Amy Nutt asked:


In law there are two basic types of off lawsuits: criminal and civil. Civil lawsuits are lawsuits between two private parties, often two people. Criminal lawsuits are lawsuits brought by the state or federal government against an individual or group. Civil cases are initiated by the victim, and criminal cases are initiated by the government through a prosecutor. Criminal lawyers are those who defend the plaintiff in criminal lawsuits.

What Criminal Lawyers Do

Criminal lawyers represent their clients in lawsuits that are initiated by the government. Their clients are individuals or groups who have been accused of acts that are crimes of some sort. It could be a misdemeanor, which is a less serious crime like drunk driving, or it could be a felony, which is a serious crime like murder that could end in jail time or even the death penalty. Many people think of felonies when they think of criminal lawyers, but criminal lawyers also represent plaintiffs who are facing misdemeanor charges.

Criminal Lawyers Early in a Defense
Many people who are being charged with a crime wait to hire a lawyer. Perhaps they think the charges will be dropped, or maybe they think that the potential punishment does not warrant the cost of hiring a lawyer. They may think they can represent themselves in an attempt to save money. Whatever the reason, this is a dangerous idea, because criminal lawyers can often be of the most help early in the process.

One way that a lawyer can help is by negotiating a dismissal of the case. Lawyers know how to spot potential weaknesses in the prosecutor’s defense. Sometimes by presenting these weaknesses to the prosecuting attorney, they can help to negotiate a dismissal of the charge before the charges are officially filed.

A lawyer can also help a plaintiff by helping to negotiate a plea bargain. This involves an admission of guilt in return for a lessening of the potential consequences and an avoidance of the courtroom appearance. Many people charged with misdemeanors can avoid much of the expense of a court case by plea-bargaining.

Plaintiffs who are involved in crimes that are part of an ongoing investigation can use a criminal lawyer to help negotiate a lesser sentence in return for cooperation in the investigation. For instance, if a plaintiff knows information about another aspect of the crime that could help the prosecutors capture a high-profile criminal, the prosecutor may be willing to drop some charges in return for that information. A lawyer knows how to approach the police or the prosecutor to present this proposition.

Tips for Working with a Criminal Lawyer

If you are in a position where you need the services of a criminal lawyer, you need to work with your lawyer to ensure that your defense goes as smoothly as possible. Even if you are just facing minor charges, your lawyer is the only person who can help lower those charges and save you thousands of dollars and protect certain freedoms that you could lose with a “guilty” conviction.

No matter what, do not discuss your case with anyone other than your lawyer. Anything that you say about your case outside of your lawyer’s office could be repeated in the courtroom. Your lawyer operates under “attorney-client privilege,” which means that he cannot be forced to share with anyone what you tell him in confidence. Other people in your life do not have this protection.

Be honest and upfront with your lawyer. He cannot help you if you do not tell him exactly what happened, even if it makes you look bad. Answer all questions, and let your lawyer lead the defense. He knows how to best present the information so that you are honest, yet appear as guilt-free as possible to the jury or judge. Remember, your attorney is on your side, so treat him and his staff with respect as you work through your case.



MERVIN

State Approved Lawyer, Attorney Referral Hotline 661-310-7999. Los Angeles Lawyers, Attorneys, Law Firms asked:


Brain Injury: If you believe you have a brain injury, seek treatment at the earliest possible date. Even if you don’t think you have suffered a brain injury, you should report to your physician any symptoms that might suggest a brain trauma or blow to the head, such as pain or bruising, headaches, loss of memory of events before or after an accident, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), bleeding or seepage of fluid in the ear canal, or any other suspicious symptoms.

An emergency room physician should be prepared to respond to your questions about your symptoms, and can help determine if you show any immediate signs of brain injury, or if you should go through testing or further examination for possible injury.

It is a common mistake to assume that a brain injury cannot result from a low-speed traffic accident. There is now substantial medical literature, establishing that brain injury can occur even as the result of “minor” traffic accidents. Don’t allow yourself or your physician to be fooled by the “minor” nature of the accident — if you show any signs of a brain injury, you should explore the possibility that you have suffered one.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can arise from a variety of causes. The most common cause is a direct blow to the head of the injured person. However, a brain injury can occur even without a blow to the head - the brain can be injured by colliding with the inside of the skull.

