PREMARITAL AGREEMENTS

Weddings have always been about family and ceremony and celebration. To keep it that way, many couples are taking steps to clarify their money matters before their big day.
Sometimes one (or both) partners who want to get married also want to avoid the risk of losing assets, income, or a family business in the event of a divorce. [ read full article here ]

RENTAL CARS

Spring break puts many families in mind of a vacation, and rental cars are often a part of that happy picture. Still, it pays to remember that the contract the rental company asks you to sign at the counter is a legal contract. Make sure that you read and understand the terms. The contract should clearly list the base rate for the rental car, any extra fees, and the length of the rental period.
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IF YOU ARE STOPPED BY THE POLICE

It can happen at any time—a police car appears in your rearview mirror, red lights flashing. What now? [ read full article here ]

CHOOSING AN EXECUTOR

Creating an estate plan requires you to put on your decision-making cap. You’ll obviously need to make decisions about the distribution of your assets. You will also need to spend some time choosing the person (or institution) to be in charge of your assets after you’re gone: the executor of your will. [ read full article here ]

PREPARE FOR FIRE AND ICE

Winter can be a hazardous time of year in the home. Subfreezing temperatures may lead to burst pipes and related damage. Storms may fell trees and damage homes. People may slip and fall on or around your property. And electrical fires are a special concern during the winter months when people spend more time indoors and increase their use of lighting, heating, and appliances. It is important to insure against these types of damage and to make your property as safe as possible for family and visitors alike. [ read full article here ]

LEAVE FOR MILITARY SERVICE

United States military personnel are deployed in nearly 130 countries around the world. Servicemen and -women perform a variety of duties around the globe, from combat operations to peacekeeping to training with foreign militaries. Many Americans serving in the military have had to take leave from civilian jobs; thanks to federal law, however, those jobs are protected. [ read full article here ]

LEGAL UPDATE:
FOILING ID THEFT IN THE MILITARY

Identity theft occurs when one person uses the personal information of another person to commit fraud or theft. In many cases, identity theft involves someone using your Social Security number to apply for credit cards in your name. The thief then runs up credit card bills, which go unpaid, damaging your credit record. As a result, you may be refused loans, cars, and even job opportunities.
[ read full article here ]

INTEREST RATES AND MORTGAGE WOES

Interest rates have risen over the past year, which means that if you have an adjustable-rate mortgage, your payments are probably taking a bit more money out of your pocket. A slight increase in mortgage payments is no problem for most people, but it may spell trouble if you need to make other large or unexpected payments. You also may be concerned if rising interest rates are combined with falling house prices in your area, which can make it difficult to sell your home. Read on to find out more about mortgages and what to do if you think you may fall behind on your mortgage payments. [ read full article here ]

BACK TO SCHOOL ON EQUAL TERMS

Summer vacations are a distant memory, and students all over the country have packed their book bags and head back to school. Many young people—and their parents—don’t realize that a federal law, Title IX, protects the right of all students to receive equal opportunities at school, both inside and outside the classroom.
[ read full article here ]

REVIEWING YOUR ADVANCE DIRECTIVE

In the words of former Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo, “Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body.” Health-care advance directives are legal tools that enable you to choose one or more people to make health-care decisions on your behalf when you cannot speak for yourself. [ read full article here ]

PREAPPROVED CREDIT CARD OFFERS

If you have a credit card and a decent credit record, chances are that you receive dozens of “prescreened” or “preapproved” offers for credit cards every month. There’s nothing wrong with these offers. You get them because companies that solicit new credit card accounts have asked a consumer reporting company for a list of people in the database who meet certain criteria or who have a certain credit score. [ read full article here ]

JOINT OWNERSHIP AND ESTATE PLANNING

When most people think about estate planning, they think about writing a will, in which they bequeath all their worldly goods to their surviving relatives and friends. However, some kinds of property, such as jointly owned property, do not pass through a will. Instead, when one joint owner dies, the property passes directly to the other joint owner. This transfer is immediate, and no probate process is necessary. [ read full article here ]

