Lawyers and Legal Aid: June 2010

Becoming A Recognized Attorney

Morphing one into a recognized and established attorney, especially in their specialty of choice, is not always easy. With the prevalence of other legal professionals that also have a focus that is similar, it is important to market your firm and practice in order to get the cases and clients you want and need.

You may not have realized during law school that not only were you studying to have a professional licensed practice, you would need to understand marketing and promotion skills as well. When an attorney becomes established in their field, it is usually fairly simple to find clients, simply from word of mouth and recommendations.

However, if you are newly graduated or have yet to attach a positive reputation to your services, you may have a need to become more recognized and promote yourself. One must remember during this process that it is taboo and mostly forbidden for an attorney to attach a specific "specialization" onto their services.

Therefore, you may have to indicate in different manners that you are specifically skilled in an area of law. Some states do allow lawyers to attach a specialization, but even then they will have to pay a pretty pricey fee each year.

You may find it easier to promote yourself in a manner that shows you have specific talents without naming them as "specialties." Because modern society is so focused on the information that the internet has to offer, an attorney that really wants recognition will receive it best through the use of a personal or firm website.

Thankfully, as a medium, the internet levels the playing field between small and large firms. Search engines are run in such a way that the most relevant authorities nationally and local receive recognition.

This means that your website can be utilized to improve your business locally and help you to become more established in your field. One must remember, however, that there is specific internet etiquette that must be followed in order to appear professional.

As a law firm, your site will not require the use of tons of graphics and flash images. It should be designed in such a way that describes the services that you offer, your location, and credentials in a clear manner.

Make sure that you design the page with your target audience and clientele in mind; would they be able to understand the jargon used? Is the site too complicated or not impressive enough for the type that you hope to attract?

Recognizing these important aspects will help you to design a site that is both attractive and draws in a great deal of potential business. Make sure that the web page is updated with new info over time and that, if need be, you revolve the content sporadically in an intelligent manner.

Publishing ones thoughts and research is another important aspect of becoming recognizable in their form of law. The best way to understand something is to research and study it out, and what could be more beneficial than writing an article about a topic you are interested in?

An informed piece of writing requires a great deal of research and theorizing, so you will most likely be unable to craft an article on a topic without better understanding it when it is finished. You will also be established and recognized as a professional on that topic, which can increase your credibility and the amount of clients that you receive based on that fact.

Those that are extremely ambitious and want to take it a step further can publish a book on their area of practice. This will definitely take more time and research than one article, but can offer huge benefits and pay-offs for credibility.

Once you have researched and improved expertise in a practice area, you may want to conduct a seminar or workshop for other attorneys and students that are interested. Doing so helps you to constitute an image and inform others that you are an expert on the type of law that you prefer to practice.

In similar aspects, you can offer your expertise and advice to news teams and journalists; they are always looking for expert opinions from those who have adequately studied in a certain field. Utilizing these methods in your practice and branding yourself as an expert can help increase the amount of clients you represent and give you more credentials in your line of work.

Divorce Lawyer

The rate of divorces has increased drastically in recent years, not just in Australia but in many parts of the world. This is due to many reasons but most will agree that the change to no-fault divorces has increased the rate of divorce. Whereas years ago, couples had to prove the their spouse was "unfit" or did something wrong, with a no-fault divorce couples can obtain a divorce by merely stating they no longer wish to be married. Regardless of the reason a couple chooses to get a divorce, it's in their best interest to find a good divorce lawyer.

Australia has very clear and relatively easy-to-satisfy divorce laws. The only requirements are that you be domiciled in Australia, be an Australian citizen or an Australian resident for at least 12 months. If you meet these requirements, and have been separated from your spouse for at least 12 months, you can file for a divorce in Australia.

In certain cases, the spouses are not required to attend their court hearing. One of these situations is if there are no children under the age of 18. If you do have children under the age of 18, and both you and your spouse sign a joint divorce application, you will not need to make a court appearance unless the court waives this requirement for some reason.

In spite of how easy it is to obtain a divorce in Australia, it will still be beneficial for you to have a divorce lawyer, particularly if minor children and/or property are involved. A good divorce lawyer can help you with separation, divorce, property settlement, child custody, maintenance and defacto property settlement. Occasionally, a couple will choose to handle a divorce themselves without the assistance of a divorce lawyer.

This is not recommended unless there are no children or assets and both spouses are in full agreement of the simplicity of the divorce. In all other cases, a divorce lawyer is highly recommended to help stand up for your rights regarding the many issues involving family law and divorce.

