look things over. When you go get a loan, the loan officer's job is to sell the loan to you. When they call the appraiser, their job is to see that the appraisal comes in enough to support the purchase price. In some States, the Law requires for appraisers to even see the contract. So, the appraiser knows up front what the house should appraise at and they will search for the comparable home sales that will support your purchase price. This does not mean that your house is worth what they say. I have seen 2 appraisals on the same house come back with a difference of over $90K!

So how can you know? Here are the steps that I would take: 1.Drive the neighborhood that you are looking in. 2.Write down all the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all the properties that are for sale. 3.Find out the following: ·The age of the home ·The condition ·The price that they are asking ·How long it has been listed on the market ·Feature of the home 4.Go to the courthouse and look at the tax assessor's value. This is usually a little low but will give you a ballpark figure. Look at the other properties tax value and compare them all with the amount of land, square footage, buildings, etc. 5.Compare the homes to the one you are looking at. 6.Go in and look at everyone of the homes that are listed 7.Make note of everything that the other homes have that yours don't. 8.Look at how many days the home has been listed. This part can be tricky. On all the data sheets of the homes that realtors list there is a section in the top for DOM (days on market) that tells you how long it has been listed. Now, if the seller only signed a 90-day contract with the realtor to sell the home, after the 90 days this number is reset. Point blank ask the realtor to find out how many TOTAL days has this house been listed. If you see that the home has been listed for over 120 days, there may be a chance that they are asking a little too much for the property. So keep this in mind when making an offer. 9.When making your offer, you want to figure in, if you were forced to sell in 6 months, what would you be able to get out of the home? When you calculate this figure consider the following expenses: a.4- 6 months of mortgage payments b.4-6 months Utility c.4-6 months of insurance d.6 % commission to a realtor e.Closing Fees f.Advertising Cost if you do not list with a Realtor g.5% - 10% discount. Rarely do people pay full asking price, so count on taking at least a 5% discount.

10.You can also hire another realtor to do a BPO. This stands for Brokers Price Opinion, very similar to an appraisal without the expense. You typically can get a realtor to do a BPO for $50- $75. When you do this, get a realtor from a totally different organization. Usually Realty companies have 1-2 people allocated to do these BPO's. 11.Now make your offer according to your research that would support you and your family. I once heard that when you make an offer if you are not embarrassed by the offer, you may be offering too much. I don't know if this is true, however it is something for you to consider and think about when you are constructing offers.

The reason that I wrote this is because I felt obligated, compelled, and duty-bound to offer the advice that I have learned from years of buying and selling homes. I have seen good markets and bad markets; these are the same methods I use to make sure that I am not overpaying. After I met with the lady that over-paid for her property that I mentioned earlier, I felt responsible to educate the market on how anyone could easily get into this situation and how you can avoid it with a little bit of research.

About the Author
Now you can stop your home foreclosure.

Free Report Tells you "How to Win The War Against Your Lender and stop Foreclosure!" at http://www.48hourclose.com

John Davis owns 48hourclose.com: a website devoted to helping families that are facing foreclosure.

Learn How To Solve Mysteries at Legal Nurse Consultant Schools

2007-02-10T03:28:00.000-08:00

Learn How To Solve Mysteries at Legal Nurse Consultant Schools
by Ysolt Usigan

When Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered, when Rodney King was beaten by police officers, and whenever doctors have been suspected of malpractice, legal nurse consultants appeared at the criminal trials to offer their healthcare expertise. Utilizing this type of healthcare knowledge, these nurses typically go into legal nurse consultant careers because they have a strong interest in court proceedings and criminal justice. They're frequently asked by defense attorneys and prosecutors to exercise their forensic and/or pharmacological knowledge. Once their investigation takes place, they help resolve difficult unanswered and unexplained cases.

Training at Legal Nurse Consultant Schools

Registered nurses usually complete programs at legal nurse consultant schools before working with lawyers. These nurses have already worked in divisions such as intensive care, obstetrics, the emergency room, and other medical disciplines. All they require is training in legal ethics, toxic tort evaluation, personal injury cases, forensic science, legal writing, trial preparation (just to name a few) at legal nurse consultant schools. There are also courses at legal nurse consulting schools that familiarize students with medical malpractice in anesthesia, record tampering, low-back injuries, other automobile-related injuries, product liability, even malpractice in medical triage.

Required Learning at Legal Nurse Consultant Schools

In order to practice as a legal nurse consultant, a registered nurse must graduate from one of many legal nurse consultant schools and receive the appropriate occupational certifications. A certification exam issued by the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants can also be taken voluntarily to add to one's credentials.

After Legal Nurse Consultant Schools...

Employment for a registered nurse who's completed a program at one of many legal nurse consultant colleges has a bright future. Typically, professionals with legal nurse consultant careers are contracted for work by private attorneys and corporate lawyers. Some can also find work outside the courtroom with positions at hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and government agencies. Their primary focus is to provide quality assurance.

With nursing, as a whole, considered to be one of the top 10 fastest growing professions in the United States, the same can be said of legal nurse consultants. Those who graduate from legal nurse consultant schools have nothing to worry about as jobs within this field are only expected to grow throughout the decade as a result of the litigious nature of today's society, more and more organizations introducing medications and medical devices, and the growing pharmaceutical industry.

To find college and career schools near you, surf http://www.CollegeSurfing.com.

© Copyright 2007 The CollegeBound Network All Rights Reserved

NOTICE: Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Copyright and Author Resource Box are included; and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active.

About the Author
Ysolt Usigan is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school or career that's right for you!

