|
Corsair Jr posted:I was in a traffic accident about a week ago and am wondering what the best approach to take is. Essentially, I was driving down a 4 lane road and someone entered the intersection (no light), cutting me off and causing me to hit them. Both cars suffered moderate damage and my airbag deployed. I went to the hospital so I wasn't there to talk to the police. The officer later came to the hospital and wrote me a ticket for reckless driving because "witnesses said I was speeding". Is this worth getting a lawyer for? I realize reckless is a fairly serious offense but I haven't had any other traffic tickets except 2 speeding tickets about 4 years ago. One lawyer quoted a fee of $1,500 to take the case. Is that high? This is in Virginia. I note that you didn't say whether you actually were speeding.
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 20:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 22:01 |
|
|
Alchenar posted:I note that you didn't say whether you actually were speeding. Making him one of the few people in this thread smart enough to not implicate themselves on a public forum!
|
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 21:02
|
|
|
Lexical Unit fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Mar 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 21:10
|
|
|
Lexical Unit posted:I'm in Austin, Texas and I need a lawyer for a couple of reasons. How do I go about finding one that will be able to help me? Contact either the Texas Bar Association or the local County equivalent. They will be better able to put you in touch with attorneys who "specialize" in these various areas. The good news is that a lot of attorneys these days actually specialize specifically in the GLB issues (there's one in my firm who almost exclusively does estate/trust work for gay couples). The bar associations might even have info on attorneys who hold themselves out to the gay community specifically. I will note that your issues seem very diverse, however. As such, you might want to look for a reputable plaintiff's law firm in your area, just because someone who is great with employment law probably isn't as great with the other issues you have, mostly because they have "specialized" themselves into very distinct areas of law. Chances are good, however, that if they work in a firm with multiple attorneys, someone they work with can address the other issues, and that way you have one firm working for you, instead of needing to get several solo practitioners. Alternatively, you can first search for an attorney friendly to your employment issues and get a referral to a GLB friendly estate attorney. As far as name changes, I don't know how it works everywhere, but I was under the impression that this is something simple enough that you can do on your own. I believe it might be as simple as filling out a pre-made form that you could get at the Courthouse. I would contact the local county court clerk to inquire about that (or look online at your State's government websites to see if they have any of their Court forms online).
|
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 21:41
|
|
|
Lexical Unit fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Mar 4, 2020 |
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 21:48
|
|
|
Lexical Unit posted:Ahahahaha hahaha haha ha -- You dropped me off the end of that acronym. poo poo, I'm sorry.  No offense was intended at all, I'm just a lazy typist. ><quote:
Yea, that's why I thought your best bet might be to first scope out some plaintiff's firms that have quite a few attorneys in them. A lot of the larger firms have enough business with their regular tort suits that they also have to have criminal divisions and Estate/Trust experts. quote:I've heard that judges can deny the name change if you're going from a name of one gender to another. So I figured I should be prepared for that. Oh, poo poo, I hadn't even thought of that. I can't imagine why, though. I mean, as long as you aren't changing to an offensive name, like "gently caress Tard," what do they care what your name is? Not to mention, so many names are cross-gendered now anyway. In that case, you might want to consult with whichever estate attorney you hook up with to address the possibility of that issue.
