Legal Help

Downtown welcomes new grocer

Downtown welcomes new grocer

Starting this spring, downtown New Haven will be a “food desert” no more. Chain grocer Stop & Shop announced plans Tuesday to move into the Whalley Avenue space once occupied by Shaw’s.

Read more on Yale Daily News

Board chairman won’t allow vote to take school closings off budget-cutting table

A parliamentary rule led Beaufort County Board of Education chairman Fred Washington Jr. to deny a vote on taking school closings off the budget-cutting table even as Shell Point Elementary School supporters packed Tuesday’s meeting expecting a decision.

Read more on The Beaufort Gazette

Gambling body backs pokie smart card

SA’s gambling authority supports the idea of using smart card or other technology to force pokie bet limits.

Read more on BigPond News

Shriver Center Unveils New and Improved Website

Chicago (PRWEB) April 4, 2006

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law’s website, www.povertylaw.org, is now easier to to use and more engaging for visitors. “The combination of a strong technological infrastructure, a clean and usable design, and the Shriver Center’s sophisticated content makes povertylaw.org a flagship site for the nonprofit legal aid community,” says David Eads, the system administrator.

The site is a collaboration between Enfold Systems LLC (enfoldsystems.com), ClearNoodle Design (clearnoodle.com), and Democracy In Action (democracyinaction.org). Enfold Systems helped the Shriver Center implement its Entransit publishing software, which allows Web content providers to leverage the speed and power of the Zope 3 application server for presentation and the Plone content management system for creating and editing content.

Enfold Systems, the Shriver Center, and Democracy In Action all support open source software. The first open source project released from the collaboration is a toolkit developed by Enfold Systems. The toolkit enables content management systems based on the Python programming language to integrate seamlessly with Democracy In Action’s advocacy tools (http://www.python.org/pypi/deminaction/0.2).

The site makes innovative use of RSS syndication for the legal sector. (RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates of Web-based content.) The site now offers RSS feeds for most of its content, including newsletters, substantive areas under advocacy, Clearinghouse Review, and cases in the law library. All of the case documents in the Shriver Center’s Poverty Law Library are now available for download free of charge and easily tracked via RSS. The Clearinghouse Review Web page features an improved, streamlined subscription system powered by Democracy In Action.

With the launch of its improved website, the Shriver Center continues to be at the forefront of information technology in the legal aid community. The site furthers the Shriver Center’s mission to provide leadership, training, and information services to legal aid advocates.

The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law champions economic opportunity through fair laws and policy so that people in poverty can escape poverty permanently.

Contact:                        

David Eads, Resident Geek

773.354.2285

# # #

Find More Legal Aid Press Releases

UK legal Aid How it All Works

UK legal Aid How it All Works

With the number of matters which are now eligible for public funding (Legal Aid) decreasing exponentially and more and more people therefore having to fund their own legal actions, many legal issues remain unresolved.

The main areas of law which are still eligible for public funding are Criminal, the Tenant part of Landlord & Tenant and Family/Matrimonial.

Some criminal matters may be means tested and may require a contribution towards the legal costs but legal aid is available for most people facing criminal prosecution.

The situation with Legal Aid for family/matrimonial matters is somewhat different and the rules are beyond the scope of this article. Broadly speaking if a litigant is on benefits then they won’t have to make a contribution toward their legal costs and it will all be funded by Legal Aid. If they are not on benefits and earning a wage they may have to make a contribution towards the cost of their legal work. It happens that very few people who are not on benefits fall in to the category where all their legal costs would be publicly funded.

It has always been the case that anyone who has the benefit of Legal Aid would go running to their solicitor at the first sign of any problem. They did this on the basis that they weren’t paying for any legal work so they would have as much as possible! Sometimes however this shot them in the foot.

Very often, Legal Aid funding is not a free lunch. If, (in a divorce for example) the parties are arguing over money or a house then some of the value of their house or their money may be at risk. There is an exemption which (the last time I looked) was £5000 but other than that any monies or property in dispute were at risk.

In a nutshell, if the Legal Aid fund paid for someone to fight over the old matrimonial home then in the event that the matrimonial home was awarded to the person with the benefit of Legal Aid then the Legal Aid Board would want the costs they had paid, repaying from the value of the home. Similarly, if part of the argument was over a bank account, Legal Aid will want repaying if there is a successful outcome with a value over £5,000.

Let me give you a scenario. A couple are getting divorced and they are arguing over who owns the £50,000 in a bank account. The Legal Aided party claims that 50% of the money is theirs and the non-Legal Aided party is claiming that all the money belongs to them.

The matter goes to court and the court decides that the money should be split 50/50 and awards £25,000 to the Legal Aided person. The bill for arguing litigation was £10,000. The legal aid board would want £10,000 of the £25,000.00 that was awarded leaving the legal aided person with only £15,000 out of the £25,000. Ouch!

