How to find an attorney to help you with your animal-related issues

ALDF Suggests: How to find an attorney to help you with your animal-related issues

Animal law is a relatively new, and growing, specialty within the law, and a growing number of lawyers specialize in cases involving animals. In most cases, however, while it may be advantageous, it is not necessary to find an attorney who specializes in animal law specifically. When someone kills or injures your animal, the law primarily (although not exclusively) sees this as an injury to "property." A lawyer who specializes in personal injuries or injury to property (called “torts” in the law) should be able to handle the case. However, due to the limited potential for recovery of damages in animal cases, it is possible to pay more for an attorney’s services than you are likely to recover if you win your case, barring an award for punitive or emotional distress damages. See ALDF’s Information Packet regarding Wrongful Death or Injury of an Animal for more information about filing a civil suit for damages due to the death or injury of an animal.

To find an experienced attorney, your best bet might be a personal referral from someone you know and trust. If that is not an option, contact your local animal shelter to see if they know of an attorney who handles animal law cases. Barring that, you can contact your local "bar association," or look in the yellow pages under "lawyers." Bar associations are the licensing entities for lawyers. Most offer referral services for a fee and will do their best to find an attorney with experience to match your needs. You can also find your local bar association in the phone book or via the American Bar Association.

The following organizations and/or websites provide attorney referrals to the public nationwide. ALDF offers this list for your convenience but does not endorse any of these organizations, and recommends that you research any terms and conditions before submitting any information. This list should not be considered exhaustive. You may also want to try using an internet search using the terms "animal law," or "attorney referrals." There are many regional attorney referral agencies on the internet.


source : http://www.exposeanimalabusers.org/article.php?id=249

Common Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip and fall injuries occur every day in a wide range of settings, from the home to businesses to public places, a fall can happen anywhere. It is one of the more common forms of serious injury accidents. In the workplace, slip and fall injuries represent the second leading cause of workplace death. To protect yourself against slip and fall injuries, it is important to understand these injuries and their consequences.

Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip accidents are commonly caused by:

• Wet or oily surfaces
• Spills
• Weather hazards
• Mats that are not anchored
• Inherently slick flooring

In addition, trips are a common cause of falling accidents and may be caused by:

• Clutter
• Wrinkled carpeting
• Cables in walkway
• Uneven walking surfaces
• Obstructed view
• Poor lighting

These slips and trips can result in falling injuries.

Common Injuries as a Result of Slip and Fall Accidents

Just as there are many causes for slip and fall accidents, there are also many different types of injuries that can result. Some of the more common injuries that result from slip and fall accidents, include:

• Sprains
• Cuts
• Bruises
• Broken bones
• Tailbone or spinal injuries
• Brain injuries

In some cases, these injuries can be serious and may require hospitalization or lead to long-term injury.

Premises Liability Lawsuits

If you have been hurt as a result of a slip and fall injury, you may be able to file a premises liability lawsuit to receive compensation for expenses, including new bills and lost wages.

Whether a premises liability lawsuit is appropriate in your case depends on many factors. First, did the slip occur at work? If it occurred at work, were you at your place of work, or were you at another location as a part of your work duties? If you were at your normal workplace, you cannot file a premises liability lawsuit. Instead, your injuries will be covered under workers' compensation. If your injury occurred at another place or not during work, you can file a premises liability lawsuit against the property owner if you believe your injury was due to a hazard that the property owner did or should have known about.

source : http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/common-slip-and-fall-injuries-2543231.html

What if Your Insurance Denies a Personal Injury Claim?

What happens when you are involved in a car accident or some other type of injury and the insurance company that you file a claim with denies your claim. This means that you are stuck with all of the medical bills, repair bills and many other expenses that come from being injured and a lot of these expenses can go on for a very long time. If your insurance company denies your personal injury claim there may be a legitimate reason, but they may also have made a mistake in denying your claim and if you believe this to be the case you should contact a personal injury attorney right away.

Let's explore why an insurance company might deny your claim. The most common reason that an insurance company denies a claim like this is because it is not covered in the policy. This may be a very legitimate denial but it is not necessarily the end of the road. Depending upon the situation there may be legal loopholes that will allow you to collect regardless of the policy not necessarily covering that type of injury or accident. This is why an attorney knowledgeable about insurance and personal injury is so important.

Even if the insurance company in question has sent you a letter that offers a certain amount of compensation for the injury you should talk to an attorney before you accept it, because it will likely be much lower than the amount that they will be willing to pay. This is particularly true in the case of extensive injuries where the compensation amount is extremely high. The first offer you get from the insurance company will certainly not be the highest that they are willing to pay and you should get what is fair for the injury that you sustained.

What you should be aware of is that it is the job of the insurance claims adjustor to try to limit the liability of the insurance company, or to prove that the company has no liability at all. This is why you should never admit that an accident or injury is your fault when talking to an insurance claims adjustor or to the police. If the claims adjustor cannot prove that the injury was not covered by the policy, or cannot find another way to dismiss your claim they will make you an offer. Once again, this offer is usually lower than what they are truly willing to pay.

If you are denied a personal injury claim and you believe you were entitled to the compensation you need to contact a personal injury attorney right away. The law may limit the amount of time that you have to file a claim so contact an attorney right away. The office of Ledger & Associates has more than a decade of experience dealing with claims like these and you can consult with a professional free-of-charge to decide whether or not you should proceed with your case.

source :http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-injury-articles/what-if-your-insurance-denies-a-personal-injury-claim-2538476.html

How to Find an Excellent Lawyer

Follow these steps to find a good lawyer to help you with your legal issue.
If your legal problem is complex or involves lots of money, you might not want to attempt to handle the entire matter without a lawyer. After all, lawyers do more than dispense legal information. They offer strategic advice and apply sophisticated technical skills to legal problems. Ideally, you'll be able to find a lawyer who's willing to serve as your legal "coach" to help you educate yourself to the maximum extent possible and to take over as your formal legal counsel only if necessary.