|
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 22:02
|
|
|
Lexical Unit, try calling Lambda Legal and ask them who the good GLBT-friendly attorneys are in Texas. Lambda won't represent you, but they should be able to point you in the right direction? Here's the link for the Texas chapter, with a telephone number: http://www.lambdalegal.org/states-regions/texas.html entris fucked around with this message at 22:17 on May 25, 2010 |
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 22:06
|
|
|
entris posted:Lexical Unit, try calling Lambda Legal and ask them who the good GLBT-friendly attorneys are in Texas. Lambda won't represent you, but they should be able to point you in the right direction? Good one. Also, I just did a quick google, and this firm popped up high on the list. No idea of their reputation, or whether they are remotely close to you or anything, but yea, it seems a google can yield some results to start with. If nothing else, you can start googling away and then try narrowing it down to reputation by seeing if you can dig up some reviews online (just beware of negatives - you wouldn't believe some of the inane poo poo someone who loses a suit will say about their former attorneys). Edited to add: some of their links on seminal cases go directly to Lambda legal, so they seem to follow on these issues closely. Of course, it could just be good advertising on their part, too. Edit part 2: It also appears that there are GLBT bar associations in various areas through Texas, which might be a better bet for finding the appropriate attorneys. Auracounts fucked around with this message at 22:13 on May 25, 2010 |
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 22:08
|
|
|
Some friends and I were cited on Saturday for Trespassing in Utah County. The area we chose to shoot our firearms at had people there the previous time we went so we figured it was a-okay to go there. The Sheriff cited us and told us that we do not need to show up in court unless we choose to, and that we needed to call in five business days to inquire the amount for the fine. I called the court office today to see if the citation is on record... And the clerk on the phone informed me that for a Trespassing citation we MUST appear in court, but our citation are not on file yet. So the Sheriff either lied to/misinformed us. Should I wait to see when the citation is actually filed before I start freaking out? This is my first ticket ever (no traffic citations, nothing) and no one can give me solid advice as to what I'm gonna be facing. So I'm kinda new to all of this.
|
|
#
?
May 25, 2010 22:18
|
|
|
Thank you Auracounts and entris! I contacted The Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas (aka The Austin Bar Association), Katine & Nechman, and Lambda Legal over email. Hopefully they get back to me soon.  Auracounts posted:poo poo, I'm sorry.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 00:54
|
|
|
Lexical Unit posted:Thank you Auracounts and entris! I contacted The Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas (aka The Austin Bar Association), Katine & Nechman, and Lambda Legal over email. Hopefully they get back to me soon. I think the best argument over nomenclature is the GLBT v. LGBT discussion, with the feminists insisting that GLBT perpetuates patriarchy. Since I'm not a member of the community either way, it's not my place to judge. I just use LGBT when around women, GLBT when around men, and "the evil homersexuals" when around Republicans. /good luck, Lexical Unit! Don't forget that you CAN move out of Texas, and there are plenty of friendlier regions of the country (although Texas's economy is doing pretty well, comparatively).
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 02:57
|
|
|
Corsair Jr posted:I was in a traffic accident about a week ago and am wondering what the best approach to take is....The officer later came to the hospital and wrote me a ticket for reckless driving because "witnesses said I was speeding". Is this worth getting a lawyer for? ...One lawyer quoted a fee of $1,500 to take the case. Is that high? This is in Virginia. Reckless driving here in Virginia gives you -6 points on your DMV score and is a class 1 misdemeanor. It's worth fighting. $1,500 is a bit high; I would shop around a bit. Depending on the facts, the charge may go away completely, or you might be able to reduce it to improper driving (-3 points, and not a class 1 misdemeanor). entris posted:I think the best argument over nomenclature is the GLBT v. LGBT discussion, with the feminists insisting that GLBT perpetuates patriarchy. LGBT promotes matriarchy 
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 03:17
|
|
|
entris posted:I think the best argument over nomenclature is the GLBT v. LGBT discussion, with the feminists insisting that GLBT perpetuates patriarchy.  LGBTQQIA! It just rolls off the tongue! gently caress the patriarchy tho, seriously.And yeah I could move out of Texas but I'd miss the weather, TexMex, good BBQ, and Austin live music. 
