5 Tips For Finding an Affordable Divorce Lawyer

Legal

There is so much to consider when getting divorced, from dividing marital assets, to spousal support, to child custody and support.

Divorce can also be an incredibly expensive process.This is especially true when it comes to hiring legal representation. In fact, divorce lawyers can take up the majority of the budget that you have set aside for divorce proceedings.

It is therefore not only important to find an attorney that is suitable and experienced for your particular case, but also to find legal representation that fits within your budget. This is why we have created a list of helpful tips for finding a cheap divorce lawyer.

Shop Around

It is important not to be impulsive when choosing a divorce lawyer, so don’t just go for the first attorney that you meet. Remember that you are not obligated to retain an attorney when you meet with them, or do you have to pay them anything unless you have agreed to do so. When meeting with an attorney, be sure to ask them about their fees and billing structure. A reputable attorney will be able to provide you with their fee schedule or hourly rate before you hire them. 

Some attorneys will offer flat-rate packages, particularly for “uncontested” divorces. With flat-rate packages, attorneys have an incentive to work more quickly and efficiently. However, this may not be the right move for everyone, particularly if your case could be dealt with at a lower cost on a per-hour basis.

With flat-rate packages, it is pretty straightforward to compare rates. Otherwise, it can be tricky to calculate the exact fee an attorney will charge (given that they are working on a per-hour basis). 

Therefore, it is important to check online reviews and consider word-of-mouth to ascertain the general cost of a particular attorney. After doing so, you should arrange initial consultations with the attorney to determine both their suitability for your case, as well as their hour rate and retainer fee (this is an upfront sum).

Explore Legal Aid and Family Law Clinics

For matters such as divorce and child custody, some cities and states offer legal aid services for lower-income residents. Others work with non-profit programs to offer low-cost, or free, family law clinics.

If you do not qualify for these programs, city and state websites often offer lists of reputable and cheap divorce lawyers. Make sure to look at your city’s website, or the website of the court where you will file, to find resources like these.

Explore Law Schools and Paralegal Programs

If you are unable to find any public legal clinics, the next step is to contact a law school or paralegal program. Many of these will offer clinics to help students gain experience working on everyday legal issues. 

These clinics are supervised by a licensed attorney who will review any legal documents that the students and paralegals prepare. Although these types of clinics will likely not be able to help you if your legal matters are highly complex, they can be a great alternative if you cannot find a divorce attorney that fits your budget.

Think About A DIY Divorce

Some people may be tempted to avoid looking for legal representation and handling the divorce themselves. However before thinking about this route, it’s worth considering the time that this will take, as well as how complicated your particular situation is.

If both parties agree on the most substantial issues involved in the case, then a DIY divorce from someone like 3Step, Divorce.com or Divorce Bob could be an affordable and relatively easy option. Some courts even offer simplified processes such as a “joint simplified” divorce. These can be quite quick and easy to accomplish, and will save both parties the cost of hiring an attorney. 

If you are unable to use a simplified divorce process, then another option is using an online divorce service. 

These services reduce the time spent figuring out which forms to file, how to file them, and in what order everything needs to be done. They guide you through the entire filing process and can save a lot of time. Many will also connect you with legal professionals who are able to answer your questions and review your forms for a reasonable per-hour or flat consultation fee. 

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Sexting: A New Form Of Sexual Harassment

Legal

Sexual harassment is a problem that has been faced by women in almost every society. Recently, with the rise in technology and information, sexual harassment has taken an entirely new form. Where before women had to experience catcalling or lewd glances when they were in public, now women (and men) can be coerced into giving personal pictures through sexting. As more people become comfortable sharing their bodies over the Internet, there is a risk.

Sexting is the act of sending sexual pictures or messages over the Internet. In recent years sexting has become much more familiar with the breakthrough in technologies. In the past, which still happens today, women have been subjected to sexual harassment from unwanted looks and catcalling in public. Now men can ask for personal photos simply by messaging a woman on social media websites. This is especially dangerous because it threatens the safety of the person in question. This form of harassment has become prevalent in both relationships and on social media sites. In relationships, it is often used to manipulate the other partner into accepting treatment they would not otherwise let themselves be subjected to. The issue has also been raised with regards to social media sites, including people without consent posting pictures from personal accounts.

Sexting is becoming increasingly popular; people find new ways every day to share their bodies over the Internet. However, this poses risks to both parties involved. Women can be coerced into sending intimate pictures of themselves.

How Does Sexting Occur?