Australia has made every effort to make divorce as easy, inexpensive and pain free as possible for the couple by requiring the using of arbitration in divorce cases. The private arbitration system for divorces was implemented by the federal Attorney-General of Australia to help eliminate the many disputes brought on by divorce. Divorce lawyers authorized by the courts will handle the arbitration. The couples seeking the divorce can choose their own divorce lawyer from the court-appointed list. The main purpose of the arbitration is to help resolve money issues. Arbitrators, however, have no authority to rule on disputes involving child custody.

Many people confuse arbitration with mediation or believe they are the same thing when they are actually quite different. A good divorce lawyer can explain the divorce an assist you with your needs during your divorce proceedings. A mediator cannot make a decision for or against a wife or husband but is there to listen to both sides and offer suggestions on how they can both compromise to come to an agreeable solution. If the couple cannot come to an agreement, the job of the mediator is over and an arbitrator is brought into the case. In some cases, however, the mediator is asked to come to a decision for the couple, although this is not recommended because it's often difficult for a mediator to suddenly switch roles and become an arbitrator.

Arbitrators are divorce lawyers set by the court and can set their own fees, which can often be quite expensive. Couples have the choice of choosing their own arbitrator if they're not happy with the one chosen by the court. A divorce can be a small matter between two individuals but can also be a huge court case involving a couple, their children and jointly owned property. In such a case, you will want a good divorce lawyer. You will want to make sure you have a lawyer that is experienced enough to help you in your divorce. Because there are many circumstances in divorces, you may need a checklist of questions for your divorce lawyer to help ensure you are getting the best possible divorce lawyer for your needs, some of which may include:

1. How many divorces have they handled? You do not want a divorce lawyer with little or no experience in divorces. Unless they've actually handled a divorce, they're not going to know what to expect or if there courts lean towards any certain trends. 2. What is their specialty in divorces? Although some divorces may be simple, some involve property settlements, custody battles, child support, maintenance, etc. You'll need to know your divorce lawyer has experience that will meet your needs. 3. What kind of reputation do they have in divorce cases? You may notice in divorces of wealthy couples, women seeking large settlements often seek the same divorce lawyer or couples seeking custody will use divorce lawyers that are successful in these issues. Find out what your divorce lawyer's success rate is. 4. What are the costs? The cost of divorce can be as low as hundreds (doing it yourself) and as high as thousands of dollars. Have your divorce lawyer explain what the expenses will be. Find out if there are any expenses that can be lessened or eliminated without hurting your case. 5. How many arbitrations have they been involved in? If they are a court-appointed arbitrator, as is customary in Australia divorce cases, they've probably been in arbitrations before. Find out how many and how they resulted. 6. What type of arbitrations has your divorce lawyer been involved in? If you suspect your divorce is going to become a nasty fight for custody, you want a divorce lawyer that's experienced and successful in child custody cases. 7. What does your divorce lawyer hope to accomplish in your divorce? Have him explain the most and least he hopes to get for you. Don't be afraid to compare divorce lawyers if you don't feel the first one you see can help you. 8. If asked, would your divorce lawyer be willing to work as an arbitrator and mediator? The answer you get from your lawyer may determine if he's the right divorce lawyer for you. Lawyers compared is a handy online guide for individuals seeking the services of a lawyer in Australia. This online guide covers such areas as divorce lawyers, family lawyers, commercial lawyers and more.

Worker Compensation Claim Attorney

Workers' compensation, (frequently referred to as workers' comp) is an insurance that provides medical benefits and wage replacement for employees who are injured on the job, in exchange for the employee relinquishing the right to sue his or her employer for negligence. Workers comp claims are often not as cut and dry as one might expect as some states require employers to carry insurance that includes employee benefits over and above lost wages, such as travel expense reimbursement, rehabilitation benefits and permanent partial disability benefits, etc. Consult a worker compensation attorney for advice on your case if you have questions or believe your workers comp claim is not being handled in a fair manner.

Every state mandates worker compensation coverage for the majority of workers in their respective states.

Plans do differ between states, but provisions can be made for weekly payments to replace lost wages, economic loss compensation (both past and future) and reimbursement or payment of medical and like expenses such as surgery, prescription medicines, rehabilitation, etc. Dependents of a worker that was killed on the job may also receive benefits. In general, punitive damages for employer negligence or damages for pain and suffering are not available in workers comp plans. A worker compensation attorney can answer your questions and guide you through the claims process if you have suffered from an injury at work and are unclear on what benefits you are owed.