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 03:23
|
|
|
A friend of mine is in a really lovely situation right now. After a fight with his girlfriend, he has been accused of Domestic Abuse, and so has she. They both spent the night in jail, and have since been released on sureties. She is unwilling to sign a peace bond in order for the charges to go away. I am trying to encourage him to get legal help, but since there is no prison time possible, he says he'd rather take the record and get a pardon down the road. My friend is a retard. Is there anything I can do to help? I am not a witness to the alleged assault, but may be called as a character witness. Note: This is in Ontario.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 03:26
|
|
|
I have a friend who has told her husband she doesn't want to be married to him anymore. They're not staying together right now, but they're not yet legally separated. At this time he's saying he wants both of their cars because even though both of their names are on the loan, he's the "primary" on the car she drives, and his name may be the only one on the title for that car. She isn't sure because she "never looked at it." (Guess who is learning exactly what not to do when they get married?) He owns the car he uses. Is it kosher for one spouse to end up with both vehicles even though other assets are being divided fairly equally? I understand division of assets gets complicated, but that doesn't sound even remotely right. With her name on the loan for e: Ha, state might be useful. NE, not a community property state as far as I know. The loan on the vehicle my friend drives was acquired by both spouses during the marriage. He owned the other car before the marriage. BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 08:02 on May 26, 2010 |
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 06:51
|
|
|
I THINK this is the best place to ask this. I'm eighteen and I've been playing the drums since I was nine. This year is my senior year in high school and my band director had me teaching a couple of kids drum lessons all year in YTY (youth teaching youth) periods. This summer I want to make along side my regular job and I was wondering what the legality is of teaching private lessons out of my own home. I live with my parents but we have a half-finished apartment where my drum set is usually set up. What can I reasonably expect to charge for an hour? I know the craft backwards and forwards and I feel very confident in my ability to teach. I would be asking my band director these questions but a friend of mine said that he would tell me that I'm a student and it wouldn't be right to give lessons as a student. So, does anybody have experience with this? Can I put an ad in the paper and not expect a letter from the town? This seems like a good idea to me because I have a friend who gives guitar lessons to a kid from our school for $15/hr., if only an hour ever week or other week.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 13:03
|
|
|
TheFrailNinja posted:I THINK this is the best place to ask this. I'm eighteen and I've been playing the drums since I was nine. This year is my senior year in high school and my band director had me teaching a couple of kids drum lessons all year in YTY (youth teaching youth) periods. This summer I want to make along side my regular job and I was wondering what the legality is of teaching private lessons out of my own home. I live with my parents but we have a half-finished apartment where my drum set is usually set up. What can I reasonably expect to charge for an hour? I know the craft backwards and forwards and I feel very confident in my ability to teach. I would be asking my band director these questions but a friend of mine said that he would tell me that I'm a student and it wouldn't be right to give lessons as a student. You'll be fine, get to it and good luck! I took some bongo lessons once, if I wanted to, I could try to teach bongos to students and I wouldn't get in any trouble. The law puts the burden on consumers to decide which teachers are worthwhile. I've never heard of a state or local government requiring music teachers to possess a license or other teaching certificate, so you will be fine.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 13:52
|
|
|
entris posted:I think the best argument over nomenclature is the GLBT v. LGBT discussion, with the feminists insisting that GLBT perpetuates patriarchy. I call them giblets.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 16:31
|
|
|
Question: In car accident, no injuries, not at fault. Got police report, contacted insurance companies, etc. Our insurance company wants to handle the repairs to my car in-house. If I feel they are off on their estimate (not covering all the damage from the accident or wanting to do additional work), can I take it to a AAA repair shop for a second opinion? Is in-house the normal way of doing this sort of thing? I've never had to deal with insurance companies before. State is AZ.
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 18:13
|
|
|
entris posted:You'll be fine, get to it and good luck! I took some bongo lessons once, if I wanted to, I could try to teach bongos to students and I wouldn't get in any trouble. The law puts the burden on consumers to decide which teachers are worthwhile. I've never heard of a state or local government requiring music teachers to possess a license or other teaching certificate, so you will be fine. Yeah there were a few issues I read about, like parking & neighbors. That won't be a problem where I live. Anybody know what I can reasonably expect to charge?
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 22:09
|
|
|
TheFrailNinja posted:Yeah there were a few issues I read about, like parking & neighbors. That won't be a problem where I live. Anybody know what I can reasonably expect to charge? I'd open a phonebook, pretend to be a potential music student, and call someone who is already established in teaching. Ask them what they charge (along with anything else you're not sure about) and then adjust based on what you offer vs what they offer (i.e. charge less because you're just starting out).
