Tag Archives: Lake County lawyer

Porter County and Lake County Teachers: Sign Up for Law Day 2016

Miranda_Graphic

SFT is proud to support the American Bar Association, the Indiana Bar Association, and the Lake and Porter County Bar Associations in in promoting Law Day 2016.  Law Day is a day recognized by U.S. Presidents dating back to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958.  (See proclamation here.)  Law Day was proclaimed for May 1st of each year, however, this year, May 1st happens to fall on a Sunday.

In the words of John F. Kennedy:

“[J]ust as freedom itself demands constant vigilance, it is essential that we nurture through education and example an appreciation of the values of our system of justice and that we foster through our improved understanding of the functions of law and of the independent courts an increased respect for law and for the rights of others as basic elements of our free society…”

-President John F. Kennedy, Proclamation 3445, Law Day, 1962

On each Law Day, lawyers from across the country are strongly encouraged to enter classrooms to teach children and young adults about the rule of law, and why it is central to our values and society. This year, the theme for Law Day is Miranda: More than Words.

This year, the curriculum developed in partnership between the American Bar Association and the Indiana Bar Association is designed to teach students about the landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision  which requires particular warnings to suspects prior to custodial interrogations by police.

A number of lawyers and judges have already committed to volunteering to teach in classrooms across Northwest Indiana on the Miranda theme for Law Day 2016.  Please visit www.inbar.org for more information.

Porter County Lawyer s Affected by Technology Changes in Indiana Courts

Porter County Lawyer TechnologyAfter being in the works for nearly ten (10) years, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will be requiring electronic filing in all appellate cases and in some county superior and circuit courts sometime within the next sixty (60) days.  (Read more hereAppellate pleadings, motions to be put online sometime in next 60 days).  This will affect all Porter County lawyer s, but not as much as the likely changes coming soon.

The courts have utilized online dockets since they came online sometime in 2012-2013.  This has allowed Porter County lawyer s, judges, and court administrators to check live data as the cases develop and progress.  Since October of 2015, the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court have taken the next step to accept online filings.  To this point, the Indiana higher courts have allowed online filings at the Porter County lawyer ‘s option.  Within sixty (60) days, electronic filing will be mandatory in all cases before the top two tiers of the Indiana judicial system and soon may be available to Porter County lawyer s.

Porter County Lawyer Technology

In addition, the Indiana Supreme Court is requiring all filings with the Hamilton County Circuit and Superior courts to be electronic. This is the first step of many in all trial courts (circuit and superior) to be online.  Very soon, we will likely see Porter County lawyer s doing all filing from their home or office PC’s, instead of incurring the extensive costs and time of mailing or hand filing.

Indiana is one of the first states in the country to employ such technology in the filing of pleadings and papers.  Doing so could have a very positive environmental impact, as well as assisting Porter County lawyer s and judges in organization and efficiency.  All courts in Indiana are required to be online by 2017.

Top 10 Annoying Things that Lawyers Do…and Why They Do Them

I have written a number of articles on what clients do that irritate lawyers, and the pitfalls associated with representing the general public.  To be fair, I decided to compose a list of things that clients tend to complain about their lawyers (some rightly so).  Many lawyers I know commit many of the below offenses in their personal as well as their professional lives. This list is obviously not exhaustive, and by no means applies to every lawyer.

Porter County Lawyer Lake County Lawyer

Top 10 Annoying Things that Lawyers Do (And Why They Do Them):

10. Brevity (or lack thereof).

A lawyer spends the better part of a decade learning and refining his craft.   He or she spends at least seven (7) years in formal undergraduate and legal education learning how to be an expert wordsmith. Unfortunately, often writing assignments reward those who produce more content, and this can sometimes become a habit, especially for younger lawyers.  In addition, the law is sometimes a complicated beast, and there are many factors to consider when writing or talking with clients.  Some lawyers are very good at relating very complex and complicated ideas to clients in a layman vernacular, while others have greater challenges doing so. This is a difficult skill that is sometimes hard to master, and it may take a lawyer a decade or more to acquire and refine this skill.