Practical Tips For Choosing The Right Missouri Divorce Lawyer

2007-02-06T00:43:00.000-08:00

Practical Tips For Choosing The Right Missouri Divorce Lawyer
by Karin Manning

Choosing your Missouri divorce lawyer could be one of the most important things you do in your divorce. Making a decision to finally divorce is a difficult and very emotional process. That's why it's critical that you find the right Missouri divorce attorney to help you handle this very difficult and painful time in your life.

Divorce decisions are usually finally so it's very important to pay close attention when choosing your Missouri divorce lawyer. If you want to change to a different Missouri divorce lawyer in the future after you have hired one, you may not be able to. Often you need to get permission of the judge hearing your matter before you can change your Missouri divorce lawyer or substitute Missouri divorce lawyers. Additionally, if your decision to change Missouri divorce lawyers is too close to the date of your hearing the Judge may be hesitant to make such a change.

Changing Missouri divorce lawyers is more expensive than you may initially think. When you first hire a Missouri divorce lawyer they will usually ask for a retainer (an advance in their legal fees). Sometimes, these retainers are refundable if you suddenly do decide to change Missouri divorce attorneys. However, you are still obligated to pay the fair amount to the first Missouri divorce lawyer for the work he has already done for you, even if you fire them in the future. Moreover, some Missouri divorce retainers are non refundable.

At the end of the day, it all depends on what divorce fee agreement or contract you may have signed prior to hiring the services of your Missouri divorce lawyer. If the Missouri divorce contract clearly states that the retainer is refundable, then you're lucky and in the clear. However, if the Missouri divorce attorney contract says that it is non refundable, then changing Missouri divorce attorneys is something you will want to consider very carefully before making any rash decisions.

In any case, make sure that there is a clear and concise written agreement between yourself and your Missouri divorce lawyer and that it contains the items you have mutually agreed upon. Do not rely upon a mere oral understanding or a verbal agreement as this won't hold up in court.

Qualities to Look for In A Missouri divorce lawyer

Choosing a Missouri divorce lawyer is similar to choosing a general practitioner. When you are preparing to give birth you take the care to find a good doctor to handle your prenatal care and delivery. For example, these are the kind of qualities that you would look for in a medical practitioner:

* They are a specialist in obstetrics * They haev extensive experience in obstetrics * They are Board-certified in obstetrics * You feel very comfortable with them and trust them implicitly with your prenatal care.

The same factors should be considered when choosing a Missouri divorce lawyer:

* They are a specialist in divorce law * They have experience in divorce law * They undertake ongoing legal education courses in divorce law * They have passed the bar in your state * You feel comfortable with them and trust them implicitly that they will do the right thing by you

Where to Look For A Missouri Divorce Attorney That's Right For You

Start by asking your close friends, family, or any acquaintance who has recently gone through a Missouri divorce or knows someone who does. Ask them what they liked about their Missouri divorce lawyer and if given the chance, would they hire them again. If they don't recommend them for your Missouri divorce then ask why they wouldn't recommend them to you. This will be a good guide of what you should look out for and avoid when choosing your Missouri divorce attorney.

You can also contact your local courthouse and local bar association. Bar associations usually have their own lawyer referral programs which are a good way for you to get good recommendations on a Missouri divorce attorney.

About the Author
Are you going through a Missouri divorce? Did you know statistically a man who doesn't have the right information is more likely to lose a great deal like your home, assets, children, and legal divorce fees. Find out what your ex and her divorce attorney don't want you to know by visiting http://www.divorcesecrets.getwhatyouwant1.com today!

6 Possibilities to Solve Client-Lawyer Fee Disputes

2007-02-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

6 Possibilities to Solve Client-Lawyer Fee Disputes
by Aaron Brooks

The most common dispute between lawyers and clients is that of fees. Somehow money becomes a bone of contention and things do get nasty with both parties refusing to budge an inch.

When hiring a lawyer you need to be bold enough to ask for "fee" terms and conditions to be written down in the contract. To prevent being overcharged you need to know how lawyers compute their fees and insist on itemized billing on a weekly/monthly basis. Never wait until the completion of the case.

On your part keep a log book in which you record: advances given to lawyer; meetings held along with duration; phone calls made, note down how many minutes; court appearances and so on. The more detailed the record maintained by you the better.

Check all bills submitted by the lawyer carefully and do not hesitate to ask about any discrepancies that come to your attention.

When you are disturbed by the bill or are convinced there is something amiss you must try and settle the fee dispute by:

1. Ask for a meeting with the lawyer to discuss billing. Take with you a copy of the bill. Highlight amounts that need clarification or verification. Be bold and discuss the matter upfront. More often than not by being candid the dispute may just get solved. Your lawyer will either explain the amounts or agree to verify the bill and correct any discrepancies.

2. Since fee disputes between lawyers and clients is becoming extremely common, in several states Legal Fee Arbitration Boards have been set up. See, http://www.ncsc.dni.us/KMO/Topics/ADR/Resources/attorneyfees.html . The board has been set up to save the time of small claims, district, and superior courts.

3. Consider mediation services set up by Bar Associations. These programs have mediators who will hear both sides of the dispute and try to solve the problem amicably. The agreement reached will be documented in writing with both the lawyer and client signing it.

4. Get another lawyer or lawyer's office to check the accuracy of the bill. In cases of over billing or billing for unreasonable expenses an outside party, a lawyer who is unrelated to your lawyer would be able to give an opinion. Alternately you could seek the advice of the local Bar Association.

5. File a suit against the lawyer. Hire a lawyer who has experience in dealing with lawyer-client fee disputes.

6. File a complaint against the lawyer with the Bar Association. Find out what the correct procedure for a disciplinary complaint or malpractice action entails.

