Joseph Agiato's Blog
Fresno, California (PRWEB) March 25, 2008 -- Fresno family law attorney (http://www.childsandchilds.com) Erin Rhames-Childs (http://www.childsandchilds.com/Bio/ErinRhamesChilds.asp) knows that most divorces are expensive. Divorcing spouses can end up paying between $5,000 and $30,000 or more in legal fees and court costs. People who may not intend to spend several years in court often find themselves caught up in a long fight because zealous attorneys and the nature of litigation push them into it.
"Fortunately," says Rhames-Childs, "most people can avoid the conflict and complete a divorce within a much more reasonable length of time and at much lower expense."
Collaborative law (http://www.childsandchilds.com/PracticeAreas/Collaborative-Law.asp) can help divorcing people prevent a long and expensive lawsuit. It can cost much, much less, and take only a few months, instead of several years. Most importantly, it is designed to prevent the contentious and emotionally draining litigation practices by preventing animosity and encouraging cooperation.
In the collaborative process, the parties begin by recognizing that long, costly, and terrible divorces can happen without their really intending them, simply because of the adversarial nature of the process. "I have seen this happen in many cases," says Rhames-Childs. "People get caught up in the battle and then they can't let go."
The next step in the process of collaborative divorce is for the spouses to select collaborative lawyers, who are specially trained in the collaborative process. "Very few lawyers are trained in collaborative divorce, and because the approach is so radically different, an untrained lawyer will usually be less effective and more expensive," says Rhames-Childs.
In response to that prospect, both of the divorcing people, along with their collaborative lawyers, agree in writing to be open and respectful, not to take their dispute into court, and not to take unreasonable positions just to see if they can succeed in squeezing more out of the other side. They will openly negotiate the terms of their divorce, making mutual agreements about property division, child and spousal support payments, and child custody and visitation.
They will negotiate the agreements together, in a series of meetings with both spouses and their respective collaborative attorneys.
Some collaborative divorces can be completed with just one or two such meetings, others take a few more. "It depends on different things," says Rhames-Childs. "Sometimes a case is just more complicated because people have more stuff to divide." Almost all collaborative divorces are completed within a few months, though, without going to court, without racking up shocking attorney fees, and without using litigation to destroy either spouse's financial and emotional stability.
"People facing a divorce need to know they have another option," says Rhames-Childs.
Erin Rhames-Childs is a Fresno collaborative divorce attorney (http://www.childsandchilds.com/CM/Custom/Firm-Overview.asp) who also provides services for child custody, child support, spousal support, adoptions, guardianships, grandparent rights, domestic partnerships, and domestic violence restraining orders. Childs & Childs is proud to work throughout the Central Valley including cities like Fresno, Madera, Clovis, Kingsburg, Reedley, Selma, Tulare, Hanford, Visalia, Merced, Modesto and Coalinga.
Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 20, 2008 -- School shootings throughout the United States have increasingly shaped the educational history and structure of many schools across the nation over the past several years - prompting new mandates to the Texas Education Code and others throughout the United States.
The need for change has kept leading law enforcement and security advisors of Texas, OSS, busy assisting area schools and campus police.
Texas Education Code Section 37.108 (Senate Bill11) mandates that all schools in Texas complete a detailed security and safety assessment by August 2008. While Texas is one of the first to require such a comprehensive analysis, other states throughout the United States have now enacted similar programs.
School administrators and law enforcement organizations alike attest to the fact that the horrific rash of, not only recent school, but also mall and church shootings have forced citizens to become proactive in protecting themselves and their families. It has also helped families become better prepared for the unexpected. There has been a definite mind shift from "if it happens," to "when it happens."
Active shooter situations such as that which occurred on the Virginia Tech campus and more recently the Nebraska mall and Colorado church have prompted many schools, such as those within the Fort Bend Independent School District (Fort Bend ISD) to develop a detailed plan of action. Fort Bend ISD has partnered with OSS in an extensive four-month assessment to review strategic improvement opportunities, as well as active shooter situations.
"Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of active shooter situations in schools and public buildings, requiring law enforcement and school personnel to reevaluate procedures in order to have a more effective response - and ensure security and safety on campuses," said OSS Law Enforcement Advisor
David Lee Salmon II.
"Preparation, prevention and practice are the keys to saving lives when just seconds count," added Salmon.
Salmon also stated that the code calls for each school district to adopt and implement a multihazard emergency operations plan - addressing mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. It calls for a security audit at least once every three years and campus emergency management plan practice once a year. And it requires the reporting of results to the district's board of trustees.
OSS Law Enforcement Advisors is a law enforcement consultant and risk management company with 110 years of combined experience in law enforcement, jail, security, and criminal justice fields - certified by local, state, and national organizations.
For more information, log onto www.ossrisk.com. Or, call 1-800-262-1597 today for a security consult.
Increasing your knowledge base about legal counsel can truly be an asset to you if you run into a life situation that dictates you need the support of a lawyer. Of course, we all know a little something about the law and that one usually needs a lawyer for such things as: divorce, custody, real estate, drafting wills and trusts, child adoption, business negotiations and estate planning.
But there is another area of law that comes into to play from time to time known as ?class action law.? Many of us have had exposure to this area of law by reading about it in a newspaper, hearing something on the radio or seeing it on TV. For most people, the class action suit will only be an interesting news item. But, what if someday the person everyone is hearing about is you or your family member.
Class action law is a specialty unto itself. This type of legal proceeding was developed to devise an efficient and effective legal strategy for handling a common breech of contract or injury that affected a large group of individuals. The key element in class action law is the ?large number of individuals? who are being or have been detrimentally affected by the actions of another, quite often a corporation.
One might find occasion for the use of class action law is for such things as; product liability, misrepresentation, consumer and competition law, stock fraud, or mass termination of employees.
Should you find yourself in any situation where a decision has been made that has detrimental ramifications on a group, then consulting a lawyer would be a wise choice and a good investment. Seeking professional advice to determine whether a personal lawyer or a class action lawyer is of more benefit to your case is essential. The right type of legal counsel can save you time, stress and money.
Often the voice of many can break the silence and correct the negative impact of a detrimental decision imposed upon the lives of a group of individuals.
For more information on this article or London Life Insurance, visit ClassActionLaw.ca.