9. Bedside Manner.

Lawyers have the unfortunate reputation of being callous, uncaring, and unsympathetic.  Of course not all lawyers have this problem, but many, over time, lose the ability to understand (or remember) what it is like to walk in the client’s shoes. This is probably because the lawyer has dealt with the client’s particular legal situation many times, when likely it is the client’s first experience with the current situation, and maybe the legal system altogether.  Just like the struggle many doctors face with maintaining a good bedside manner, lawyers should too. After all, clients (and their problems) are the lifeblood of the lawyer’s practice–and therefore–his or her livelihood.

8. Worst Case Scenario.

When you walk out of a lawyer’s office, you might feel as though the sky is falling and the world is about to end.  Lawyers are known for being eternal pessimists, and may unnecessarily scare you in your first couple of meetings. There is a method to the lawyer’s madness, however.  The lawyer is concerned about two things: first, a lawyer’s worst nightmare is a client with wildly unrealistic expectations.  It is impossible for a lawyer to make a client happy if the client believes a miracle will happen. Second, the lawyer is attempting to manage client expectations because, often, reaching a compromise or settlement is in the client’s best interest.  If a client has unrealistic expectations, there is little to no chance of compromising or settling the client’s legal dilemma. When writing contracts, a lawyer must think of every possible thing that could potentially go wrong, and a contingency in case it does.

7. Overly Cautious.

Lawyers, as a whole, are an extremely cautious bunch. This is because in a lawyer’s world, gains and losses are often zero-sum; in other words, when one person gains, the other loses.  As well, the law is often unpredictable, and the lawyer cannot know with certainty what the outcome of your case might be, regardless of how straightforward and “easy” you think your case is going to be. To a lawyer there is no such thing as a “slam dunk”.  No case is easy, no case is quick, and no case is a sure thing.

6. Unavailable.

Lawyers, as a group, are generally tough to reach.  One of the greatest challenges practicing law is keeping up with client contact. Lawyers spend an overwhelming amount of time returning phone calls, letters, emails, and even text messages from clients. Even so, lawyers are rarely caught up in getting back to their clients. In order to earn a living, a lawyer has to take on a large number of clients, each of whom demand constant attention. Quite often the best and most competent attorney to handle your case is the busiest and most difficult to reach. If you are persistent (but not too persistent), he or she will get back with you whenever he or she gets an opportunity to do so.

5. Cutting Conversations Short.

Lawyers are highly trained at listening for certain words in a conversation, and as mentioned in #6, they are constantly struggling with a time crunch. Most lawyers have asked hundreds of thousands of questions of thousands of people in a variety of settings, and can often predict what a client is about to or intends to say.  Admittedly, this can be rude. Clients often want a sympathetic ear to hear and understand their problem, including a description of the emotional pain and suffering that this event has caused them. The lawyer, on the other hand, is primarily interested in the legally operative facts that are central to your claim or defense.  The lawyer has in his or her head predetermined questions that he or she needs answered before the lawyer can determine whether to take your case or what needs to be done.

4. Turnaround Time.

When you ask a lawyer to perform a given task, you might think that it is as simple as just going over here, or calling over there, or having a paralegal type something for him or her to sign. This is not usually the case. Most of a lawyer’s work product is tailor made for your legal issue, and takes time to produce.  Also (and many clients really don’t like hearing this) lawyers have other clients. It is only fair for the lawyer to tackle assignments on a first come, first served basis. Other times, the lawyer has to “triage” the various assignments by urgency.  For example, getting a client out of jail will usually take precedence over responding to a routine motion before the due date.