To be fair to the lawyer and yourself, always determine what is considered to be reasonable. There are references to fees chargeable and what a lawyer must and can do all over the World Wide Web. When appointing a lawyer discuss fees with him and ensure that you draw up a contract or agreement that details fee structure.

About the Author
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://www.1866attorney.com , the premier website to find Attorney Directory including topics on civil right, litigation, defense, attorney power, legal services, prosecuting all crimes and much more. His article profile can be found at the premier Article Submission Directory http://www.1888articles.com

Organized Crime Expert - Amway Just Like Mafia

2007-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

Organized Crime Expert - Amway Just Like Mafia
by Evelyn Pringle

Organized Crime Expert - Amway Just Like Mafia

Amway knew it was in trouble when the internet arrived and the details about the company's pyramid schemes began appearing online. A memo dated Dec 19, 1997, that surfaced in a lawsuit, contains the details of a voice message sent out to the Amway leadership, by then Vice President, Ken MacDonald, that reveals just how desperately Amway tried to control the flow of information on the internet.

MacDonald said ... "This message is on the internet ... we've hired consultants and been working very diligently on all of the secret computer language that helps the search engines pick a site and because of that we've moved the positive Amway sites quite a bit up in the web search engines, and some of the negative sites down. And lastly, that we are working to provide very soon, for all those who qualified Emeralds and above ... their own personal homepage so we will have tons of positive Amway information on the web," he said.

There is one particular document that the company has gone to great lengths to stop people from reading on the internet. In fact, on June 12, 1998, Amway went to court and got a Protective Order in attempt to keep this specific report hidden from public view.

Professor G Robert Blakey was retained as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the 1998 Procter & Gamble v Amway lawsuit to render an opinion on Amway's business practices. He is one of the nation's foremost authorities on organized crime. Blakey was directly involved in drafting and implementing RICO-type legislation in 22 of the more than 30 states that enacted racketeering laws.

After studying Amway's business structure and functions, Blakey, wrote a damning report that stated: "It is my opinion that the Amway business is run in a manner that is parallel to that of major organized crime groups, in particular the Mafia. The structure and function of major organized crime groups, generally consisting of associated enterprises engaging in patterns of legal and illegal activity, was the prototype forming the basis for federal and state racketeering legislation that I have been involved in drafting. The same structure and function, with associated enterprises engaging in patterns of legal and illegal activity, is found in the Amway business."

For those not familiar with the RICO Act, it "was passed by ... Congress to enable persons financially injured by a pattern of criminal activity to seek redress through the state or federal courts," according to the Rico Act website. Amway has been sued hundreds of time under the RICO Act.

Blakey Report Outed

In the early spring of 2004, Amway became extremely upset when the full Blakey Report began appearing on the world wide web. The company's attorneys flew into action trying to suppress it.

Initially, they successfully used the protective order to force websites to remove the report. For example, on March 11, 2004, the MLM Survivor website reported that the Quixtar Blog had removed the Blakey Report from its servers and said "... according to the site owner, Amway's lawyers are frantically trying to find out who leaked. They assert the report is confidential, and covered by a protective order."

However, Amway was not as successful with getting it removed from other sites. MLM Survivor reported that company attorneys also contacted MLM, to demand that they remove the report from its website because it was sealed under a protective order.

Survivor's response to Amway was, "We can't remove what we don't have. MLM Survivor does not now, nor has it ever, had a copy of the report on its website. Link, yes. Copy, no," the website said.

This must be like deja vu to MLM. The website had already been hit with one SLAPPer lawsuit by Amway. SLAPP is the abbreviation for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. According to the First Amendment Center, "SLAPPers do not sue to achieve a litigation outcome; rather, they file to silence their opposition. Generally, the mere filing of the suit -- or just the threat of suit -- accomplishes that purpose;" www.firstamendmentcenter.org

However, it looks like the SLAPPer failed to obtain its objective with Survivor because the site is still alive and well on the internet. In fact, Survivor had this to say about the lawsuit. "I have to admit that I've been waiting for about six years (as long as this site has been in existence) for Amway/Quixtar/Alticor to slap me with a lawsuit for one trumped-up thing or another. I never expected my first-ever lawsuit to be such a farce," it said.

In another futile attempt to have the report removed from a site, on March 2, 2004, Amway Attorney Griffin, sent a letter with a copy of the court order, to a research professor by the name of David Touretzky. On March 21, 2004, he wrote back to Attorney Griffin and stated: My reading of this order leads to the following observations:

Paragraph 16 says that the terms of the order shall remain in force "to the extent that the information in such material is not or does not become known to the public..." Since I obtained my copy of the Blakey Report from a publicly accessible web page, the information clearly has become known to the public. The order therefore no longer applies to this document.

Paragraph 16 also says that the protective order is "binding upon all persons to whom confidential information is disclosed hereunder." The information was not disclosed to me under the terms of this order. I was never a party to this litigation, nor do I have any relationship of any kind with Amway, or Proctor & Gamble, or their respective attorneys, agents, or consultants. The protective order was never intended to apply to totally unrelated parties like me, or the news media, and it is not binding upon me now.

Touretzky's reasoning would apply to the copy of the report that I obtained as well. When I discovered my copy a while back, it was already published on a number sites. It is currently posted on just about every Amway website out there.

The entire report can be read on the www.merchantsofdeception.com website of Eric Scheileber, a former Amway Distributor, who wrote the book, Merchants of Deception, that prompted the current FBI investigation of Amway, and an expose by NBC's Dateline. (The book discloses Amway's close ties to the Republican party and both Bush administrations and can be downloaded free, for a limited time, on the website)

Why Was Amway So Worried?

Why was Amway so worried about people reading the report? Probably because it very specifically explains how the Amway Corporation's family-business structure is just like the mafia. According to Blakey, Amway has a family structure nearly identical to those found in organized crime.