A HOW-TO GUIDE TO HIRING

Hiring a new employee to work in a small business is process fraught with legal issues. The federal government and most states have anti-discrimination laws in place protecting applicants and employees from hiring and employment decisions based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, union affiliation, or veteran status.
[ read full article here ]

MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY:
RECENT LEGISLATION (DEFICIT REDUCTION ACT 2006) IMPACTS ELIGIBILITY
- by Liz Pulliam Weston

Congress is making it a lot tougher to shield assets in order to qualify for government nursing-home coverage. That means more families could face huge bills and wiped-out inheritances.
[ read full article here ]

LAW FIRM UNDERWRITES NEW CD
- article courtesy of The Daily Record

A local law firm has a special gift for music lovers this holiday season.

Dale, Bald, Showalter & Mercier, P.A is underwriting the debut CD by the Ritz Chamber Players, said Terrance Patterson, clarinetist and founder of Ritz Chamber Music Society.

The compilation disc by “the nation’s only all-black, full-season, classical chamber ensemble is the law firm’s gift to acquaint music lovers with the world-class quality of this exceptional chamber group and to broaden the chamber music audience both in and out of Jacksonville,” said Howard Dale, lead partner of the firm. [ read full article here ]

Winter is the time when many people begin planning a home renovation project. Renovation can be a great way to make your home a more enjoyable place to live while adding to the value of what is probably your most valuable financial asset. This article, the first in a series, will look at some first steps in beginning a home renovation project. What factors should go into your decision to renovate? And if you decide to go ahead with a project, how should you go about setting a budget and paying for the work? [ read full article here ]

THE NEW MEDICARE: PART D

As most people know, the federal government provides a program of basic health care insurance for older and disabled persons called Medicare. Practically everyone age 65 and older is eligible for Medicare, which consists of three main parts. Medicare Part A covers medically necessary care in hospitals and other facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities and hospices. Medicare Part B, the medical insurance part, covers physician’s services and a variety of other services and supplies.
[ read full article here ]

LEGAL UPDATE:
NEW BANKRUPTCY LAW NOW IN EFFECT

CORRECTING CREDIT CARD BILLING MISTAKES

Over the holiday period and during the sales, you will probably use your credit cards to make dozens of purchases. You also might return items and have amounts refunded to your credit card, and purchase items online. In an age of identity theft, it is more important that ever to keep track of your purchases and returns and to pay attention to your account statements ensuring that no mistakes have been made. [ read full article here ]

A new federal law will change the landscape for bankruptcies, generally making it more difficult for consumers to eliminate their debts and shield assets from creditors. The bill was signed into law on April 20, 2005, but most of its provisions don’t go into effect until 180 days later, meaning that people can still file under the old law if they act quickly.
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The Terry Schiavo case brought home a scenario that we all dread: you suffer an accident that leaves you permanently unable to care for your physical needs. A tube provides all your nutrition. Wires and monitors envelop your body like a cocoon. What would you want done in this situation? Who would you rely on to carry out your wishes?
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Whether it’s the beach or the mountains, the U.S. or abroad, chances are you’re going on a vacation sometime this summer. Before you leave, take a moment to read these travel tips and learn how you can avoid some common vacation woes.
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Imagine you’ve found a site for your dream home in a beautiful new development just outside the city. The developer has built a model home on one lot, and it looks great. He tells you he can work with an architect and a builder to construct a new home for you on the block you’ve chosen. You sign on the dotted line and put down a deposit.
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A new law, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA), helps you make sure that your credit report is error-free. Under the law, you have the right to one free credit report a year from each nationwide consumer reporting agency.
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Telecommuting seems to be a wave of the future. Some employers are offering the option of working from home to employees, often in a bid to attract highly qualified women who seek flexibility in their work. Of course, any offer to an employee to telecommute cannot be discriminatory.
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LIFE INSURANCE A BIG PART OF ESTATE PLANS