Sexting can occur in two different ways. The first is that the person sends a picture to another person, with or without consent. It can be done through insecure applications such as Snapchat, where it is meant to disappear after a few seconds, but if the receiver takes a screenshot of the image, then it’s too late. Another way sexting can occur is when someone is coerced into sending a picture of themselves. This type of sexting is more dangerous because the sender can be threatened or even assaulted if they refuse to send it.

This type of sexting usually happens through social media applications such as Facebook Messenger. If a person sends a sext and then is coerced into sending another one, it can escalate into an issue that puts the sender at risk.

Sexting has increasingly become a form of sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexting may not be as severe as physical or verbal abuse, but it is no less than bullying, and if you feel uncomfortable with this type of activity, then you should take action. This can include reporting the incident to your superior or human resources department, depending on what the company’s policies are regarding sexting.

In 2012, Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old girl from Canada, committed suicide because she was being blackmailed after sexting someone over a webcam. The perpetrator forced her to send more indecent pictures by threatening to post the ones he already had. She ended her life out of fear of what could happen next if she did not comply with his demands.

In 2013 Rehtaeh Parsons from Canada attempted to kill herself after pictures were distributed around her school of her being raped by multiple boys.

How Can You Fight Sexual Harassment Online?

There are a number of ways that we can fight sexual harassment through the Internet. As technology evolves through time, so do the means of harassment and bullying. In addition to social media, there have been cases in which employers have harassed their employees. Even children have been subject to sexual harassment from adults on social media. In order to combat this, we can create better laws and rules for materials online.

In situations, you may even need a sexual harassment lawyer. Laws and regulations do not currently address all the forms of sexual harassment that can take place on the Internet. It is important that victims comprehend that they have a right to feel safe wherever they go and whoever they talk to. We must continue to fight sexual harassment and find ways to deal with it appropriately.

If you feel like you are in immediate danger, then call the police. There are many other laws and lawyers that can be used to get you out of this situation. You can get in contact with a lawyer that specializes in cyber-harassment, or you can go through human resources.

Researching for a lawyer can be time-intensive. Fortunately, you can look online to simplify this process and find the best lawyer for your case. If you feel like someone is harassing you over the Internet, stay calm and make sure to record every single thing that occurs in case you need evidence later on. For those who need more info, you find helpful resources through a sexual harassment lawyer Los Angeles firm. Although it may be difficult, strategize any possible solutions in order to avoid feeling helpless.

Sexual harassment is a serious criminal offense and can take many forms. Although sexting may not be as severe, it is still a form of bullying that can take place anywhere. It targets a person’s sexuality and forces them to do something against their will. Sexting has become a major problem among teenagers and adults because they are constantly using social media sites to communicate with one another online. In addition to this, receiving unsolicited sexual images from strangers over social media can cause young adults distress. No matter what age you are, there are ways that we can fight sexual harassment through the Internet by creating stricter laws and rules for materials put online. In order to combat this effect, we must continue fighting sexual harassment and find effective solutions. There are thousands of online groups dedicated to helping victims of sexual harassment through social media or email. We must continue fighting for our rights against sexual harassment no matter what form it takes. The Internet isn’t entirely a secure place, and you can find yourself in dangerous situations. It is good to have an awareness of these threats and know that you have the power to fight them off.

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Why Medical Malpractice are Such Difficult Legal Cases for Plaintiffs

Health & Fitness Legal

The medical industry in the US is the largest private industry in the country and it includes hundreds of thousands of workers who collectively operate healthcare, research, and other health sectors. For those who become ill, their typical interaction with this industry is with the health professionals they engage with when they become ill.

These are the doctors, nurses, therapists and medical specialists who are professionally trained to provide medical treatment to those who need it. Because healthcare is such an important element in life, those who provide care to patients are often revered and their advice and opinions are followed to the letter. Patients depend on and trust medical practitioners in a way that they do with few other professionals.

They are depended upon to be precise and accurate in their words, advice and actions and when they are not people are usually injured and in some cases sustain very serious injuries.

For this reason, there are specific laws created to protect patients from those medical professionals who are negligent or on incompetent. Unfortunately there are lots of cases where medical practitioners are negligent or incompetent and this has led to medical malpractice cases being some of the most popular types of personal injury cases and providing lots of work for reputable medical malpractice attorneys. If you are a patient and you have been injured in a medical situation you should contact a good lawyer who specializes in this area of practice. You need to contact a local lawyer where the injuries occurred. For instance if you were injured at a Cleveland clinic or hospital you need to contact a reputable and skilled Cleveland medical malpractice attorney.

The reason you need a skilled medical malpractice attorney is because these cases are very difficult to win. Here are some things to understand about medical malpractice cases.