The company has remained a privately held company since it was founded by Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos in 1959, Blakey notes. But control of the corporation has now shifted to the sons of the founders, Richard DeVos, Jr and Steve Van Andel, he says.

The report also describes the Amway pyramid schemes. "The Amway Corporation primarily provides the various products and services that serve as a backdrop for the pyramid-type recruitment and motivational schemes undertaken in the Amway business."

As evidence of the mafia-like family structure, the report points out that Amway's Policy Board consists of family members Richard DeVos, Sr, Steve Van Andel, Richard DeVos, Jr, Jay Van Andel, Cheri DeVos Vander Weide, Dave Van Andel, Doug DeVos, Nan Van Andel, Dan DeVos and Barb Van Andel Gaby.

On June 7, 2002, the shift of control in authority that Blakey mentioned in 1998, was further confirmed by a press release that announced that Doug DeVos would become president of Amway's parent company, Alticor,* after the retirement of Rich DeVos.

Upon taking office, Doug DeVos, in true mafia lingo, was quoted as saying: "It's humbling to be asked to step into a job that has been done so well for the past 43 years, first by my dad and then by my brother."

Further confirmation of the control being passed down, was the fact that Doug DeVos joined Chairman Steve Van Andel (Van Andel's son) in the Office of the Chief Executive, extending the dual leadership structure first established by company co-founders Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel, according to the press release.

Blakey explains that family members are drawn in to the business as a matter of right, with family members being given responsibilities that outweigh their capability. The basis for this assertion is with Amway itself. As an example, Blakey refers to the deposition testimony of Jay Van Andel's 2 children, David and Nan Van Andel, in the P&G lawsuit.

When deposed, they both held high positions with the company. Yet Blakey says, their testimony reflected a complete lack of knowledge and business experience. It was obvious that neither obtained their position on merit, nor would they have been permitted to continue in their position in an regular company. "Placing unqualified family members in high positions is also common in the Mafia," Blakey reports.

What About Other Amway Families?

Amway stresses that once you are involved, you are a member of the Amway family, and your upline and downline are part of your family. "Amway becomes a way of life for its participants, much like those involved with the Mafia," Blakey notes.

He describes how, "You are to "edify" or honor your upline, and "counsel" with them regularly," and claims, "The "upline" assume virtual "parental" control, and distributors are urged to "counsel" on all aspects of their life, including topics such as which car to buy or how to handle marital problems," Blakey wrote.

According to the report, distributors are even told how to dress. For example, "Wilson women" (those in the Don Wilson family) at functions do not show ankles, thighs or cleavage, he notes.

The absolute control is also evidenced by the Amway Distributors Association Board. At the time of Blakey's report, the Board consisted of 30 distributors who were elected. However, 15 were chosen off a list of nominees compiled by Amway. The Board is led by the Executive Committee which also includes family leaders, which all but guarantees that the family leaders, or their designees, will get elected and retain control of Amway.

Although the DeVos and Van Andel families control the corporation, Blakey says a 1996 Amway Corporate Culture Document shows there are at least 8 other lines of family sponsorship that control the distributors groups. Every participant is considered to be a member of a family, with one individual positioned at the top of a chain of command.

In 1998, the Dexter Yager family had the largest organization in North America, and the Bill Britt family was enormously comprised of over 149,000 distributorships.

However, it should be noted that Bill Britt has since been booted out of Amway and is under investigation for a host of scams. According to an August 12, 2004, letter from Robert FitzPatrick, President of Pyramid Scheme Alert, to North Carolina's Attorney General, requesting an investigation of the Bill Britt organization, "Last year, it was reported that Bill Britt was involved in what authorities consider perhaps the largest single financial fraud case in North Carolina history in terms of the amount of dollars that disappeared," the letter stated. The August 8, 2003 edition of The Triangle Business Journal reported that in spring, 2001 Bill Britt invested $5 million in a fraudulent investment scheme perpetrated by Cornerstone Management, a company under investigation and prosecution by the SEC since 1999, according to the letter.

At the time of the Blakey report, other "Amway families" included: the Childers (team of six Diamonds); the Stewarts; the Gooch family; the Bryans (Down East); the Wilsons (WOW); the Puryears (World Wide Dreambuilders); the Hays (International Connection); the Matz family ( International Diamond Association); the Dornans (Network 21); the Strehlis (Creative Life Styles); and the INA (International Networking Association), run by a group of seven families.

According to the report, each family is involved in the Amway business, in terms of using the Amway Sales and Marketing Plan, and is also involved in Business Support Materials (BSM), or "tools," which include books, tapes, and rallies, Blakey determined.

However, each family kingpin rules his own Amway distributor pyramid and his own tool pyramid. But even though these pyramids are all separate corporate entities, they all work together to promote the Sales and Marketing Plan and the tools business, the report found.

What Else Is Amway Hiding?

What else is Amway hiding? Most likely Blakey's assertion that "The Mafia uses "omerta" and violence for control," and "Amway has other methods, with similar effect."

Blakey claims, "Distributors must always honor their upline. No negative talk or action is permissible. A distributor who steps out of line is punished. ... serious offenders may be dealt with by having portions of their business taken away - e.g. they can no longer appear at rallies, or downline distributors are "re-routed." There are also reports of violence against those who attempt to take action against Amway, the report maintains.

(Part 2 of this article will discuss specific incidents of this "omerta" and violence and other information contained in the report that Amway fought so hard to keep hidden.)

* Alticor was announced in October 2000 as the parent company for Amway (direct selling), Quixtar (e-commerce); www.alticor.com.

By Evelyn Pringle e.pringle@sbcglobal.net Miamisburg, OH

About the Author
Evelyn Pringle is a columnist for Independent Media TV and an investigative journalist focused on exposing corporate and government corruption.

