Helpful Articles
-
The Expiration of HAMP: What Options do Homeowners Have Now?
For years, the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) provided a potential for relief for struggling homeowners to cure a default and to prevent the foreclosure of their home by their mortgage lender. HAMP was first enacted in 2009 as part of the Making Home Affordable (MHA) program in reaction to the subprime mortgage crisis. Homeowners who were having difficulty affording their mortgage payments due to financial hardship could qualify for a modification of the mortgage loan throug... -
Debt Limits on Filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
It seems counterintuitive that there are actually debt limits involved in the bankruptcy process when the bankruptcy system itself was designed to relieve those overwhelmed by debt. For those with only a preliminary knowledge of the bankruptcy system, it may seem even more confusing to learn that the debt limits apply to petitions for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, in which the debtor agrees he can and should pay a portion of his restructured debts over a fixed repayment period. In order to underst... -
Who pays for the survey when buying a house?
In the state of Illinois, if you own a single family home or a townhouse with its own lot number, and you are selling your property, your real estate contract will require you to provide a survey to your buyer dated within the last six months. If you have bought the home in the past five years, and you can sign an affidavit stating that you have made no changes to the home since you have owned the property, it is possible to ask the buyers if they would accept an old s... -
SUSPENDED IMPOSITION OF SENTENCES (SIS) VS SUSPENDED EXECUTION OF SENTENCE (SES)
WHAT IS AN SIS OR SUSPENDED IMPOSITION OF SENTENCE Having worked hundreds of criminal defense cases in St. Louis, Combs Law Group has faced this exact question (what is an SIS?) from a considerable amount of our clients. It’s a common question because in many of our cases we encounter SIS as the final outcome for the client. The state of Missouri and it’s courts utilize SIS protocol to gain a guilty plea from a defendant in exchange for avoiding a conviction and subsequently plac... -
Defending and Representing Juvenile Prostitutes in Criminal Courts
I previously practiced juvenile criminal defense with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office as a student attorney for three years while in Law School. I also organized and taught legal classes to the public for the Thomas and Mack Legal Clinic, where I taught Pro Se litigants how to represent themselves in court regarding matters of divorce, paternity, child support, child custody and visitation, small claims actions, and landlord-tenant disputes. My graduate thesis "Defending and Rep... -
A ROUGH FORM OF JUSTICE – THE PURPOSE OF MILITARY JUSTICE
The military justice system has a unique purpose – in addition to prosecuting offenses as defined by Congress and the President, the military justice system is designed to assist commanders in maintaining good order and discipline. Civilian court systems have no similar purpose. This is why having an experienced military lawyer – an attorney who understands both the law and the military mindset – may be important to the outcome of a particular case. During my p... -
Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring A Divorce Lawyer
Going through a divorce is a very exhausting thing. Hiring Joliet Divorce Lawyer can make your life easier only in this situation. But finding the right one for you, who fits all of your requirements, can be challenging for you. Ask these questions before hiring a divorce lawyer for you. 1. Do you handle cases other than divorce? Involved in other areas of law mean that your lawyer will not be able to focus on the divorce properly. 2. Fo... -
What on your real estate inspection report can you ask a seller to fix?
If you are in the process of buying a home or piece of property, one thing I advise my clients to do as soon as the ink on the contract is dry is to set up an inspection of the property performed by a certified home inspector. A lot of individuals think they can have any “handyman” walk through the property. However, if you plan on negotiating with the seller and asking for things to be repaired or replaced, you will need an inspection report prepared by a certified inspector. A... -
Avatar in the Courtroom: Is 3D Technology Ready for Primetime? publication descriptionFDCC Quarterly, 63 Fed’n Def. & Corp. Couns. 295, 295-317 (2013).
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/thefederation.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/docs/Quarterly/Archive/V63N4_Cover-to-Cover.pdf... -
Inside the Minds: Chapter 7 Consumer Bankruptcy Strategies, 2015
Book with information and filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. ... -
Chapter 7 Commercial Bankruptcy Strategies 2016
Inside the Minds - Book regarding filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcies. ... -
Tech Tips Column, 13
Compensation Quarterly (Connecticut Bar Association, Workers' ... -
What can be done if the buyer of a house keeps delaying the closing?
As a real estate attorney, I have seen every reason or excuse as to why a buyer can’t close on time and requests an extension of the closing date. The most common reason being that the buyer’s lender is not ready with the loan approval, due to a plethora of reasons, and the buyer has not been yet been approved for the mortgage. What are your options as the seller, if this keeps happening? When you agree to sell your property to a buyer, both parties sign a contract. For the contract t... -
Ask a lawyer: What are your rights as a beneficiary?
If you know that you are listed as a beneficiary in a will or trust estate plan, what rights do you have when the executor is not being forthcoming? If you are a beneficiary of a will only (not a trust), there should be a probate court case that is open in the county court where the deceased resided. If there is, you should get a probate attorney to represent you with respect to your interest in the estate, file an appearance and get up to speed on the assets and ... -
Stop fighting Over the Kids; Resolving Day-to-Day Custody Conflict in Divorce Situations
www.stopfightingoverthekids.com ... -
Know the Statute of Limitations for a Florida DUI
If you are arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI), you will be held in jail for up to eight hours until officers believe you are no longer impaired. Often, you will leave jail with a court date for you first hearing regarding DUI charges. In other situations, however, you may leave jail with no information and wonder whether you will be charged with an offense at all. It’s important to know that authorities have a specific amount of time in which to charge yo... -
The Costs of a Catastrophic Injury
Many people who suffer car accidents or falls are fortunate enough to walk away unscathed or with only minor injuries. Even serious injuries may heal with time and the right treatment plans, allowing accident victims to go back to their usual lives. However, some accidents victims are not nearly so lucky. Instead, catastrophic injuries completely disrupt their lives. Types of Catastrophic Injuries A catastrophic injury leaves life-altering damages on the victim, such as: Severe traumatic br... -
Take Possible Concussions Seriously
Many people assume concussions are relatively minor injuries—but concussions are forms of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and any degree of TBI can cause serious harm. Concussions require proper diagnoses and treatment plans as soon as possible after they occur. A concussion can result from any blow or jolt to the head. This can happen in car accidents, falls, sports, and more. Anytime you are in an accident that causes any degree of trauma to your head, seek immediate medical treatments to... -
What Should Your PIP Claim Cover?
In many states, injured car accident victims can file insurance claims with the policy owned by the driver who was at-fault for the accident. Florida law, on the other hand, requires that every driver carry a $10,000 no-fault auto insurance policy called Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. When you are in a crash, your own PIP coverage will cover certain costs of your own injuries—without any need to prove fault in the accident. While PIP insurance requirements aim to reduce the ... -
What happens to my Moms bank account since she did not have beneficiaries listed?
If your mom had a trust and the bank account was properly transferred to be owned by the trust, then the trust should be able to distribute it. The bank should not give you any problems. If the bank account was not owned by the trust, but the amount in the account plus the total value of any other assets she owned outside of the trust with no beneficiaries adds up to less than $100,000, then you may complete a Small Estate Affidavit. A Small Estate Affidavit must be properly filled ...