Life insurance is a unique estate planning tool, because you pay relatively little up front and your beneficiaries get much more when you die. When you name beneficiaries other than your estate, the money passes to them directly, without probate.
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LAW TARGETS IDENTITY THEFT

You open your mail and suffer a horrible shock. A credit card statement appears for a card you never applied for and, worse yet, the statement includes a bill for thousands of dollars of merchandise that you never purchased. When you check your credit record, you find dozens of unpaid bills that aren’t yours. You are refused loans, housing, cars, and even job opportunities on the basis of a terrible credit record that isn’t your fault. Welcome to the not-so-wonderful world of identity theft.
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LOWERING TAXES ON YOUR PROPERTY

In every state, property taxes help pay for schools, police protection, fire fighting and other services. While we may disagree strongly on how much we should be taxed for these services, we all agree that the system should be fair. Owners of similar properties should pay similar taxes. But collecting property taxes involves a complex process of assessment, and mistakes are made all the time. This article will help you understand how the system works. Your lawyer will be able to advise you on what to do if your tax bill seems to be out of line, and could help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
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TAKING CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS'S LEGAL NEEDS

As a business owner, you’re probably always on the lookout for ways you can save money and minimize risk. One of the best ways to do both of these things is to anticipate legal problems and cut them off before they become a big deal.

From time to time, ask your lawyer to do a review of the legal side of the business. This kind of legal audit can uncover omissions that could be troublesome, such as the absence of corporate minutes. It can point out changes you need to make in documents as a result of new laws and regulations. And it can provide you with the opportunity to discuss potential problems and be better able to deal with them, at an early stage when they can be resolved efficiently and cost effectively.
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LEGAL UPDATE: BILLING PROBLEMS

So you order flowers online for a friend’s birthday, pay for them on your credit card, and feel great about it until you find out that the flowers never arrived. And then you’re billed for the non-existent flowers. What can you do: Simple: dispute the billing error by writing to the credit card issuer, and withhold payment for the disputed amount while the billing error is resolved. [read full article]

PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS:
NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

One of the main purposes of the law is to help you protect your assets, including your house, your car, and your pension. The latter is particularly important today, given that Americans are retiring earlier and earlier. The current median age for retirement is sixty-one, and many Americans are retiring earlier, in their fifties and even their forties. If you’re envisioning kicking off your shoes to enjoy a well-earned rest, you need to understand what retirement benefits you have coming—and how to protect your right to them if difficulties arise.
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GIVING WOMEN CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE

Under the law, all credit applicants must be considered on the basis of their actual qualifications for credit, and not on the basis of personal characteristics, like sex, marital status, age, race, national origin, religion, or reliance on public assistance income. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) protects consumers from the discriminatory credit practices. In this article, we’ll look mostly at gender discrimination.
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MALPRACTICE AND THE LAW

You hear a lot about malpractice law these days—especially when a big judgment is levied against a doctor or hospital. However, you may not know that malpractice law applies to a wide range of professionals. This article will give you a general picture of how malpractice law works. Your lawyer can explain how malpractice law might pertain to your particular situation.
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SAVING MONEY IN REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS

A home is the biggest purchase most people will ever make, but a lot of buyers don’t realize that the home’s price is only part of what they’ll have to pay. Closing costs in home purchases can add another 2 to 7 percent to the total. That’s a lot of money. Sellers may face closing costs as well.
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YOUR GUIDE TO “WILL SUBSTITUTES”

Everyone knows that a will distributes property, but most people don’t know about the many other ways of passing property at or before death. It’s not that these substitutes completely eliminate the need for a will. Almost everyone needs a will to cover property not conveyed in other ways and to nominate guardians for minor children.
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CORPORATIONS 101:
THE BASICS BUSINESS PEOPLE HAVE TO KNOW

Running your own business? Confused about your options when it comes to business structures? There are certainly some features that you want. You probably do want the ability to share and transfer ownership. And you probably don’t want to be personally liable for the company’s debts.
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