The most common benefit of workers compensation is wage loss.

An employee is entitled to receive wage loss benefits if they have missed work due to an injury incurred on the job. In some cases, a person actually loses their job due to an injury sustained at work, which may also entitle the claimant to workers compensation benefits. There are two types of wage loss:
Temporary total disability – this is when the insurance company must pay the claimant while they are off work due to their injury
Temporary partial disability – this is when the insurance company must pay if the claimant has to change jobs and makes less money than in their previous job.

Workers compensation laws were enacted to ensure that people injured on the job would receive medical care for injuries and illnesses sustained at work, with financial compensation that would amount to a percent of lost wages. The system in theory is supposed to be easy for an injured worker to navigate, but unfortunately it is far more complicated than one would hope.

Whether you are fighting a denied claim, seeking more benefits or just have questions, contact a workers compensation attorney who can assist you in the claims process as you pursue the maximum financial remedy for your injuries.

International Lawyers

Are you negotiating a business deal overseas?

In business today, negotiations and deals take place all over the world and companies who previously dealt in the United Kingdom alone, often find these days that more and more of their business is from international companies. However, if you are dealing with international companies then it stands to reason that you will need to employ international lawyers to guide you through the deal to ensure that your interests are protected. It really cannot be overestimated how important it is to instruct international lawyers for your business deals as they have skills which domestic lawyers just don't. international lawyers obviously have experience in all areas of the law that you are likely to come up against when dealing with a foreign company.

Ensure that your international lawyers are English speaking

It sounds obvious but if you don't make sure that your international lawyers are English speaking and you don't speak the language of the company you are doing business with then there could potentially be a very difficult situation. Fortunately, there are lots of English speaking international lawyers so that should not pose your company too much of a problem.

Try to make sure that the international lawyers you use have offices in more than one place

If your international lawyers have offices in more than one country, it stands to reason that they will be able to help you more if you deal with businesses from a variety of countries. One such firm is www.giambronelaw.com.

This firm of international lawyers has English speaking lawyers and international offices all around the world. This means that they can use their expertise to help you with every aspect of international law. When you need international lawyers for every aspect, this firm is definitely the one to choose.

Injury Attorney

An injury attorney is a lawyer who provides legal representation to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence or wrongdoing of another person, company, government agency, or other entity. Thus, personal injury lawyers tend to be especially knowledgeable and have more experience with regard to the area of law known as tort law, which includes civil wrongs and economic or non-economic damages to a persons property, reputation, or rights.

Even though personal injury lawyers are trained and licensed to practice virtually any field of law, they generally only handle cases that fall under tort law including, but not limited to: work injuries, automobile and other accidents, defective products, medical mistakes, slip and fall accidents, and more.

The expression "trial lawyers" can refer to personal injury lawyers,[citation needed] even though most cases handled by personal injury lawyers settle rather than going to trial and other types of lawyers, such as defendants' lawyers and criminal prosecutors, also appear in trials.

A personal injury lawyer has numerous responsibilities in serving his or her clients. These responsibilities encompass both professional and ethical rules and codes of conduct set forth by state bar associations where the lawyers are licensed. Once licensed to practice law by their state bar association, lawyers are legally permitted to file legal complaints, argue cases in state court, draft legal documents, and offer legal advice to victims of personal injury.

Also referred to as a plaintiff lawyer, a personal injury lawyer is responsible for interviewing prospective clients and evaluating their cases to determine the legal matter, identify the distinct issues rooted within the plaintiffs larger problem, and extensively research every issue to build a strong case. The ultimate professional responsibility of a personal injury lawyer is to help plaintiffs obtain the justice and compensation they deserve for their losses and suffering through advocacy, oral arguments, client counseling, and legal advice.

Personal injury lawyers must also adhere to strict standards of legal ethics when dealing with clients. While the guidelines vary according to state, the basic codes of conduct state that a lawyer must knowledgeably evaluate legal matters and exercise competence in any legal matter undertaken. Moreover, personal injury lawyers owe their clients a duty of loyalty and confidentiality and must work to protect their clients best interests.

Typically lawyers fees are based on a number of factors, which may include the time and energy spent on a case, the outcome of a case, the difficulty of a claim, the experience and prominence of the lawyer, and the costs associated with the case. There are several standard payment options a personal injury lawyer may offer his/her clients. These options include contingency fees, hourly rates, flat fees, and retainers.
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