The brain can “ricochet” inside the skull as the result of an accident, resulting in injury even with little or no direct force to the outside of the head. Brain injuries can occur suddenly, as the trauma causes tissues in the brain to tear, or can occur as a result of swelling or bleeding of the brain following a traumatic incident.

TBI can result from violent shaking (as with “shaken baby syndrome,” sometimes seen in abused children), a loss of oxygen to the brain, poisoning or infection.
Serious brain injuries are usually apparent at the time of injury. However, mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is less likely to be diagnosed. Symptoms associated with MTBI include:

Brief loss of consciousness;

Loss of memory immediately before or after the injury;

Any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident;

Focal neurological deficits.



In many MTBI cases, the person seems fine on the surface, yet continues to endure chronic functional problems. Some people with MTBI suffer from post-concussion syndrome (PCS), and may experience significant changes in their personality and cognitive abilities.

Traumatic brain injury can significantly affect an injured person’s mental, physical and psychological well-being.



JEAN

daveholm asked:

Most musical fans point to Julie Andrews or Judy Garland as their favorite actresses. But I’m all about the underseen, underappreciated genius of Betty Hutton. This clip of her eye-popping (and eye-stretching) performance in a B-musical comedy serves as a light introduction to her style. Hutton’s most notable film role was the part of Annie Oakley in the 1950 musical of “Annie Get Your Gun.” One of her best known songs (Blow a Fuse, later renamed It’s Oh So Quiet) was covered by Icelandic …

CARLO

nicesinging1 asked:


Hello, everyone. I need some insights and wisdoms from people who are lawyers or know a lot about the inside and out of being a lawyer.
Growing up in my community, I had so many people telling me how glamorous life of a lawyer is, how much money they make, how nice are their houses and cars, how respected they are in their community. It almost sounded like being a lawyer is one of the most fantastic careers in the world with hardly any problems.
But as life is, I am sure there are downsides of being a lawyer that many ordinary people don’t know about. 1. What are the downsides of being a lawyer? 2. At the end, do you believe the good sides far outweigh the bad sides? 3. Would you recommend the career to someone who values deeply on family time and enjoying life?
Thanks in advance for any insights.

IVAN

Christopher M. Davis asked:


You need to know a few things about lawyer advertising. For example, if you look through the yellow pages you’ll see that the ads placed by attorneys all say essentially the same thing. Very few of them actually give good useful information to make it easier for you to choose a good lawyer for your case. Although the yellow pages are a good place to get names of attorneys, you need to be aware of the following points when it comes to lawyer advertising:

There is no rule which requires that the lawyer have a minimum amount of experience handling the case which the lawyer wants to advertise.

Although the bar association has rules that govern lawyer advertising, it usually does not actively investigate, restrict or determine whether each lawyer who advertises is a specialist or has experience with the type of case being advertised. This means a lawyer can advertise that she is a “divorce lawyer” or “personal injury attorney” when that lawyer may have limited experience or knowledge of that area of the law.

There are virtually no restrictions on the different types of law that the lawyer wants to advertise. Therefore, you should be extremely careful about choosing an attorney based solely on that attorney’s advertising claim, whether the ad is in the phone book or on television.

Any attorney can buy a big slick ad in the yellow pages. The phone book company typically does not verify the claims that are being made in the ad. In many cases the phone book company does not even verify that the person is a licensed attorney in good standing! Use caution.

A lawyer who advertises does not mean that that lawyer will be handling your case. Some lawyers simply run advertisements and then refer outmost or all of the clients to other lawyers to do the work in exchange for a referral fee. Such a lawyer essentially acts like a referral broker. Be especially cautious of ads placed by out of state attorneys. Because of state licensing requirements, these attorneys will usually have to refer the case to a lawyer who is licensed to practice law in Washington.

A lawyer who purchases full page ads in the yellow pages, or pays for slick T.V. commercials, does not necessarily mean that the lawyer is super successful. Some lawyers who pay for such advertising operate a “volume practice” for the purpose of making just a little money on the numerous cases that are generated from the ad. Many times a “volume practice” attorney tries to settle all or most of the cases to earn the most amount of money in the least amount of time. The only time you may see this lawyer is if his face appears in the ad!

Some lawyers who run big ads to fill their “volume practices” will rarely even work on a case. These lawyers farm out every aspect of the case to a paralegal or legal assistant. The only time the lawyer may even look at your case is after it has settled and the lawyer wants to collect his fee!

