Seward County Lawyers

Thinking of Getting A Criminal Defense Lawyer?

Published on July 18, 2017July 18, 2018 by Michael Kay

If you are ever accused of a crime, one of the very the first things you absolutely must do is to speak to a criminal attorney, even before saying anything to the police. As a matter fact, this is perhaps what you should do irrespective of whatever the charge is against you. This is something you will hear any attorney tell their clients time and time again without fail. One phenomenon we are beginning to see quite a lot of, is a lot of individuals deciding o represent themselves in court. While there are probably a range of reasons for this, the one predominant factor seems to be the inability of these individuals to afford the sometimes rather high fees that many lawyers are known to charge to provide legal representation. No matter how high a lawyer’s fees are, one of the biggest mistakes someone charged with a criminal offense can do, is to represent themselves in court. Most especially if they have little knowledge of how the legal process works. At the very worst case scenario, they should seek to get legal aid or some other pro-bono legal service. Perhaps even a public defendant might be good enough in many cases. However, in situations where you are able to afford to pay the legal fees of an attorney to represent you in your criminal case, the question then becomes how do you sift the “wheat from the chaff,” from the sea of criminal attorneys that abound on the internet and that can be found with a few clicks of the button. There are perhaps a few crucial things you should look at on a lawyer’s profile to determine their “suitability” and ability to represent you in court. Perhaps the most important of these is their success:failure ratio. While different people might have different factors they consider to be the most important thing to look out for, for me the success:failure ratio is the most important. Note I said the most important, not the only important thing. Other things on the list to make sure that any candidate to be your criminal attorney posses are: preferably their own in-house private investigator to investigate and uncover things you don’t want to leave up to the police alone to discover, a team of other lawyers and para-legals, a good relationship with the DA’s office and their prosecuting attorneys, the relevant police department in question, good familiarity with the judge and a good network of lawyer friends. with regards the above list of things, you never know when any of these things will prove to be crucial in helping your case, so you should always look to work with a lawyer who can assure you, or even prove the availability of these things. So how would you find a private attorney that may have all these resources at their disposal? So in addition to asking your personal network of family and friends, as previously mentioned, the internet is perhaps your best bet. With the Read More

Top 10 Safest States To Drive In

Published on July 15, 2018July 18, 2018 by Michael Kay

In recent years, there have been many published reports which have put considerable questions on the quality of highways across the length and breadth of this country. A recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has graded US roads with a D, which only goes to show the poor state of roads in the country, which presents a very grim state of affairs. Here is a list of 10 safest states to drive in. Rhode Island: According to 2016 report by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS,) Rhode Island is one of the safest places in the country for drivers. The state witnessed 48 vehicle crashes in which there were 51 fatalities. Out of these, 18 were car crashes and 12 SUV accidents. 1 accident involved large truck, 6 two-wheeler accidents and 14 were pedestrian fatalities. This are indeed statistics worth taking note of. New York: Last year, New York had one of the fewest traffic fatalities including a 32% dip in pedestrian fatalities in road accidents. In 2016, New York witnessed 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people. There were 965 fatal road crashes in which 1024 people were killed. 49% of casualties were car and SUV occupants and 56% of the total deaths occurred in urban area. Current New-York Mayor has decided to invest $1.6 billion to improve the traffic condition through road re-design and stricter law enforcement in a bid to check that trend. Massachusetts: This state had 389 deaths on road in 359 crashes. 60% of fatalities comprised of cars, SUV and pickup vehicles occupants. 2 people that died on the road were large truck occupants. 80 pedestrians were also killed in road related accidents. Many experts believe that lower gas prices and an improving economy has led to more people coming out on roads in their cars for daily commute but a large number of drivers use mobile phones which could potentially disrupt their attentions from the road and cause accidents. 96% of deaths occurred in urban are which is one of highest figure in this list. New Jersey: In 2016, New Jersey witnessed 601 deaths in 569 vehicle accidents. Out of all fatalities,38% were car occupants and 16% involved SUV and pickup occupants. 162 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic accidents. New Jersey had one of the highest rate of urban vehicle accidents, 85%, on this list. Overall, there were 6.7 deaths per 100,000 people on average and 61% of fatalities were due to instances of single-vehicle accident. Minnesota: The state of Minnesota had 628 vehicle crashes in which 690 deaths occurred making the ratio of 7.1 deaths per 100,000 people. 56% of fatalities were due to multiple-vehicle collisions whereas 59% of deaths were on rural roads. In these accidents, 64% victims were car and S.U.V occupants, 16% were motorcyclists and bicyclist. Last but not least, 15% were pedestrians. Washington: In 2016, Washington had 7.4 fatalities per 100,000 population due to car crashes. The state witnessed 504 vehicle accidents on its roads. There were Read More