The Legal Aspect of a Risk Profile and Response

2007-02-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

The Legal Aspect of a Risk Profile and Response
by Richard A. Hall

With new and intense challenges seen in Corporate America, more and more companies are turning to the assistance of lawyers to create a risk profile and provide guidance on response. In fact, this issue has become so serious that in the past few years, governmental expectations for better governance have been strongly encouraged, specifically in the area of planning and delivery.

The development of a risk profile is one of the first steps a company should consider, examining both strategy and operational factors. Having a systematic plan in place for managing operational, strategic, and project risk is essential to the success of any business, regardless of size or industry. While using legal support for the creation of a risk profile offers a number of benefits, the primary objectives include achieving corporate objectives, enhancing performance, and reducing risk.

Although company executives could take a stab at creating a risk profile and appropriate response, a legal team can help by establishing definitive and precise action specific to the company and current laws. Federal, local and even industry regulations and laws change frequently making it difficult and cumbersome for a non-legal person to identify all the potential risks. A professional team will have the ability to take a high-level view of the company to identify potential problem areas that might not otherwise be considered.

Typically, if using outside counsel, the firm would start by working with internal personnel to gain a better understanding of the company, as well as its processes, technologies, and techniques. From there, a legal aspect would be considered to define a framework for a comprehensive, risk profile. The focus of the profile would depend on a number of things although areas such as risk management, finances, and legal are at the top of the list. Then, the company would need to have a dedicated team in place internally to implement and manage the risk profile and response.

You could think of a risk profile as a snapshot of the key areas and risks of an organization, coupled with broader areas such as business development, operations, and overall strategic goals. It is critical to understand not only the specific risk factors but the response associated with those risks and how they impact the organization. Using a legal team to help manage risk does not happen in a vacuum without the input of key stakeholders. The executive team and other stakeholders have a responsibility to ensure that the risk response is aligned with the overall objectives of the company. Legal must be kept apprised of the key business objectives to ensure that the risk profile and response reflect what is critical to the organization.

For instance, some companies will get themselves into trouble by missing time-sensitive responses and/or actions, which might include late delivery, tax penalties, going over budget, or a number of things pertaining to the business. Using a risk profile gives management a heads up on the most critical areas to watch for so nothing is missed. In addition, an attorney can assist management in response, teaching them and providing legal advice on the right way to respond should a problem or concern arise.

The legal team should have the capability of working with internal personnel to identify and successfully manage key risks, develop a solid risk profile, and integrate this profile with the overall business plan. Risk management requires comprehensive communication, internal support from the top down and a combined commitment to achieving results. In this way Legal truly becomes a key part of the overall support team that helps your business obtain the desired results.

About the Author
Richard A. Hall is founder and President/CEO of LexTech, Inc., a legal information consulting company. Mr. Hall has a unique breadth of experience which has enabled him to meld technology and sophisticated statistical analysis to produce a technology driven analytical model of the practice of law. As a busy civil trial attorney, he was responsible for the design and implementation of a LAN based litigation database.

Aviation: an Overview

2006-11-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Aviation law governs the operation of aircraft and the maintenance of aviation facilities.
Both federal and state governments have enacted statutes and created administrative agencies to regulate air traffic.
Using its constitutional authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, Congress may enact laws pertaining to air navigation. There have been several federal enactments along these lines: The first was the 1926 Air Commerce Act which provided, among other things, for the certification and registration of aircraft employed in interstate or foreign commerce. The statute was amended in 1938 by the Civil Aeronautics Act (http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/197.html) which created the "Civil Aeronautics Authority," a five member panel with the power to regulate all aspects of aviation within federal jurisdiction. Later, the five-member panel was changed to the "Civil Aeronautics Board" and most of its power was transferred to the Department of Commerce.
Then the Federal Aviation Act (http://www.risingup.com/fars/info/part13-15-FAR.shtml) was passed in 1958 establishing the Federal Aviation Administration (http://www.faa.gov/). There have been several subsequent acts passed by the federal government regulating aviation such as the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970 (http://www.dotcr.ost.dot.gov/documents/ycr/14cfr152.htm) and the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d095:SN02493:@@@LTOM:/bss/d095query.html).
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act which established a Transportation Security Administration (http://www.tsa.gov/public/) in the Department of Transportation. The TSA now resides in the Department of Homeland Security (http://www.dhs.gov).
The main source for aviation law then is federally based. States are prohibited from regulating rates, routes or services of any air carrier authorized under the Federal Aviation Act to provide interstate air transportation. States are not prohibited, however, from enacting consistent laws, or from altering existing remedies under state law.
Retrieved from "http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Aviation"