Be cautious of lawyer ads that create unjustified expectations. For example, if the lawyer advertises that he can obtain “Fast Settlements in 30 Days” he probably never goes to trial and settles cases for far less than what they are actually worth. In most cases, good settlements take time and effort.

Sometimes the lawyer’s advertising can negatively affect your own case. If your case goes to trial and jurors recognize your lawyer from his advertising, it may undermine your lawyer’s credibility during trial. Do you want jurors to remember your lawyer as the one who can get “BIG MONEY DAMAGES!!” or “FAST SETTLEMENTS $$$” for pain and suffering?? Jurors watch television, too, you know.

Lawyer TV Ads: A word to the wise

Did you know that there are companies that offer prewritten and pre-shot TV commercials for personal injury attorneys? You’ve probably seen one. Sometimes a famous actor is used (like Robert Vaughan, William Shatner or Eric Estrada). Other times an attractive man or woman is shown speaking behind a desk or holding a legal book or doing something else to act like a lawyer. The person says something like, “If you’ve been in an accident, get the money you deserve. Speak to an attorney for free. Call 1-800-XXXXXXX.” What you need to know is that many times your call is routed to a call center that randomly sends your call to the next attorney “in line.” The next one “in line” is an attorney who has actually paid a hefty fee to be on the “list.” Any attorney with enough money can pay to be on the list, including attorneys who have never tried a case in court. Many times the attorney who has paid the fee is not necessarily the most experienced lawyer for your case. Now I’m not saying that all attorneys who use TV advertising are inexperienced. But you should not rely on TV advertising alone when choosing a lawyer. Just a word to the wise.

Case Study: T.V. Personal Injury Lawyer Fails Client

Here’s a sad story about a lawyer who advertised on T.V. in Rochester, New York. The attorney, Jim Schapiro, ran aggressive T.V. commercials which promised to obtain large financial settlements for victims, referred to himself as “the meanest, nastiest S.O.B. in town,” and claimed to have aggressive courtroom prowess. Schapiro, who called himself “The Hammer,” had law offices in the states of New York and Florida.

In 2002, one of Schapiro’s clients, Christopher Wagner, sued Schapiro for malpractice. Mr. Wagner had been injured in a car accident and had responded to one of Mr. Schapiro’s television ads. Mr. Wagner alleged that he had incurred medical bills of $182,000 but that Schapiro’s firm advised him to accept a settlement of only $65,000 from the driver and then promised that he could get more money by filing suit against the state of New York. It turned out that the state had no liability for the accident and Schapiro never pursued Mr. Wagner’s case further.

In a video deposition, Jim Schapiro testified that he had never tried a personal injury case in court and that he had been living in Florida for the last seven years. Mr. Wagner’s attorney also discovered that Schapiro’s Rochester law firm staffed just one lawyer who had only tried four cases. A New York jury found that Schapiro had engaged in misleading and deceptive advertising and that he committed malpractice. Schapiro was ordered to pay $1.5 million to Wagner.

Consequently, in 2004 Schapiro was suspended for practicing law for one year by the State of New York. In 2005, Schapiro was then suspended from practicing law in Florida for one year. In 2004, four additional clients sued Schapiro alleging that he had engaged in misleading advertising and had committed malpractice. Thereafter Schapiro stopped practicing law and instead now writes books for injury victims.



CHESTER

DivorceInfo asked:

www.rosen.com Charlotte North Carolina Collaborative Divorce Lawyer educates on collaborative divorce in Charlotte, NC. For more info www.rosen.com

ERIN

Rampart asked:


My mother recently died and she had a lawyer make a trust , do you need a lawyer to distribute that trust?

VERNON

ajxm asked:

Vegas lawyer, Joe Caramagno, causes mistrial after showing up to court drunk, part 1. A judge ordered a blood-alcohol test for a defense lawyer who was slurring his words, then declared a mistrial after declaring him too tipsy to argue a kidnapping case. Watch the judge loose her patience. TOO FUNNY! 04:33 in lenght. Be sure to check out PART 2, a additional 10:00 more!!! Check out my other cool videos at: www.youtube.com

EUGENIO

mike g asked:


If a lawyer is licensed by a state, such as New Hampshire, how would that lawyer get to practice in the Federal court system? Where would they apply for this license?

DIEGO

universalmusicgroup asked:

Music video by Fall Out Boy performing I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You) with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds [Producer], Alan Ferguson, Anura Idupuganti (C) 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group

MERLIN