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2010 22:50
|
|
|
Baruch Obamawitz posted:I call them giblets. Ha! I thought I was the only one...
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2010 01:50
|
|
|
TheFrailNinja posted:I would be asking my band director these questions but a friend of mine said that he would tell me that I'm a student and it wouldn't be right to give lessons as a student. That's BS. I'm a band director and I hereby inform you that it's completely legitimate for "students" to be teaching other kids. Does your friend think that professional musicians don't take private lessons themselves? Because, ah, they do. As far as money goes, in Southern California at least $15-25 per hour is a standard young teacher rate. If you go on to get a degree in your instrument, or you build a nice big resume of gigs and private teachers, you can charge more and more. Most of my peers (bachelor's degree in music) charge $25 for a half hour or $40 for an hour. Most of my professors charged more like $50 for a half hour and $85-90 for an hour.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2010 02:23
|
|
|
Murmur Twin posted:One night after a party, she got drunk and went to sleep in her van. Some cops found her and she ended up getting arrested for underage drinking/DUI (despite having not been driving the car at the time, the keys were in the ignition). She is subsequently going to be doing community service for this offense. Her license was also suspended until sometime this August. She has not driven the van since. If your friend was on a private driveway or property, I would tell her to talk to someone because she shouldn't have had her license suspended. Also, if she is completing all the requirements for a plea deal, she might want to investigate in her state if a DUI supervision can ever be expunged from her record. I was in the same situation as her and although I got the license reinstated because I wasn't on public property, stupid IL says you can't ever get rid of a DUI supervision on your record, so it would still be there when I'm 80 if I don't try to vacate this BS plea deal I entered into thinking I would be able to. I'll be taking it all back to court hopefully and I don't care what they try, I'm proving my innocence and going to try and get something done about this abuse of power in Illinois. As for the hippies, I'm not sure they "knew exactly what they were doing". I haven't really met any that did  But based on the facts of the transaction and any witnesses, I'm sure they'd lose or at least have to pay her for all the work she did on it before they could get it back...
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2010 03:28
|
|
|
Brennanite posted:Question: In car accident, no injuries, not at fault. Got police report, contacted insurance companies, etc. Our insurance company wants to handle the repairs to my car in-house. If I feel they are off on their estimate (not covering all the damage from the accident or wanting to do additional work), can I take it to a AAA repair shop for a second opinion? Is in-house the normal way of doing this sort of thing? I've never had to deal with insurance companies before. State is AZ. All states Ive heard of give you the right to pick the body shop.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2010 03:35
|
|
|
Alright, so I'm a student at a certain Vermont college and I host a talkshow that interviews faculty members. I brought a bottle of iced tea, actually filled to the brim with whiskey, and left it in the green room for my guests, two professors, to drink. I did not open the bottle when I arrived. I opened it in my room to pour whiskey into it. Cameras saw me put it down in the green room, however. The faculty opens it, they begin to drink it. I did bring them cups at a certain point. Campus security arrives, sniffs the cups and blows the scene apart. Apparently one of the members from the shows band, who is 19 or 20, is also caught drinking from it. I receive a letter, the day after, summoning me to a campus judicial hearing, citing me being in possession of an "open container" and also "drinking in a public space." The space is public. I wasn't drinking. The bottle had a cap on it, but I didn't unscrew the cap nor pour any drinks. I realize that my own campus laws will be different from state and federal laws and that this private judicial hearing will be very different from anything else. Do I have an adequate defense to fight this or do I bite the bullet?
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 01:59
|
|
|
Dorkopotamis posted:Alright, so I'm a student at a certain Vermont college and I host a talkshow that interviews faculty members. I brought a bottle of iced tea, actually filled to the brim with whiskey, and left it in the green room for my guests, two professors, to drink. I did not open the bottle when I arrived. I opened it in my room to pour whiskey into it. Cameras saw me put it down in the green room, however. Um, we don't know what your campus is or its rules, so who knows exactly what the elements are of drinking in a public space are there, but the bottle definitely qualifies as an open container - and apparently they've got you on camera and were surveilling the bottle the whole time it was in this "green room". So I guess what you've got to ask yourself is, what do you hope to gain by confessing?
