When a motorcyclist is involved in a crash, he or she is vulnerable and exposed to severe injuries or death. Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries can result along with multiple fractures, organ, and joint damage and even traumatic or surgical amputations. Here’s what you need to know if you’re involved in an Orange County motorcycle accident.

Drivers Don’t See You
The most comprehensive motorcycle accident study in history was conducted at the University of Southern California’s Traffic Safety Center. It found that the failure of motorists to see motorcycles in traffic was the cause of a majority of all motorcycle accidents. The most frequent crash scenario was the motorcycle going straight with a passenger car making a left turn in front of it. On average, the motorcyclists had less than two seconds to attempt to avoid the collision.

Bias Against Motorcyclists
Any rider needs to know that insurance companies have their own form of bias against motorcyclists. They want to convey the misperception that motorcyclists are irresponsible and reckless risk-takers who drive dangerously and too fast, especially now that California allows lane splitting. Some jurors come into courtrooms with that bias too.

Overcoming Bias
Fortunately, California law doesn’t allow bias by insurance companies and jurors against motorcyclists to enter a courtroom. An experienced and effective Orange County motorcycle accident attorney from Guldjian & Fasel Accident Attorneys can complete a thorough and objective crash investigation and overcome any issues of bias before they ever arise. Eyewitness and police statements and testimony as to exactly what happened on that roadway can also be pivotal. Even the words of the driver who caused the crash can be used against him or her. Other vehicles must share the road with motorcycles, and the mere fact that an accident victim was on a motorcycle means nothing in the context of negligence. Judges caution jurors on that rule too.

Don’t speak with the opposing insurer after you’ve been injured in a motorcycle crash. Its adjuster is only going to try and push liability over onto you. Instead of doing that, you can arrange for a free confidential consultation and case review with our motorcycle accident attorney here at Guldjian & Fasel Accident Attorneys by contacting us right away after your accident. As soon as we’re retained, we’ll start building a strong case for you. We won’t let bias get in the way. Our objective is to get you the maximum compensation that you deserve.

Guldjian & Fasel Accident Attorneys can also help victims injured in the following types of accidents:

• Orange County Car Accidents
• Orange County Truck Accidents
• Orange County Pedestrian Accidents
• Orange County Personal Injury Accidents
• Orange County Wrongful Death

Eco-friendly home construction is a lifestyle and not a temporary fad. Many new homeowners are concerned about the environment and want to provide the least amount of damage. There are now experienced companies that cater to their special needs and budgets. The demands for green homes will only increase due to the numerous benefits.

Green Homes

A green home consists of environmentally friendly materials that are natural, recycled or biodegradable. The home’s sustainable designs do not emit toxins or rely on the over-consumption of building materials. An example is a properly insulated house that improves heating and cooling. Another example is a house with solar roof panels that produce natural energy.

Owners of green homes can make the designs more environmentally friendly. They can install appliances that conserve water or electricity. They can build trees along the property to keep the interior cool during the summer. For a renovation, it’s more efficient to use recycled wood, glass or metal. In general, it’s important to avoid not buying too many appliances. Technology is designed to use a lot of energy that is easily wasted.

The Impact of Green Home Building

There are different types of green homes available. A passive house is designed with the strictest standards of energy efficiency. The walls, windows and ceilings are insulated thoroughly. This type of home consumes a minimal amount of energy, much lower than in regular homes. The size is compact to reduce unnecessary space, and the windows are oriented toward the sun for optimal heating.

Green home building companies provide a wide range of customizable options for their clients. They can choose to use recycled glass only or have energy monitoring devices installed. These builders allow you to buy local materials and avoid having them shipped long distances. The best company develops a plan that is both sustainable and affordable to fit your budget.

Green home building has tremendous benefits for the environment. Fewer nonrenewable resources are used to manufacture and ship construction materials. Millions of gallons of water are saved each year. There is less pollution in the air, ground and water close to where green homes are built.

Building a custom home is a popular trend, and building an eco-friendly one is a sensible one. Homeowners save money on energy bills and tax incentives. It’s important that they learn more about the basic techniques of green home construction and the companies that make them. Contact the right custom home building company in Portland, Oregon to get started on your project.

The latest government shutdown has been going for over a month and doesn’t show any signs of stopping soon. Many people have been negatively impacted, and millions more are worried about how the shutdown will impact the benefits they rely on.