Bankruptcy: an Overview

2006-11-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

Bankruptcy law provides for the development of a plan that allows a debtor, who is unable to pay his creditors, to resolve his debts through the division of his assets among his creditors. This supervised division also allows the interests of all creditors to be treated with some measure of equality. Certain bankruptcy proceedings allow a debtor to stay in business and use revenue generated to resolve his or her debts. An additional purpose of bankruptcy law is to allow certain debtors to free themselves (to be discharged) of the financial obligations they have accumulated, after their assets are distributed, even if their debts have not been paid infull. Bankruptcy law is federal statutory law contained in Title 11 of the United States Code. (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/11/) Congress passed the Bankruptcy Code under its Constitutional grant of authority to "establish. . . uniform laws on the subject of Bankruptcy throughout the United States." See U.S. Constitution Article I, Section 8. (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlei.html#section8) States may not regulate bankruptcy though they may pass laws that govern other aspects of the debtor-creditor relationship. See Debtor-Creditor (http://www.law.cornell.edu/ topics/debtor_creditor.html). A number of sections of Title 11 incorporate the debtor-creditor law of the individual states.
Bankruptcy proceedings are supervised by and litigated in the United States Bankruptcy Courts (http://www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts.html). These courts are a part of the District Courts of The United States. The United States Trustees (http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/) were established by Congress to handle many of the supervisory and administrative duties of bankruptcy proceedings. Proceedings in bankruptcy courts are governed by the Bankruptcy Rules which were promulgated by the Supreme Court under the authority of Congress.
There are two basic types of Bankruptcy proceedings. A filing under Chapter 7 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/11/ch7.html) is called liquidation. It is the most common type of bankruptcy proceeding. Liquidation involves the appointment of a trustee who collects the non-exempt property of the debtor, sells it and distributes the proceeds to the creditors. Bankruptcy proceedings under Chapters 11 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/ uscode/11/ch11.html), 12 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/ uscode/11/ch12.html), and 13 (http://www.law.cornell.edu/ uscode/11/ch13.html) involve the rehabilitation of the debtor to allow him or her to use future earnings to pay off creditors. Under Chapter 7, 12, 13, and some 11 proceedings, a trustee is appointed to supervise the assets of the debtor. A bankruptcy proceeding can either be entered into voluntarily by a debtor or initiated by creditors. After a bankruptcy proceeding is filed, creditors, for the most part, may not seek to collect their debts outside of the proceeding. The debtor is not allowed to transfer property that has been declared part of the estate subject to proceedings. Furthermore, certain pre-proceeding transfers of property, secured interests, and liens may be delayed or invalidated. Various provisions of the Bankruptcy Code also establish the priority of creditors' interests.
However, a recent decision by the Supreme Court has shifted this power towards the debtor. In Rousey v. Jacoway (http://www.law.cornell.edu/ supct/html/03-1407.ZS.html), (April 4th, 2005), the Court held that assets in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA’s) (http://www.investopedia.com/ terms/i/ira.asp) are protected under 11 U.S.C 522(d) and thus exempt from withdrawal from the bankruptcy estate. This decision has broad implications for the baby-boomer generation, providing millions of Americans nearing retirement with increased protection of their earnings.
Recent passage of the Bankruptcy Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/ z?d109:SN00256:TOM:/bss/d109query.html) in April 2005 has also resulted in major reforms in bankrupcy law, outlining revised guidelines governing the dismissal or conversion of Chapter 7 liquidations to Chapter 11 or 13 proceedings. The law also expands the responsibilities of the United States Trustees Program to include supervision of random and targeted audits, certification of entities to provide credit counseling that individuals must receive before filing for bankruptcy, certification of entities that provide financial education to individuals before being discharged from debt, and greater oversight of small business Chapter 11 reorganization cases.
Copyright ? 2006 Cornell Law School. All rights reserved

CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY

2006-11-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

Criminal Defense Law:
Criminal law involves prosecution by the government of a person for an act that has been classified as a crime. Civil cases, on the other hand, involve individuals and organizations seeking to resolve legal disputes. In a criminal defense case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. However, persons found liable in a civil case may only have to give up property or pay money, but are not incarcerated.
A "crime" is any act or omission (of an act) in violation of a public law forbidding or commanding it. Though there are some common law crimes, most crimes in the United States are established by local, state, and federal governments. Criminal defense laws vary significantly from state to state. There is, however, a Model Penal Code (MPC) which serves as a good starting place to gain an understanding of the basic structure of criminal liability.
Crimes include both felonies (more serious offenses -- like murder or rape) and misdemeanors (less serious offenses -- like petty theft or jaywalking). Felonies are usually crimes punishable by imprisonment of a year or more, while misdemeanors are crimes punishable by less than a year. However, no act is a crime if it has not been previously established as such either by statute or common law. Recently, the list of Federal crimes, dealing with activities extending beyond state boundaries or having special impact on federal operations, has grown. See Title 18.
All statutes describing criminal behavior can be broken down into their various elements. Most crimes (with the exception of strict-liability crimes) consist of two elements: an act, or "actus reus," and a mental state, or "mens rea". Prosecutors have to prove each and every element of the crime to yield a conviction. Furthermore, the prosecutor must persuade the jury or judge "beyond a reasonable doubt" of every fact necessary to constitute the crime charged. In civil cases, the plaintiff needs to show a defendant is liable only by a "preponderance of the evidence," or more than 50%.

FAMILY

2006-11-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

Adoption law is largely state law. The parent-child relationship established by adoption, however, may have direct consequences in areas of Federal law affected by family status such as Social Security. All 50 states have statutes governing adoption as defined under the Uniform Adoption Act (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uniform/vol9.html#adopt). The code defines the process by which a legal parent-child relationship is created between individuals without biological relation. In some states, doctrines of "equitable adoption" allow courts to recognize adoptions when not all statutory procedures have been carried out. Divorce Law.There are two types of divorce-- absolute and limited. An absolute divorce, (also called a "divorce a vinculo matrimonii" is a judicial termination of a marriage based on marital misconduct or other statutory cause arising after the marriage ceremony. As a result of an absolute divorce both parties' status becomes single again. Several jurisdictions' statutes authorize limited divorces, or "divorce a mensa et thoro." The consequences of limited divorces vary from state to state. Typically, a limited divorce is commonly referred to as a separation decree; the right to cohabitation is terminated but the marriage is undissolved and the status of the parties is not altered.
Many states have enacted what is called no-fault divorce statutes. This is a response to outdated common law divorce which required proof in a court of law by the divorcing party that the divorcee had done one of several enumerated things as sufficient grounds for the divorce. This entailed proving that the spouse had committed adultery, or some other unsavory act. No-fault divorce eliminates this potentially embarrassing and undesirable requirement by providing for the dissolution of a marriage on a finding that the relationship is no longer viable. It is hard to tell whether no-fault divorce statutes are the cause or an effect of the rising national divorce rate in America. Look to various state laws (http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/Table_Divorce.htm) for divorce law information.
Child Custody
In the case of divorce, generally, the court having jurisdiction of the divorce proceedings also determines who shall have custody of children from the marriage. (The authority to do so is considered part of the original jurisdiction of the court, and not as a new authority being conferred upon them.) Under the common statutory provision, the parents of a child born within a marriage are joint guardians of that child and the rights of both parents are equal--each parent has an equal right to the custody of the child when they separate. Like other aspects of family law, most law in this field is state rather than federal.
Copyright ? 2006 Cornell Law School, All rights reserved.

