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Legal Matters

Legal matters can arise for any number of foreseen and unforeseen reasons. Perhaps you have been involved in an accident and sustained a serious personal injury. Or maybe you are going through something less serious, but still important, like a neighbor encroaching on your property. How do you know what your rights are? How do you protect those rights? Where do you turn for help?

A good place to start is by contacting an experienced attorney in your community. While many attorneys specialize in a certain area of law, like personal injury or intellectual property, there are many attorneys who offer a full spectrum of services to provide aid to individuals who need help facing all sorts of legal issues that arise in life. These attorneys are called general practice lawyers.

General practice lawyers are a good source of information for people that have never had any legal disputes before or people that don't know exactly what kind of lawyer would be best for their needs. These lawyers have a broad range of knowledge on a number of topics and are generally able to provide clients with the advice they need to make prudent decisions about how to deal with the legal matter at hand.

To find an attorney for your legal needs, a good place to start is with the state Bar Association and online attorney directories like www.AllLaw.com, www.AttorneyLocate.com and LawFirms.com. If you are not sure what kind of attorney you need, start by contacting a general practice attorney.

Once you have a list of potential lawyers, call each one. During your phone call, make sure you explain your situation and ask if the attorney handles cases like yours. If the attorney does not handle cases like yours, ask for a recommendation for an attorney who can help you.

When you talk to each attorney, make sure you not only know that they are capable of handling your case, but understand the attorney's fees. Also, ask for references from former clients, find out where the attorney attended law school, consider how many years of experience the attorney has and check with the Better Business Bureau or state Bar Association to see if any ethics complaints have been filed against the attorney.

As with any decision you have to make in life, make sure you have a good feeling about the lawyer that you choose to work with. You may be working with this individual for quite some time; therefore, it is important to be comfortable with his or her communication style or demeanor.

Legal Articles

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• All Experts Are Not Created Equal - Are all experts created equal? You might be surprised! As a matter of fact they aren't.
• Do Your Advertisements Comply with FTC Requirements? - The Federal Trade Commission enforces laws to prevent unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in business.
• When and Why You Should Get it In Writing - Not every contract has to be in writing to be valid and enforceable, but some contracts should be. How do you know when you need a written contract and what to put in it?
• Negotiating Your Office Lease - Your lease for office space will have a large impact on the future of your business.
• Hire a Lawyer Before Your Business Runs into Trouble - While many people never think to hire a lawyer until they have a legal problem, the time to hire your business lawyer is before your business runs into trouble.
• Keeping You Legal Bills Under Control - If the thought of out of control legal bills is keeping you from hiring a lawyer for your business, you should know that there are some things you can do to keep your legal bills under control.
• What You Can Expect From Your Lawyer? - A lawyer owes certain duties to his or her clients, including a duty to avoid conflicts of interest, a duty of confidentiality, a duty to provide competent representation, and others. But what does this mean to you?
• Should You Include an Arbitration Clause in Your Contracts? - By including an arbitration clause in your contracts with customers and suppliers, you may be able to avoid costly litigation in the event of a dispute.
• Are Mediation and Arbitration a Viable Alternative for Your Business? - Legal disputes can drain valuable time and money from a small business.
• Legal Issues to Consider When Starting Your Business - There are a multitude of legal issues to think about when it comes to starting your business.
• Don't Forget Licensing Requirements When Starting Your Business - Depending on what kind of business you are getting ready to start, you will need a variety of licenses to comply with state and local laws.
• Common Zoning Restrictions for Home Businesses - If you're planning on operating your small business from home, you need to check out your local zoning restrictions first.

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