Search

CONCLUSION Managing a boutique personal injury law firm can be challenging due to the complex nature of personal injury cases, which require a deep understanding of medical and legal issues and can be emotionally challenging for clients. Managing a boutique personal injury law firm is no easy task. Personal injury law firms often rely on case management software, document management systems, and other tools to streamline their operations, manage client information, and track case progress. [Extracted from the article]

TITLE COMMITMENTS A title commitment is the documentcreated by the title companyas a commitment to issue a titleinsurance policy. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A TITLE REPORT Title reports are essential in helpingdiscover any issues that can affectthe ownership or title to a property. ACQUIRING TITLE Ownership of a property is representedby a legal document such asa deed or certificate of title. As the industry grew, title companiesbegan providing essentialservices to real estate buyers, sellers,lenders, brokers, attorneys,developers, builders, and others. [Extracted from the article]

I sold the condo and made my second purchase, which was a four-bedroom, two-bath house also in Glendale, California. I sold my condo on the 19th floor and purchased a penthouse unit on the 32nd floor. I've been an attorney since December 10, 1996, but I've been a real estate investor for more than 30 years and a serial entrepreneur for more than 37 years. [Extracted from the article]

THE TROUBLE WITH ONLINE "LEGAL" PLATFORMS I had always been cynical of DIY-type models fortransactional type work such as contracts and wills, andI was especially concerned when these companies tackledassistance for an actual legal action. Our experience atLevine Family Law was almost always "DIY stinks", and weeven have a "wall of shame" primarily dedicated toproblems that clients had with existing DIY services. THE SOLUTION I know it's easy for lawyers to be skeptical of DIY law,and many turn their back on DIY options. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on the practice management priorities for lawyers for 2019. Topics discussed include evolution in the profession, practice and business of law; commodification and open sourcing of legal documents; and preparation of legal documents for clients. Also being discussed is rationing time and estimating fees.

However, immigration status does not affect people's need to plan for the distribution of their assets in a way that reflects their personal preferences, status, and values. Transferring wealth outside of probate is pref-erable for these communities, and estate attorneys must be able to flag this potential issue to cus-tomize an estate plan accordingly. Estate attorneys should team up with immigration attorneys to effectively transfer the wealth of their immigrant clients. [Extracted from the article]

A LAWYER'S GUIDE TO ESTATE PLANNING: FUNDAMENTALS FOR THE LEGAL PRACTITIONER, FOURTH EDITION By L. Rush Hunt and Lara Rae Hunt (ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division; 2018; 5150502; $89.95; member price $67.45) This book provides a helpful introduction to the basics of estate planning. Searching for additional resources in lawyer estate planning and end-of-life issues? Take a look at the ABA publications below, and check out the helpful links to website resources hosted by the GPSolo Division and the ABA. [Extracted from the article]

The article highlights the benefits and drawbacks of two main estate planning documents in existence, which are wills and trusts. Topics covered include will as instruction for the probate court, revocable living trust as the most common trust in estate planning, and irrevocable trust as an option for some clients with assets facing estate taxation.

The article discusses the use of technology to improve one's law practice, focusing on document automation. It notes the benefits of document automation like gaining efficiencies in the preparation and production of documents used regularly. It cites options such as using existing software and tools like auto-correction in one's computer, tools in practice management software and services like Amicus Attorney, or buying software to automate document creation like TheFormTool and HotDocs.

{BEST OF ABA SECTIONS} REAL PROPERTY, TRUST, AND ESTATE LAW Most real estate lawyersare articulate in oralconversation andable to clearly andsuccinctly expressa particular position or thought. Young lawyers, who might otherwisewrite in plain English,are typically trained by moresenior lawyers, who do not.These senior lawyers have beenschooled by their predecessorsin the art of drafting legal documents. Inhis article "Lawyers Speak 'Legalese'for a Reason", Bo Binghamwrites, "'Legalese' is one way askilled lawyer can make a documentmore concise while alsoprotecting the client from futurebattles over word meanings.". [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the style of legal writing that should be followed so that long words can be avoided and the documented cases are more clear to the clients and people from the law fraternity. It mentions the use of too many unnecessary words, use of too many dates, using lesser nominalizations to increase the number of words used, and inserting redundancies as various instances of this kind.

The article reports on the use of smart checklists in the legal practice, particularly in real estate lawyers. It discusses the essential components of checklists including citations to commentary and integrated forms, a one-line description of required documents, and lack of blind spots. It also notes the need for checklists to include items required by laws, to summarize practical steps that lawyers can do to reduce lenders' exposures to liability, and to cover various types of deals.

The article presents a reprint of the article "A New Lawyer's First Deposition" which appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of "Litigation." The author discusses all the things he wants to ask from a new lawyer including reasons for filing the lawsuit, collection of required documents and communication with the client. It further presents various suggestions that can be useful for a new lawyer including proper interaction with the witness of case, analyzing facts of case and reviewing documents.

The article discusses the complexity of counseling clients contemplating on same-sex marriage in the U.S. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) provides each state with the ability to determine whether same-sex marriages is legal. Portability is the main concern in same-sex marriage since it is recognized only by limited states. In addition, the DOMA mandates the federal government that that the scheme that applies to heterosexual couples do not apply to married same-sex couples.

The article presents information on the access of online legal forms like employment agreement, bylaws, software license agreement, or indemnification agreement at no charge. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission maintains on its website www.sec.gov a database of the documents required to be filed by public companies, which can be access at no charge if one knows how to use it. It is stated that certain websites get many of their forms from the SEC website and resell them to the public.

The article discusses issues related to the concept of ghostwriting a legal document. The concept of ghostwriting a legal document has been a perplexing problem for lawyers, clients, courts and even bar associations. In May 2007 the American Bar Association issued Formal Opinion 07-446, entitled "Undisclosed Legal Assistance to Pro Se Litigants," which addressed the ethical issues surrounding legal ghostwriting.

The author discusses the use of automated document template by lawyers. Some advantages of document assembly are turning documents into templates with optional language and other variables. An overview of some pre-crafted legal document assembly system for sale is provided, including a canned document assembly system from LexisNexis, Basha Systems and West Publishing. The advantage and disadvantage of pre-built systems are also discussed.