3. Tendency to Over-complicate Things.

This one is interrelated with #7. In being cautious, the lawyer’s objective is to be exhaustive; that is, to think of every possible scenario (even some that are unlikely) in order to be prepared and account for any possible detriment or setback. Something that may seem simple to a client (and may actually be) is not simple in the mind of the lawyer. In a lawyer’s mind, there is no simple answer to almost any question.  This is almost the equivalent to asking a mathematician what 2 + 2 equals.

2. Collegial Attitude.

This is one that I have found clients to hate the most.  Clients are often aggrieved and emotionally distraught at the acts of the opposing party, while the lawyer seems to talk to the “enemy” like they are best friends. Some of this might be appearance, and some might be reality. Most lawyers will strive mightily for your cause to the detriment of the other party, and then, when the ties come off, eat and drink as friends.  Lawyers, especially those in a small community, must work with one another time and time again on a number of cases. The lawyer cannot afford to destroy relationships over particular cases, and, believe it or not, this usually benefits the clients the lawyer represents, contrary to their belief.

1. No Promises.

Lawyers often seem spineless when it comes to committing to a result in a given case. So often clients come in for a first meeting and ask me, “So can you guarantee that ________ will happen?” No. I will never make such a guarantee.  This is because first, most jurisdictions have some ethical rule that prohibits the lawyer from making such promises.  Second, the legal system can be unpredictable and it would be foolish to make such a promise. Third, related to #8, the lawyer cannot afford for the client to develop unrealistic expectations that no lawyer could ever deliver. The lawyer’s goal is not only to get the best possible result for the client, but to counsel the client as to what that result likely will be.  Occasionally, that is not the news the client was hoping to hear.

Driving While Suspended Porter County

Driving_While_Suspended_Porter_County_Lake_CountyDriving While Suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana is Not a Good Place to Be

Driving while suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana is risky business.  You might have been told or sent a notice by the courts or the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles recently that your driver’s license has been suspended.  You might even already know that your driver’s license has been suspended.  You might drive cautiously, with nervous anticipation of a police officer pulling up behind you and running your license plate for fear he will discover that you are driving while suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana.

The worst thing that could happen as a result of driving while suspended Porter County is that you are arrested and charged with a criminal misdemeanor for driving while suspended Porter County. You will be handcuffed and taken into custody, and may spend several days in the Porter County Jail.  This is an unfortunate result, and could have been avoided.  If this has already happened to you while driving while suspended Porter County, our experienced traffic lawyers will defend you and put your life back on track in no time.  If this has not happened to you, our lawyers can help restore your driving privileges and get you back on the road, legally.

Avoid Traffic Ticket Points for Driving While Suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana

When you are pulled over by police and your license is suspended, police will either arrest you or write you a citation for driving while suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana.  Whether the officer arrests you or writes a citation with a summons to court for driving while suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana often depends on a number of factors, including, whether you are cooperative or polite, whether you are honest about your license being suspended, and whether you have had a previous citation or arrest for driving while suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana.  Regardless of whether you are arrested or simply issued a citation for driving while suspended Porter County, you may face eight (8) points added to your driving record, as well as an automatic ninety (90) day suspension.  In addition, this might make you a habitual traffic violator requiring a possible five (5) year suspension, and will cause your auto insurance premiums to significantly increase.

An experienced Porter County lawyer or Lake County lawyer can help you to avoid these consequences for driving while suspended Porter County or Lake County, Indiana.  First, a lawyer will likely be able to restore your driving privileges while the case is pending.  If this happens, there may be a chance that the charge of driving while suspended Porter County could even be dismissed altogether.   If not, the lawyer may be able to amend the charge to a non-moving or non-pointable offense that will not adversely affect your driving record.

SFT Lawyers Can Help with Your Driving While Suspended Porter County and Restore Your Driving Privileges!

SFT Lawyers have Lake County lawyers and Porter County lawyers experienced in restoring driving privileges, eliminating points on your driving record, and getting specialized driving privileges for those with suspended driver’s licenses.  CALL TODAY for a FREE CONSULTATION!  (219) 841-5683.