Employment law: an overview

2006-11-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

Employment law is a broad area encompassing all areas of the employer/employee relationship except the negotiation process covered by labor law and collective bargaining. See, Labor Law & Collective Bargaining and Arbitration. Employment law consists of thousands of Federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions. Many employment laws (e.g., minimum wage regulations) were enacted as protective labor legislation. Other employment laws take the form of public insurance, such as unemployment compensation.
OverviewEmployment Discrimination laws seek to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, and age by employers. There is also a growing body of law preventing or occasionally justifying employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Discriminatory practices include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, compensation, and various types of harassment. The main body of employment discrimination laws is composed of federal and state statutes. The United States Constitution and some state constitutions provide additional protection where the employer is a governmental body or the government has taken significant steps to foster the discriminatory practice of the employer.
The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution limit the power of the federal and state governments to discriminate. The Fifth amendment has an explicit requirement that the federal government not deprive individuals of "life, liberty, or property," without due process of the law. See U.S. Const. amend. V. It also contains an implicit guarantee that each person receive equal protection of the laws. The Fourteenth Amendment explicitly prohibits states from violating an individual's rights of due process and equal protection. See U.S. Const. amend. XIV. In the employment context the right of equal protection limits the power of the state and federal governments to discriminate in their employment practices by treating employees, former employees, or job applicants unequally because of membership in a group (such as a race or sex). Due process protection requires that employees have a fair procedural process before they are terminated if the termination is related to a "liberty" (such as the right to free speech) or property interest. State constitutions may also afford protection from employment discrimination.
Discrimination in the private sector is not directly constrained by the Constitution, but has become subject to a growing body of federal and state statutes.
Collective bargaining Employment discrimination Unemployment compensation Pensions Workplace safety Worker's compensation Retrieved from "http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Employment"

Insurance Law

2006-11-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

insurance law: In the absence of insurance, three possible individuals bear the burden of an economic loss; the individual suffering the loss; the individual causing the loss via negligence or unlawful conduct; or lastly, a particular party who has been allocated the burden by the legislature, such as employers under Workmen's Compensation statutes.
While types of insurance vary widely, their primary goal is to allocate the risks of a loss from the individual to a great number of people. Each individual pays a "premium" into a pool, from which losses are paid out. Regardless of whether the particular individual suffers the loss or not the premium is not returnable. Thus, when a building burns down, the loss is spread to the people contributing to the pool. In general, insurance companies are the safekeepers of the premiums. Because of its importance in maintaining economic stability, the government and the courts use a heavy hand in ensuring these companies are regulated and fair to the consumer.
Up until 1944, insurance was not considered "commerce" and not subject to federal regulation. But in United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Association, the Supreme Court held that Congress could regulate insurance transactions that were truly interstate. Congress then enacted the McCarran-Ferguson Act (15 U.S.C. 1011) which provided that the laws of the several states should control the insurance business, but that the Sherman Act, the [[USC:15:12Clayton Act], and the Federal Trade Commission Act were applicable to the insurance business to the extent that it was unregulated by state law.
The McCarran-Ferguson Act, broadly speaking, gives states the power to regulate the insurance industry. While state insurance statutes override most federal laws, some portions of federal law (like federal tax laws) are always commanding. Therefore, when researching whether a particular law governs, a good rule of thumb is to ask whether the inquiry is related to the "business of insurance" (where state law governs), or whether it is related to peripherals of the industry (labor, tax, securities - where federal law governs).

Real Estate Transactions: an Overview

2006-11-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

Real estate transactions are governed by a wide body of federal statutes and state statutory and common law. The requirements established by state law often differ significantly from one state to the next.
Real estate brokers are employed as the agent of the seller in order to obtain a buyer for their property.
The contract between the broker and seller is called a listing agreement. The agreement may be an open agreement whereby the broker earns a commission only if he or she finds a buyer. A listing is exclusive if the broker is the only agent entitled to a commission for finding a buyer. Under an exclusive arrangement a broker may be entitled to a payment even if the seller finds the buyer without the brokers aid. Real estate brokers and salesperson are licensed and regulated by local state laws. See, e.g., California Civil Code 2079 (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/civ/2079-2079.24.html). Professional organizations may also provide further guidelines.
The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in real estate transactions on account of race, color, religion, sex,or national origin. See 42 U.S.C. 3601-3631. Real estate brokers are specifically prohibited from discriminating by the act. See 3606 of the act.
The agreement to sell between a buyer and seller of real estate is governed by the general principles of contract law. See Contracts. The Statute of Frauds requires that contracts for real property be in writing. See, e.g., California Civil Code 1624. (http://www.lectlaw.com/files/bul15.htm)
It is commonly required in real estate contracts that the title to the property sold be marketable. This requires that the seller have proof of title to all the property he or she is selling and that third parties not have undisclosed interests in the title. See Real property.
A title insurance company or an attorney is often employed by the buyer to investigate whether the title is, indeed, marketable. Title insurance companies also insure the buyer against losses caused by the title being invalid.
In order to pass title, a deed with a proper description of the land must be executed and delivered. Some states require that the deed be officially recorded to establish ownership of the property and/or provide notice of its transfer to subsequent purchasers.
Retrieved from "http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Real_estate_transactions"

IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY

2006-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Immigration Law.
Federal immigration law determines whether a person is an alien, and associated legal rights, duties, and obligations of aliens in the United States. It also provides means by which certain aliens can become naturalized citizens with full rights of citizenship. Immigration lawer serves as a gatekeeper for the nation's border: it determines who may enter, how long they may stay and when they must leave.
The United States has a long history of immigration laws. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA) (http://uscis.gov/lpBin/ lpext.dll/insertsslb/slb-1/slb-22?f=templates&fn=document- frame.htm) with some major, and many minor, changes continues to be the basic immigration law of the country. The most significant ammendment to the INA was in 1965 which abolished the natural origin provisions, and established a new quota system.
For INA purposes, an "alien" is any person who is not a citizen or a national of the United States. There are different categories of aliens: resident and nonresident, immigrant and nonimmigrant, documented and undocumented ("illegal" ).
States have limited legislative authority regarding immigration, and 28 U.S.C. 1251 details the full extent of state jurisdiction. Generally, 28 U.S.C. 994 details the federal sentencing guidelines for illegal entry into the country.
Congress has total and complete authority over immigration. Power of the President is limited to policies on refugees. Unless the issue concerns the rights of aliens to constitutional protections the courts have rarely intruded.
The need to stem illegal immigration prompted Congress to enact the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) (http://www.usda.gov/oce/oce/labor-affairs/ircasumm.htm) of 1986. The IRCA toughened criminal sanctions for employers who hire illegal aliens, denied illegal aliens federally funded welfare benefits, and legitimized some aliens through an amnesty program. The Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d099:HR03737:TOM:/bss/d099query.html) of 1986 sought to limit the practice of marrying to obtain citizenship. The Immigration Act (http://www.law.cornell.edu/usc-cgi/get_external.cgi?type=pubL&target=101-649) of 1990 thoroughly revamped the INA making allocation of visas more even among foreign nations, eliminating archaic rules, and increasing the level of worldwide immigration.
The goals in immigration policies are achieved by granting or denying visas. There are two types of visas: immigrant and nonimmigrant. Nonimmigrant visas are primarily issued to tourists and temporary business visitors. Nonimmigrant visas are divided into eighteen main categories, and the number of visas in most categories are not limited. Only a few categories of non-immigrant visas allow their holders work in the United States. Immigrant visas permit their holders to stay in the United States permanently and ultimately to apply for citizenship. An alien who has an immigrant visa is permitted to work in the United States. Congress limits the overall number of immigrant visas, which was 675,000 in 1995. Many immigrant visas are also subject to per-country caps.
Copyright ? 2006 Cornell Law School. All rights reserved

Estates and Trusts: an Overview

2006-11-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

During the early 1500's in England landowners found it advantageous to convey the legal title of their land to third parties while retaining the benefits of ownership. Because they were not the real "owners" of the land, and wealth was primarily measured by the amount of land owned, they were immune from creditors and may have absolved themselves of some feudal obligations. While feudal concerns no longer exist and wealth is held in many forms other than land (i.e., stocks, bonds, bank accounts), the idea of placing property in third party hands for the benefit of another. This is the idea of a trust which has survived and prospered.
Generally, a trust is a right in property (real or personal) which is held in a fiduciary relationship by one party for the benefit of another. The trustee is the one who holds title to the trust property, and the beneficiary is the person who receives the benefits of the trust. To understand the laws governing trusts a good starting point is the Restatement (2nd) of Trusts.
Many trusts are created as an alternative to or in conjunction with a will and other elements of estate planning. State law establishes the framework for determining the validity and limits for both.
has shaped state law in this field. It includes provisions dealing with affairs and estates of the deceased and laws dealing with specified non testamentary transfers, like trusts and their administration. The theory behind the Code is that wills and trusts are in close relationship and thus in need of unification. Since its creation, over thirty percent of states have adopted the Code substantially in whole.
Since many individuals neither set up trusts nor execute wills, state intestate succesion laws are an important complement to trust and estate law. They determine where an individual's assets go upon death in the absence of a will.
Estate Planning.An estate is the total property, real and personal, owned by an individual prior to distribution through a trust or will. Real property is real estate and personal property includes everything else, for example cars, household items, and bank accounts. Estate planning distributes the real and personal property to an individual's heirs.
Estate planning is the process by which an individual or family arranges the transfer of assets in anticipation of death. An estate plan aims to preserve the maximum amount of wealth possible for the intended beneficiaries and flexibility for the individual prior to death. A major concern for drafters of estate plans is federal and state tax law.
Wills and trusts are common ways in which individuals dispose of their wealth. (See Estates and Trusts) trusts, unlike wills, have the benefit of avoiding probate, a lengthy and costly legal process that oversees the transfer of assets. Sometimes, though, it will be useful to make inter vivos gifts (gifts made while the donor is alive) in order to minimize taxes. The Federal Gift Tax (http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode26/ usc_sup_01_26_10_B.html) exempts certain levels of lifetime gifts. (See Estate Tax
Internal Revenue Service (http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/) Internet Law Library - Trusts and Estates (http://www.priweb.com/internetlawlib/112.HTM) National Association of Financial and Estate Planning (http://www.nafep.com/public%20info/public-info_e-p-info_tools.htm) Retrieved from "http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Estates_and_trusts"
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