How to Find the Right Lawyer

Locating a good lawyer who can efficiently help with your particular problem may not be easy. Don't expect to locate a good lawyer by simply looking in the phone book or reading an advertisement. There's not enough information in these sources to help you make a valid judgment.

Personal Referrals
A better approach is to talk to people in your community who have experienced the same problem you face -- for example, if you have a claim of sexual harassment, talk to a women's group. Ask them who their lawyers were and what they think of them. If you talk to half a dozen people who have had a similar legal problem, chances are you'll come away with several good leads.

But don't make a decision about a lawyer solely on the basis of someone else's recommendation. Different people will have different responses to a lawyer's style and personality; don't make up your mind about hiring a lawyer until you've met the lawyer, discussed your case, and decided that you feel comfortable working with him or her.

Also, it may be hard to find lawyer through a personal referral with the expertise you need (for instance, if your friend had a great divorce lawyer, but you need incorporation advice, the referral may not do you much good).
Nolo's Lawyer Directory

Nolo offers a unique lawyer directory that provides a comprehensive profile for each attorney with information that will help you select the right attorney. The profiles tell you about the lawyer's experience, education, and fees, and perhaps most importantly, the lawyer's general philosophy of practicing law. Nolo has confirmed that every listed attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with their bar association. Every attorney has taken a pledge to communicate regularly with you, provide an estimate of the time and cost involved, and provide you with a clear, fair, written agreement that spells out how they will handle your legal matter and how you will be charged. For more information, see Nolo's Lawyer Directory.

Business Referrals

Businesses who provide services to key players in the legal area you are interested in may also be able to help you identify lawyers you should consider. For example, if you are interested in small business law, speak to your banker, accountant, insurance agent, and real estate broker. These people come into frequent contact with lawyers who represent business clients and are in a position to make informed judgments.
Lawyer Referral Services

Lawyer referral services are another source of information. There is a wide variation in the quality of lawyer referral services, however, even though they are required to be approved by the state bar association. Some lawyer referral services carefully screen attorneys and list only those attorneys with particular qualifications and a certain amount of past experience, while other services will list any attorney in good standing with the state bar who maintains liability insurance. Before you choose a lawyer referral service, ask what its qualifications are for including an attorney and how carefully lawyers are screened.

What you may not get from any lawyer referral service, however, is insight into the lawyer's philosophy -- for instance, whether the lawyer is willing to spend a few hours to be your legal coach or how aggressive the lawyer's personality is.
Other Sources

Here are a few other sources you can turn to for possible candidates in your search for a lawyer:

• The director of your state or local chamber of commerce may be a good source of business lawyers.
• The director of a nonprofit group interested in the subject matter that underlies your lawsuit is sure to know lawyers who work in that area. For example, if your dispute involves trying to stop a major new subdivision, it would make sense to consult an environmental group committed to fighting urban sprawl.
• A law librarian can help identify authors in your state who have written books or articles on a particular subject -- for example, construction law.
• A women's or men's support group will probably have a list of well-regarded family and divorce lawyers.

Consider a Specialist

Most lawyers specialize in certain areas, and even a so-called "general practitioner" may not know that much about the particular area of your concern. For example, of the almost one million lawyers in America today, probably fewer than 50,000 possess sufficient training and experience in small business law to be of real help to an aspiring entrepreneur.

It can pay to work with a lawyer who already knows the field, such as employment discrimination, zoning laws, software design issues, or restaurant licensing. That way you can take advantage of the fact that the lawyer is already far up the learning curve. Sometimes specialists charge a little more, but if their specialized information is truly valuable, it can be money well spent.
Interview the Prospective Lawyers

When you get the names of several good prospects, the next step is to talk to each personally. If you outline your needs in advance, many lawyers will be willing to meet to you for a half-hour or so at no charge so that you can size them up and make an informed decision.
Personality

Pay particular attention to the personal chemistry between you and your lawyer. No matter how experienced and well-recommended a lawyer is, if you feel uncomfortable with that person during your first meeting or two, you may never achieve an ideal lawyer-client relationship. Trust your instincts and seek a lawyer whose personality is compatible with your own. Look also for experience, personal rapport, and accessibility.
Communication and Promptness

Ask all prospective lawyers how you will be able to contact them and how long it will take them to return your communications. And don't assume that because the lawyer seems friendly and easy to talk to that it's okay to overlook this step.

Unfortunately, the complaint logs of all lawyer regulatory groups indicate that many lawyers are terrible communicators. If every time you have a problem there's a delay of several days before you can talk to your lawyer on the phone or get an appointment, you'll lose precious time, not to mention sleep.

Almost nothing is more aggravating to a client than to leave a legal project in a lawyer's hands and then have weeks or even months go by without anything happening. You want a lawyer who will work hard on your behalf and follow through promptly on all assignments.
Willingness to Work With You

When you have a legal problem, you need legal information. Lawyers, of course, are prime sources of this information, but if you bought all the needed information at their rates -- $150 to $250 an hour -- you'd quickly empty your bank account. Fortunately, many lawyers will work with you to help you acquire a good working knowledge of the legal principles and procedures you need to deal with your problem at least partly on your own.

If you are hoping to represent yourself and use a lawyer only for advice, make sure the lawyer is open to that type of set-up. Likewise, if you're going into business and will draft your own bylaws or business agreements, ask the lawyer if she's open to reviewing your drafts and making comments.

source: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-29868.html