What the Business Lawyer Needs to Know About ADR

Published on August 17, 2017July 18, 2018 by Michael Kay

Nowadays, most litigators are increasingly looking to avoid the stress and emotions of going to court and instead looking to pursue ADR (alternative dispute resolution) via mediation or arbitration. They consider this to be a better, cheaper and more effective strategy to achieving the main objective of their client. To be done successfully, one needs a thorough understanding of not only all the appropriate ADR strategies, but also an adequate understanding of the law, and more specifically, business law. To stand any chance of being successful, the one element that must be present at all times is trust between all parties involved. Additionally, all involved parties must disabuse their minds from the possibility of going to court to settle whatever legal business issue exists, as this will establish in their minds the thought that there is no other option of finding a resolution to the conflict, besides the ongoing ADR, and at such they all need to be willing accommodate and compromise in order to reach a mutually beneficial agreement or settlement. Here are some basic things which a small business attorney NYC should know whenever they are participating in (or mediating) an ADR. Avoid taking an adversarial approach The adversarial nature of lawyers often encourages or even demands a win-lose mentality, especially when dealing with an opposing counsel. What is for sure is that such behavior only entrenches the opposition and encourages them fight harder to win. When it comes to ADR, this adversarial nature and environment should be eliminated at all costs, as it could easily, or even likely lead to a lose-lose situation for all parties involved. The over-arching guiding principle in any ADR setting should be for all parties to feel like they have won or gained something, and therefore, win-win situation. Therefore, the main objective of any lawyer towards his or her client should be to solve a problem. Let the client know what you are doing It’s highly important that the client knows everything their attorney is doing at all times during the ADR process. The client must always be informed so that he or she can stay on top of what is going on with the process and contribute relevant information and ideas that can help the process move along more smoothly. Any tactics to be employed by the lawyer should also be communicated to the client, so that they are both on the same page and that contradictions come to the fore, which can jeopardize the process in favor of the opposing side. Effective ADR calls for both parties to find out what the other side wants, and a “satisfactory” result might leave clients on either sides feeling that their objectives haven’t been met. Collaborative resolutions of the disputes on the premise of trust that’s created in an interactive process of negotiation boasts the best chance of satisfying the goals of both sides. Establish a budget Through extensive consultations with clients, counsel must be able to establish the exact amount of money Read More

The Necessity of An Accident Attorney.

Published on July 22, 2017July 18, 2018 by Michael Kay

Accidents happen daily and it is an unplanned event that most of us are unprepared for. Accidents can occur anywhere and at any time, from the workplace or school, to the roads we travel on every day, but no matter the situation or where it occurs, the one common denominator that all accidents should have, is the presence and involvement of an accident attorney as soon as the accident has occurred. While attorneys can be costly most accident attorneys will set up consultations without any cost involved. The sooner you seek professional advice the more likely you are to handle things the right way and in crease the chances of having a favorable outcome. So, always be sure to consult with an experienced attorney before consulting with anyone else, whenever you or a loved one has been involved in any kind of accident. Especially one that has been caused by someone else’s carelessness or negligence. Most people will choose to settle claims to cover up the accident or incident for their own gain. Often people think of the company’s reputations first or how their lives will be affected. Insurance and employment companies may try and offer to pay your medical bills so that you do not claim but if you accept this and learn that you have more serious injuries or become unable to work, you will not be able to claim and would therefore be doing an injustice to yourself. So always seek a professional help before making these types of decisions. Remember most victims of an accident often suffer from shock, and this can cause such people to not be in the best mind set to be making rational decisions. Often or possibly leaving the person in question with the desire to want to overlook the situation and not have to deal with the people or people responsible for the accident and hold them responsible. The first thing to note about such course of action is that it can leave the individual with years of trauma and pain, as not only would they have dealt with the emotional, physical and psychological pain, but also the financial pain as well with all the medical bills they might face on the road to recovery. So the one thing you should look into doing is holding the responsible party to account and let them offset some of that financial burden, leaving you focused on healing other injuries. You should therefore be sure to choose an ethical and professional attorney that will not try only fully represent your interests, but someone who can also empathize with you. As someone who can empathize with you and put themselves in your shoes, is more likely to be able to “feel” the pain you feel and hopefully be more enthusiastic in getting you the compensation you deserve. The people or person at fault can claim that they will pay you for damages but there is never any guarantee that they indeed will do so. Many Read More

Accident Claim With a specialist solicitor

Published on July 14, 2017July 18, 2018 by Michael Kay

Accidents can throw your life off track and because they usually occur when you least expect it, coping with the trauma can often be very difficult. Having to deal with physical and emotional pain can be frustrating at times, not to mention the impact it can have on you and your family financially. Being able to afford the health care you need often become a financial drain thus only leading to more stress. Many of us have heard about accident claims but the thought of the dragged out process to apply can be time consuming and just another headache. While there are many accident solicitors not many of them can actually do the job. You need someone that is reliable and efficient to handle your claim. Allowing someone with no experience can ultimately mean huge costs and no results. Accidents can leave you feeling helpless and because it is unpredictable you need to ensure that you are covered for any unexpected event. While it can leave you physically unable to fend for yourself as you are used to doing, and can make your daily routines seem like such mission impossible, the reality is that these thing happen and can not only cripple you physically but also financially, so you need to also ensure that your family is covered and that you receive the correct compensation for the accident you may be involved in, especially if that accident was not caused by you. Oftentimes, victims blame themselves and feel that they have become a burden on those who has to care for them, and this can ultimately send victims into a state of depression and is often the reason why victims do not claim and in many cases, try to commit suicide, especially where the effect of the accident has caused major or irreparable bodily harm. If your accident has been caused due to the negligence and incompetence of someone else then you deserve compensation for the pain and suffering you will endure. When you cannot handle the stresses that comes with accident claims, then you need to find yourself a solicitor with the experience to get you results. Many people end up being bedridden and unable to fend for them, leaving them unemployed and unable to handle their everyday tasks. You can be left spending years in physical therapy or even psychological therapy leaving you with medical bills that you are unable to pay. It’s time to take action. Don’t let your life be ruined by another person mistakes. There are many accident solicitors that are able to assist you. Always ensure that you chose the right one. There are many solicitors that will promise results but chose the one that will guarantee it. Applying for accident fund will be a painful reminder of the trauma and there are many questions involved so chose someone that you are comfortable with and that you can trust. Always ensure that you give true and accurate information so that it can benefit your Read More

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