With regards to the exemption, if the amount that was being argued over was £10,000 and the award was 50/50 then half of £10,000.00 being argued over (assuming 50/50) is £5,000.00. There is a £5,000.00 exemption ring fenced and therefore the Legal Aid board would get nothing.

Awarded £5,000. Legal costs £10,000. Exemption £5,000. Legal Aid get £0. U get £5,000

Awarded £7,000. Legal costs £10,000. Exemption £5,000. Legal Aid get £2,000. U get £5,000

Awarded £10,000. Legal costs £10,000. Exemption £5,000. Legal Aid get £5,000 U get £5,000

Awarded £15,000. Legal costs £10,000. Exemption £5,000. Legal Aid get £10,000. U get £5,000

Awarded £20,000. Legal costs £10,000. Exemption £5,000. Legal Aid get £10,000. U get £10,000

The situation is a bit different if what is in dispute is a house. Obviously, the house can not usually just be sold to repay a Legal Aid bill (it may be home to children) so what happens therefore is that the Legal Aid board will attach what is known as a “Statutory Charge” to the house in respect of monies owing. This means that when the house is sold or re-mortgaged then the Legal Aid Board will get their money. It is not a free loan however. Interest attaches to the charge and continues to accrue. It is rare for the Legal Aid board to agree to postpone their charge in the event that the house is eventually sold or is perhaps re mortgaged in the interim but they will consider it.

As I stated earlier, there is no “free lunch”.

Find More Legal Aide Articles

Lawful Advice Pt1: Making The System Work For You

Lawyer Isabel Ramirez Guardia on The Truther Girls Radio americanfreedomradio.com Disclaimer this is not legal advice, it’s lawful advice.

In this video, the Immigration Professor Robert Perkins discusses the procedures and estimated costs for an H-1B work visa. All of our videos on immigration topics are available on our website, immigration-professor.com Please note that this video is general in nature and should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. To get legal advice, contact our offices at 310-384-0200.

Video Rating: 0 / 5

Lastest “legal Aid” News

Local judge: ‘I’ve done this too long’

Omaha World-Herald LINCOLN – District Judge John P. Murphy of North Platte said Wednesday that he had decided to step down from the bench because he’s losing enthusiasm for his work.

Read more on North Platte Telegraph

Egypt Relies on Familiar Strategy Against Protests

Egypt’s government has responded to the unrest primarily as a security issue, largely ignoring, or dismissing, the core demands of the protesters.

Read more on New York Times

Self Help Divorce And Residential Evictions.wmv

How To Get Divorced Or Do An Eviction Without A Lawyer In Miami Dade County

The job description for a trial lawyer varies widely, with some days spent trying cases in court and other days gathering evidence. Find more information on a trial lawyer’s job description with tips from an experienced lawyer and law professor in this free career information video. Expert: John Kitch Contact: www.johnkitchlaw.com Bio: John Kitch is a graduate of the Vanderbilt University Law School and principally practices in the areas of educational and probate law at both the trial and appellate levels. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge

Video Rating: 0 / 5

Australian Horse Racing Systems

Australian Horse Racing Systems

Professional manual systems that apply easily to horse racing anywhere, but developed specifically for Australian racing.

Australian Horse Racing Systems

Read Music Notes Easily – For Adults.

Learn To Read Music Notes – Easily And Quickly!

Read Music Notes Easily – For Adults.

Read Music Notes Easily – For Children.

How Your Child Or Student Can Read Music Notes — Easily And Quickly!

Read Music Notes Easily – For Children.

Incoming search terms:

• st patricks day

You Poor Parents! – Surviving the terror years of High School!

You Poor Parents! – Surviving the terror years of High School!

This e-book is an ‘emotional first-aid kit’, written by parents for parents about the enormous pressures, angers and tears of putting kids through high school. A lively read of 30,000 words – a must-read for the beginning of the new academic year!

You Poor Parents! – Surviving the terror years of High School!

Incoming search terms:

• hawaii news

Free Legal Advice – Where to Go

Free Legal Advice – Where to Go

There are many options open to people whom want to seek basic legal advice prior to paying for the services of Lawyers. These independent advice bodies cannot offer you professional legal representation, but they can provide you with the fundamental information you need in order to consider legal action.

Citizens Advice Bureau (‘CAB’)

This is one of the most prominent advice bodies in the UK. It is entirely composed of trained volunteers and can offer free, independent and confidential advice. Its main areas of advice are on debt, housing and employment rights. These areas are not definitive as the CAB has access to a huge amount of resources. In light of this, it is a great place to start if you have any problem, which you want some basic information about. The CAB will normally give you an indication to whether or not you have the legal grounds in order to bring a case. The you can get legal advice with more security.

