Lawyers
Lawyers What You Need To Know
The definition of a lawyer is someone who has been trained in the law of a particular country; often referred to as an attorney or an advocate, they can fulfill a number of roles depending on the circumstances.
When a lawyer steps into a courtroom to represent and defend a client, he (or she) becomes their advocate; they can all appear in court but many choose not to whilst others spend most of their time in the courtroom.
Often they will just be required to give advice on law and then act as a legal adviser; this can just be to provide clarification surround a legal matter.
Representation in a courtroom is carried out by trial lawyers; it requires a more confident type of personality, someone who is quick thinking.Trial lawyers actually spend more of their time outside the court; they investigate evidence and interview people involved in the case.
The legal system affects nearly every aspect of our society; this is why lawyers have their own set of laws they must abide, to be above reproach. There are many specialized areas of law which they can focus; however, all can and do appear in court from time to time to represent their clients.
Today's life and law is becoming ever more complex creating new subject areas for the legal system to practice in; such as:
*Intellectual Property Rights
*Aviation Law
*Environmental Issues
*Personal Injury
*Identification Theft
This specialization means that some legal representatives may never have to practice their skills in court!
Those who decide to become experts in environmental law may represent any side relating to the disputed issue; an example of this group could be:
*Recycling Companies
*State agencies
*Oil Companies
Part of this work is dealing with land and development applications; it can also be in a defense capacity when incidents have happened that require legal representation.
A growth area for attorneys in recent years is that of intellectual property rights; an area that has increased owing to the use of digital products; music and video for example. Most large insurance providers engage the services of specialist lawyers in their legal departments; insurance contracts and claims are often investigated which is an are where their expert knowledge will be invaluable.
Much of law might be considered mundane as the majority of attorneys carry out their work in private practice involved with minor criminal and civil law. criminal lawyers represent people charged with crimes whether for defense or prosecution; civil law uses their talents to argue in a civil court over claims, mortgages and other types of litigation.
Some handle only public interest cases both civil and criminal; these usually involve disputes or claims against governments or large corporations. Lawyers with a more rounded social conscience can work for non-profit organizations or legal-aid centers; this aspect of legal assistance is often frowned upon but it is a dignified use of a person's legal skills.
Accident Lawyers What You Need To Know
Life is tough for a construction worker, so much so that it is now recognized as one of the most dangerous professions in the country; life endangering accidents happen every day. Unlike anywhere else in America, New York State has lead the way by providing special laws relating to construction site safety; this has created a need for more accident lawyers; There are many areas to be wary about a construction site but accidents relating to working at height are the most dreaded; make no mistake, any injury that occurs on a site can be fatal.
Although it may not be the first thing on your mind when you are injured, it is important to document exactly what happened to cause your injury; the sooner this is done the better. This will increase your chances of a successful compensation claim as it is easy to pick holes in an incomplete record of events; many victims do not fully realize just how necessary this is.Information about the conditions surrounding the accident should be gathered; including facts like: *Location, date and time of the incident *What type of equipment caused the injury? *Has this type of equipment caused problems before? *Machinery service report *Were there any witnesses to the accident? *Was the weather partly responsible? Every piece of information is crucial and necessary; the accident lawyer should stress this point if there is to be a successful conclusion to the claim.How lawyers seek compensation claims
Once all the information has been gathered you will need to locate a good lawyer, preferably someone with experience in accident compensation claims; this way you should expect superior results with any compensation claim you make. If you've been injured and it's not your fault, then you need to be compensated, as construction site injury lawsuits are not cut and dry; the legal representative for the other side will be a professional accident lawyer so you need to employ the same.
As the law regarding compensation claims and lawsuits are in the employers favor, prosecution for negligence by the employee is forbidden; other people or companies however, can be held accountable for accidents on a construction site and be prosecuted. Third parties involved could be suppliers and manufacturers of equipment used on site in addition to people who own the property, even those who own the site; the law does allow claims to be made against other companies involved in the construction industryFortunately for any construction worker in the State of New York, the law is very definitely behind them; they have made it known that claims will be made against contractors and property owners who do not keep their sites safe. The responsibility even extends to the subcontractors who cannot escape justice. Compensation can also be sought from the equipment manufacturers if the injury was the result of faulty equipment; your accident lawyer will advise you on the next course of action. There are a number of specialist law firms whose work only involves construction site accidents, and these are the ones to seek out; they will have knowledge of local laws and are more likely to pursue a successful claim.
When The Only Alternative Is A Bankruptcy Lawyer
There are some financial situations that cannot be resolved with normal methods and the only alternative is to contact a bankruptcy lawyer; this will be an extremely stressful time for many people as their whole life is about to change.
Whilst filing for bankruptcy requires a little more work and preparation than it did before the changes in law, most of that work will fall on your attorney to complete. Fortunately these extra initial steps for the debtor do not change what happens once the bankruptcy petition as been filed so it should proceed exactly as it would have before.
Fortunately, the United States bankruptcy protection code provides certain exemptions for people who are filing for bankruptcy when it comes to the disposal of property. It is unlikely that your home or vehicle will be at risk. In addition to this there are extensive exemptions for clothing, furniture, and personal property.
Of course, some States have made additions to the federal law and this is where your bankruptcy lawyer will be of more assistance if you want to retain the possessions to which you are entitled. The fact is that the vast majority of individuals filing for bankruptcy are not wealthy.
They do not own large value items or have money hidden away. It is important that what they do have is protected from their creditors as much as possible.
Details of bankruptcy will stay on your credit record for ten years but there is more to it than that. This is not the problem that it may at first appear as most of the scoring for your credit is taken from the more recent credit transactions. To prove this point, your lawyer should warn you about certain financial companies that contact bankrupt people and offer credit. Extreme caution is required here.
Hopefully before this situation occurs your bankruptcy lawyer will warn you about certain credit companies that add on huge fees and increased interest rates. This would make repaying a loan problematic and may land you in further financial difficulties. That does not mean you cannot accept credit but you should be judicious about what types of credit you take on, to ensure payments can be met comfortably.
Fortunately most people who are able to keep their bills current after bankruptcy are able to re-establish their credit in 2-4 years, which is a relatively short period of time. Buying a house or arranging an unsecured loan after this short period should not cause you any undue problems even though your bankruptcy will be on your record for 10 years.
Most people that have become bankrupt have done so as a last resort, probably trying all the alternatives. It isn't an easy decision to make so the credit companies should not give the impression that only losers and failures take this action.
If this attitude continues, it will just ensure that legislation will become more restrictive. It will therefore become increasingly difficult to apply for bankruptcy. However, your bankruptcy lawyer will say that the vast majority people who file for bankruptcy protection are honest, hard working people who have just fallen on hard times.
