| Pro Bono Legal Services |
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| Many people cannot afford to hire an attorney to help them with their legal problems. State and federal programs, such as Legal Aid and Legal Services, provide pro bono or free legal services. Bar associations, law schools, and non-profit groups also provide free or low-cost legal assistance to those who could not otherwise afford an attorney because they have limited financial means. More... |
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| Factors to Consider Before Filing a Civil Lawsuit |
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| An attorney has a role as an advisor and a counselor to his or her client. The attorney has a responsibility to explain the adversary process to the client. The American legal system is an adversarial one, meaning that the attorneys for disputing parties present their cases, and a judge or jury acts as the neutral decision-maker. The parties' attorneys are advocates for their clients' positions. The advocates use the facts of the case and the law to present their party's claims in the most favorable light. This article discusses the attorney's role in litigation planning. A reputable attorney will honestly review the facts of a client's case and help the client weigh each of the following considerations before deciding to file a lawsuit. More... |
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| Settlement Conferences in State Appellate Courts |
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| The increased volume of appeals in cases has led to significant delays in finalizing an appeal. This has prompted state appellate courts to re-evaluate their case management procedures and adopt methods that promote speedier resolution of appellate cases. This article focuses on the use of settlement conferences prior to oral argument to reduce the backlog of cases and accelerate the appeal process. The stated goals of settlement conference programs are to encourage the settlement of appeals, simplify the issues, expedite appeals, and reduce costs. More... |
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| Declaratory Judgments |
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| Laws have been adopted that give both the state courts and the federal courts the power to declare or define the legal rights, duties, obligations, or status of the parties involved in a dispute. In a declaratory judgment suit, the court does not award any damages and does not order either party to do anything.
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| Statutes of Limitations and Statutes of Repose |
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| Statutes of limitations are laws that limit the time a person has to file a lawsuit after an event occurs that gives that person a legal claim. The underlying reasons for statutes of limitations are: to ensure fairness to the the person being sued; to encourage the prompt prosecution of claims; to suppress stale and fraudulent claims; and to avoid the inconvenience caused by delay especially the difficulties of proof in older cases. Once the statute of limitations runs or expires, a person being sued can raise the defense of the statute of limitations. More... |
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