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 02:15
|
|
|
Well, little is stated about open containers besides that they're not allowed in common spaces, which the Green Room is, even though it is situated directly above what is effectively a bar. They have the footage from the entire thing which I assumed they examined after the fact as I was not written up on the scene. I received it late this afternoon. They know that I put the bottle full of alcohol down on a table. That is effectively my role in the situation. I am 22, if that matters.
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 02:22
|
|
|
Dorkopotamis posted:Alright, so I'm a student at a certain Vermont college and I host a talkshow that interviews faculty members. I brought a bottle of iced tea, actually filled to the brim with whiskey, and left it in the green room for my guests, two professors, to drink. I did not open the bottle when I arrived. I opened it in my room to pour whiskey into it. Cameras saw me put it down in the green room, however. This isn't legal advice, this is dealing with university bureaucracy advice. I am under the impression that you brought that there for those two faculty members, yes? They wanted it? The next question is crucial: Is either faculty member tenured? If so, you have to make them go to bat for you. It should make for a very entertaining hearing, just keep your mouth shut and let the boozing tenured professors tell the kangaroo court to go to hell. EDIT: This will work if they're not tenured too, but they'll definitely have to go through proper channels instead of being able to show up and tell the kangaroo court its out of order and should gently caress off.
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 02:26
|
|
|
Dorkopotamis posted:Well, little is stated about open containers besides that they're not allowed in common spaces, which the Green Room is, even though it is situated directly above what is effectively a bar. Read your universities Code of Conduct, see what the rules are and what your rights/responsibilities are and go meet with the conduct officer to discuss it. Is this a private school or a public school?
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 04:05
|
|
|
I recently created a website opposing a new fee from Sprint. Sprint is charging a $10 fee for all customers of one of their new phones, even if they're not in the 4G area, and I've been in contact with Sprint regarding this through email/phone. I made the website due to not getting anywhere through those means and I'm starting to get some major hits on the site. What rights do I have as a blogger? Is it freedom of speech? Press? I understand that I can't say anything that would be considered libel, but how far can I go? I've already linked to the Public Relations Manager's twitter account where she tweeted about this $10 fee and I just recently posted some "leaked" playbook info that was already released on other websites. The site in case anyone cares is http://explainthefee.com Thanks for any assistance, I don't want to go to jail/pay fine.
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 05:36
|
|
|
Suppin posted:I recently created a website opposing a new fee from Sprint. Sprint is charging a $10 fee for all customers of one of their new phones, even if they're not in the 4G area, and I've been in contact with Sprint regarding this through email/phone. The first amendment is your friend, you will have to engage in actual malice (namely state something that you know not to be true or that you should reasonably know not to be true). It is sprint's obligation to prove this. On the other hand, Sprint has more lawyers than you can shake a stick at and many people (like myself) would literally gut and skin an orphan for the opportunity to work for them filing spurious lawsuits against people in your situation. It doesn't really matter if the law is on your side when they have a team of 3 lawyers and 4 paralegals filing poo poo at you and forcing you to spend 20-30k in legal fees.
|
|
#
?
May 29, 2010 06:09
|
|
|
Recently I was in Rochester NY where my car was towed and I was charged roughly $200 in cash. I believe that this was done unnecessarily. Is there anywhere I can find New York state law when it comes to the procedures for having someone's car towed?
|
|
#
?
May 30, 2010 02:45
|
|
|
rivid posted:Recently I was in Rochester NY where my car was towed and I was charged roughly $200 in cash. I believe that this was done unnecessarily. Is there anywhere I can find New York state law when it comes to the procedures for having someone's car towed? Tow policies are often based on municipal laws. What was the stated reason for your car being towed? Rochester City Charter and City Code Rochester City Code § 90-15. Junked, abandoned or unlicensed vehicles. New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law Section 1224 - Abandoned Vehicles Title 15, Part 18, New York Codes, Rules and Regulations - Abandoned Vehicles (If this link doesn't work, start here. Google is your friend.
|
|
#
?