Pro Bono Legal Surgeries

Many lawyers offer free legal advice surgeries. This can be referred to as ‘pro bono’ work which is latin for ‘the greater good’. These surgeries are a fantastic opportunity for people to spend 15-30 minutes with a lawyer. For example people use this period to think about whether or not they should bring a claim and whether or not the wrong done to them is civil or criminal. At the end of the session you will be more informed to whether or not it is worth spending money on appointing lawyers to take on your case.

Pro bono is not only offered by law firms. Many university law schools or professional training providers use the expertise of their students and law professors (of which will have practiced law prior to teaching) to offer free legal advice to the local community. Enquire at your local university or closest professional studies provider for more information.

Free telephone advice from lawyers

Many law firms are happy to provide brief initial advice over the phone without charge. The best way of finding this advice is to go online and search for those lawyers who offer such free advice on their website.

Financial Services Ombudsmen

This service is a branch of the Financial Services Authority (‘FSA’). The ombudsmen help deal with complaints from consumers or businesses concerning financial services. They are a body formed of impartial experts which provide opinions on cases. Not only this but they have the authority to order any business providing financial services to settle a dispute with a consumer. If you are not happy with the opinion of the ombudsmen then you do not have to accept their advice or order, you are always free to seek legal advice. However, if you do accept the order then you become bound by this. If you believe that a business providing financial services has broken a rule or regulation provided by the FSA then this must be taken up with a different regulatory body.

Local Government Ombudsmen

If you have a complaint about a public service such as provided by your local council, then you should contact your local government ombudsmen (‘LGO’) to attempt to resolve the problem. The LGO have the job of looking into complaints made against councils. It is however not under an obligation to investigate all disputes, so it can pick and choose those, which it feels, are worth perusing. The LGO offers independent, impartial and free advice. It also has the same powers as the High Court when it comes to disclosure and investigation of a local authority.

Finally, depending on your financial circumstances and the kind of case you’re involved in, you may be eligible for legal aid [or public funding as it is now known]. However increasingly few solicitors are prepared to offer legal aid services and in any event be aware that there may be circumstances when you need to repay the cost of your legal aid lawyers.

Free Legal Advice – Where to Go

Free Legal Advice – Where to Go

There are many options open to people whom want to seek basic legal advice prior to paying for the services of Lawyers. These independent advice bodies cannot offer you professional legal representation, but they can provide you with the fundamental information you need in order to consider legal action.

Citizens Advice Bureau (‘CAB’)

This is one of the most prominent advice bodies in the UK. It is entirely composed of trained volunteers and can offer free, independent and confidential advice. Its main areas of advice are on debt, housing and employment rights. These areas are not definitive as the CAB has access to a huge amount of resources. In light of this, it is a great place to start if you have any problem, which you want some basic information about. The CAB will normally give you an indication to whether or not you have the legal grounds in order to bring a case. The you can get legal advice with more security.

Pro Bono Legal Surgeries

Many lawyers offer free legal advice surgeries. This can be referred to as ‘pro bono’ work which is latin for ‘the greater good’. These surgeries are a fantastic opportunity for people to spend 15-30 minutes with a lawyer. For example people use this period to think about whether or not they should bring a claim and whether or not the wrong done to them is civil or criminal. At the end of the session you will be more informed to whether or not it is worth spending money on appointing lawyers to take on your case.

Pro bono is not only offered by law firms. Many university law schools or professional training providers use the expertise of their students and law professors (of which will have practiced law prior to teaching) to offer free legal advice to the local community. Enquire at your local university or closest professional studies provider for more information.

Free telephone advice from lawyers

Many law firms are happy to provide brief initial advice over the phone without charge. The best way of finding this advice is to go online and search for those lawyers who offer such free advice on their website.

Financial Services Ombudsmen

This service is a branch of the Financial Services Authority (‘FSA’). The ombudsmen help deal with complaints from consumers or businesses concerning financial services. They are a body formed of impartial experts which provide opinions on cases. Not only this but they have the authority to order any business providing financial services to settle a dispute with a consumer. If you are not happy with the opinion of the ombudsmen then you do not have to accept their advice or order, you are always free to seek legal advice. However, if you do accept the order then you become bound by this. If you believe that a business providing financial services has broken a rule or regulation provided by the FSA then this must be taken up with a different regulatory body.

Local Government Ombudsmen

If you have a complaint about a public service such as provided by your local council, then you should contact your local government ombudsmen (‘LGO’) to attempt to resolve the problem. The LGO have the job of looking into complaints made against councils. It is however not under an obligation to investigate all disputes, so it can pick and choose those, which it feels, are worth perusing. The LGO offers independent, impartial and free advice. It also has the same powers as the High Court when it comes to disclosure and investigation of a local authority.

Finally, depending on your financial circumstances and the kind of case you’re involved in, you may be eligible for legal aid [or public funding as it is now known]. However increasingly few solicitors are prepared to offer legal aid services and in any event be aware that there may be circumstances when you need to repay the cost of your legal aid lawyers.