Lawyers

Commercial

Hahahaha

• Q: What is the difference between a lawyer and a bucket of pond scum?

• A: The Bucket!

Hahahaha

• Q: Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?

• A: Take your foot off his head

Hahahaha

• Q: If you are stranded on a desert island with a lawyer, Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden and you have a gun with only two bullets, what do you do?

• A: Shoot the lawyer twice!

Do you need a lawyer?

• You hit another car in a parking lot. Your insurance agent indicates that the company will pay for bodily injury and property damage

Do you need a lawyer?

• You borrow a friend’s car without his knowledge, and he reports it to the police as stolen

Do you need a lawyer?

• You buy a new stereo for $300. One month later, the receiver and speakers blow out. You return to the store and the salespersons tell you they are sorry, but their stereos have only a two-week guarantee.

Do you need a lawyer?

• You decide to trade in your old car and buy a new one

Do you need a lawyer?

• Two friends are caught robbing a local store and they name you as the one who helped plan the robbery

Do you need a lawyer?

• The principal suspends you from school for two days because of an article you wrote for the student paper criticizing the school dress code

Do you need a lawyer?

• You are turned down when you apply for a job. You think you were rejected because you are deaf.

Do you need a lawyer?

• You do not want your family to inherit the $10,000 you have saved. Told you will die within a year, you want the money to be used for cancer research.

Do you need a lawyer?

• You and your spouse find you can no longer get along. You want a divorce

Do you need a lawyer?

• You earn $5,000 working in a restaurant during the year. You want to file your federal income tax return.

So, what are they good for?

• Attorney: One who is legally appointed to transact business on another’s behalf

• Common legal issues:– Buying or Selling a home or other real estate– Organizing a Business– Changing your family status– Making a will/Planning an estate– Signing a Contract– Handling Accidents– Defending a Criminal Charge– Bringing a Lawsuit

Credentials

• Lawyers must pass a test in order to become a member of the State Bar Association– Known as the “Bar

Exam”– Violation of the

standards of conduct will result in disbarment.

$Fees$

• Many lawyers will allow for a free consultation

• A retainer is a down payment on the total fee.– Most charge by the hour, include court costs and

filing fees• Contingency Fee: A percentage of what the client

wins in the case• Most common for person injury• Normally about 1/3 of amount awarded to client

Attorney-Client Privilege

• Any information told to your attorney is confidential– Even after death

• Wral Article

I’ve been wronged!

• Clients with problems will report to the State Bar Association.

• Legal Malpractice: Lawyers are sued by clients for serious errors

• Disputes are handled by official panels which issue opinions

Most lawyers do not go to court!

• They meet with clients at their office, write paperwork etc.– Litigators: lawyers that

do go to court

“Pro Bono”=Free

• Public Defenders: Defend those charged with crimes that cannot afford a lawyer

• Legal Aid: Provide other legal services for those without a lot of money– Most work for private

practice!!!