May 30, 2010 04:56
|
|
|
Question around expungement of an arrest record-hoping someone might have some insight. Last summer, I was driving home from work at around 1AM (deployment contract), and got pulled over for speeding (I was, and paid the ticket); when the trooper ran my license, it came back suspended due to the state not recording a payment I made for a previous speeding ticket (I know, I need to slow down...). At the time, this was a misdemeanor crime, and I ended up arrested. I had no idea that the license had been suspended (never received notice, and sent my payment in good faith). The state declined to charge me-I was told by the DA's office that this was a standard policy for anyone with a fully clean record. About 2 months after my arrest, and about a week after my court appearance, the state (Maine) passed legislation that changed Operating After Suspension due to an unpaid fine to an infraction rather than a crime. I know I don't have a criminal record, but I've been led to believe that criminal background checks can involve arrest records as well. I doubt that this will make any difference to any employer or body, but I'd like to have a 100% clear record if at all possible, and writing out letters of explanation over a bureaucratic error gets less fun every time I do it. Does anyone know how I could go through this, or if it's even possible?
|
|
#
?
May 30, 2010 07:15
|
|
|
chisquared posted:Question around expungement of an arrest record...(Maine)...bureaucratic error Title 15, sections 611 through 623 of the Maine Statutes make up the Criminal History Record Information Act. Page through these to see the bits that apply to you. The Maine State Bureau of Identification website says: The State of Maine allows an individual to review and challenge the information found in his or her criminal record. He or she may contact SBI in person, over the phone, or by mail to request that an incorrect or incomplete record be changed or corrected. The request should be clear about the particular record involved, the nature of the desired correction, and the justification for it. After someone has challenged their criminal record, SBI will research the record to determine if the information is accurate and complete. If SBI concludes that the record contains inaccurate or incomplete information, immediate action will be taken to correct the record. SBI will notify the challenger, and any entity who requested their record within the last year, of the findings and any corrections made to the record. If an individual is not satisfied with the results of their challenge, they can appeal to the Superior Court.
|
|
#
?
May 30, 2010 11:50
|
|
|
joat mon posted:Title 15, sections 611 through 623 of the Maine Statutes make up the Criminal History Record Information Act. Page through these to see the bits that apply to you. Found the part that does: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/16/title16sec613.html So it looks like any nonconviction data only gets released by court order, as nonidentifiable research data, or if I decide to apply to be an LEO. Thank you; this takes a weight off my mind!
|
|
#
?
May 30, 2010 15:46
|
|
|
joat mon posted:Tow policies are often based on municipal laws. What was the stated reason for your car being towed? My car was towed because I was parked in what I found out later was a tow zone for some shops. The tow company saw me on camera park there and go somewhere else, as a result I was towed. However my receipt says that the car was impounded. I was given a towing charge of $99, and a $72 charge for an extra person as well as tax. I found this under Section 108A-7 of the charter you posted (thank you). quote:
New York State Law says that commercial towers have to accept credit and debit cards as well although I was told I had to pay in cash. Although because I was towed from private property I don't know if this applies to me. Text here. I was also under the impression I was fine when parking because the spot next to me was reserved, a sign at that spot warned that unauthorized parking there would result in a tow. When I returned to the lot an employee in a store pointed out the signs posted at the back of the parking lot which said unauthorized anywhere in the lot would result in a tow. I feel as if I've been scammed and I'm thinking about bringing the tow company to small claims court, if I could have I would have put the charge on my credit card and then tried to dispute it later.
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2010 22:23
|
|
|
I got ticketed for littering in NJ and wish to plead not guilty. Can I appeal to a higher court if I lose and what are the court fines for such a thing? The ticket itself seems to be a criminal one and there are no guidelines for sentencing (it is completely up to the judge). This makes me think I could get a very high fine and possible community service.
|
|
#
?
Jun 1, 2010 22:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 22:01 |
|
|
deleted.
Insanite fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Jan 16, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jun 1, 2010 23:09
|
|