What Sets Up Medical Malpractice?

Medical professionals are required to provide a minimum standard of medical care to patients. There are legal guidelines for this and each medical professional who interacts with patients is held to these standards. However medicine in an inexact science. Doctors must make judgment calls and take best guesses at times and sometimes under stressful situations. So if a doctor makes an error or the patient does not get the expected outcome from a procedure or medication this alone does not mean medical malpractice. The doctor must have been negligent or incompetent in his actions.

The Job of the Plaintiff’s lawyer in a Medical Malpractice Case

The plaintiff or injured party’s attorney must show that the medical professional did not perform his or her job up to the expected quality of care regarding the plaintiff and as a result the injuries occurred to the plaintiff.  And the reason the medical professional fell short of expectations was due to his or her deliberate actions or inactions. Quite often an attorney must get into the head of the medical practitioner and understand what the person was thinking or the person’s state of mind when the injuries occurred.  The medical practitioner will not typically cooperate with the plaintiff’s attorney because so much is at stake for that person, but a good attorney can get the right answers and piece things together properly.

There is also considerable time and cost required to try these types of cases. Medical professionals are always supported by insurance companies that do not want to pay. They will usually put up resistance that will mean more time and resources must be dedicated by the plaintiff’s side. These high costs will sometimes cause a plaintiff to give pause, but the right law firm will work with the plaintiff to make sure all costs are covered during the case.

Medical malpractice injuries cause physical and emotional pain. If you believe that you have a medical malpractice case, you should contact a reputable attorney who has a great track record for winning these types of cases and getting their clients good settlements.

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The Most Important Advice for Winning a Personal Injury Case

Auto Legal

Personal injury is often misunderstood because it covers such a wide area of legal claims. What is and is not personal injury can be confusing, but it is defined as a wide range of circumstances where one party’s negligence or deliberate action causes harm and injuries to the mind, body or emotions of another party. Personal injury is one of the most common types of legal cases filed, and women file as many personal injury claims as men.

A personal injury case is a civil case meaning the objective in a personal injury case is for financial compensation from the defendant. Since there is no criminal element in the case, the defendant cannot receive jail time if he or she loses the case. Also, since it is a civil case, the burden of proof for personal injury is much lower than in a criminal case. To win, the plaintiff lower must prove fault based on a preponderance of the evidence, rather than reasonable doubt which is required in a criminal case.

The important components necessary for a plaintiff to win a civil case is for the plaintiff must show that:

  • the injuries were caused by the defendant’s behavior,
  • that the defendant’s behavior was reckless, willful, or negligent, and
  • that the injuries caused by the defendant have a financial impact to the plaintiff that can be quantified.

Personal injury lawsuits are so common partly because personal injury can happen in nearly any circumstance. They are most often however filed for defective products, traffic accidents, medical malpractice, assault, and slip or trip and falls on private and public property. The injuries sustained from personal injury may be physical, mental or emotional and can be short term or lifelong. The damages sought in a personal injury case will seek to cover medical bills, loss of work, pain and suffering, impaired or diminished quality of life and other things that have occurred due to the injuries caused by the defendant.

When a plaintiff brings a personal injury claim, there are important things to do that will greatly improve the odds of winning the case, Here is a short list:

Hire a Good Local Personal Injury Lawyer

You must hire an attorney in the jurisdiction where the personal injury occurred. For instance, if you were injured in a car accident in Miami, you must hire an attorney licensed in Florida, and it is best to hire a good personal injury lawyer in Miami because they know the court system in that city and can do the best job for you. Your lawyer will instruct you on all of the necessary things that you both need to do to win your case.

Make Sure You are Prepared

Your personal injury case will include hundreds of big and small details. You will be required to recall every event and circumstance related to your injuries while the defendant will try and prove that the fault was yours. You must be completely prepared with all of the facts. This means that you must take good notes regarding the car accident; get a police report, take down and contact any witnesses, and take all of the details and personal information from the defendant and anyone else involved in the car accident, and any witnesses to it as well. You need to notate all of your doctor and rehab visits and those with your attorney as well. Also keep a record of the work you lose because of your injuries and the loss of quality things in your life including intimacy.

One additional major aspect is the mental anguish you can sustain. Car accident victims often develop phobias, anxiety, and other mental issues when they are in a bad car accident. You can receive compensation for these issues as well so you should note them. Being well prepared for your personal injury case with great notes will help your lawyer make your best case and get you the most compensation.

Hire a good local lawyer and take good notes and it will greatly improve your chances of winning your personal injury lawsuit.

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