Benefits are still being sent out, and it’s business as usual for social security offices despite the partial shutdown. The Social Security Administration is funded through September 2019, so even if the shutdown continues for months, you won’t have to worry about making ends meet on your own.

Is Social Security open during the shutdown?

Although the government shutdown has impacted major businesses and institutions across the nation, the Social Security Administration is still up-and-running. Government offices will maintain regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

If you want to apply for social security benefits, you might want to go online. The shutdown hasn’t closed offices, but they still tend to be crowded. Applying for benefits online is faster and easier.

How can I apply for social security benefits?

First, set up an account at the official Social Security Administration’s website: https://www.ssa.gov/. You can apply for retirement benefits at age 62, but your monthly payout will be bigger if you wait until the social security full retirement age of 66 years and 2 months for people born in 1955 and 67 for people born in or after 1960.

Once you apply online, you can learn more about the type of benefits you qualify for. It’s best to learn about social security benefits through official online resources. Here are a few to get you started:

Social Security Benefits Planner

Link: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/ageincrease.html

This calculator will help you understand what “full retirement age” means and estimate your potential benefits amount.

Benefits by Year of Birth

Applying for benefits early will impact the amount of money you receive each month. Depending on your birth year, applying at age 62 opposed to the full retirement age will result in a deduction from your monthly benefits.

When to Start Retirement Benefits

You choose when you want to apply for benefits, but the decision should be thoroughly considered. This guide will help you weigh the pros and cons of applying for social security benefits before the full retirement age.

Stay Informed to Be Prepared

America’s turbulent government has millions of citizens uneasy, but there’s no cause for alarm right now. The Social Security Administration will continue to send out benefits on time during the shutdown, so you won’t have to worry about losing money.

Stay on top of current news and frequently check the internet to find out about any changes to benefits payments as early as possible or visit a local social security office near you for more information.

Additional Resources:

• Social Security Offices in Los Angeles
• Social Security Offices in San Diego
• Social Security Offices in San Jose
• When to start retirement benefits
• Benefits by year of birth

When a person is seriously injured as a result of the carelessness and negligence of somebody else, that accident victim has the right to seek compensation for the damages that he or she suffered. Most people hire a personal injury lawyer to represent them for that purpose. What comes to issue is that many injury victims are not in a financial position to be able to pay an attorney to pursue compensation for them after they’ve incurred substantial medical bills and have been put out of work for weeks or months. That’s what contingency fee agreements are for. Here’s everything that you need to know about them in the State of Washington. 

What’s a Contingency Fee?
You’ve heard it all before on television during the day or late at night. “No fees unless we win!” That’s what contingency fees are. Those contingency fee personal injury lawyers don’t get paid a penny for their services unless they reach a settlement or obtain a verdict on your behalf. 

State of Washington RPC 1.5(9)
The Rules of Professional Conduct govern attorneys in the State of Washington. In the context of contingency fees, RPC 1.5(9) governs. First and foremost, any contingency fee agreement between attorney and client must be in writing and signed by the client. Handshakes aren’t allowed. Here is an overview of some other pertinent parts of the rule. 

How Attorneys Get Paid on Contingency Fee Agreements
If your personal injury attorney does obtain a settlement or verdict for you, he or she is paid a percentage of that gross settlement or verdict. That percentage must be clearly and unequivocally stated in your retainer agreement. 

Costs
In order to bring and maintain a claim or lawsuit on your behalf, certain costs are involved. Those might include but not be limited to costs of records, filing and service fees, along with court reporter fees, transcript charges and witness fees. Those are ordinarily advanced on your behalf by the law firm that represents you. Costs are distinguished from legal fees. How those costs are to be paid must also be clearly and unequivocally stated in a retainer agreement. They usually come off of the top after legal fees. The agreement must detail what expenses the client will be liable for, regardless of whether the client is the prevailing party. What that means is that a case might be lost, but the client might still owe his or her attorneys the costs of pursuing the case. 

Prohibitions
Attorneys are not allowed to take a case on a contingency fee that involves securing the dissolution or annulment of a marriage or the amount of any maintenance, support or property settlement in connection with the marriage. Contingency fee arrangements are also prohibited in criminal cases. 

Before leaving an attorney’s office, make sure that you get a copy of any contingency fee agreement that you enter into. You’ll likely want to refer to it sometime in the future. Jump to top

Let’s face it. We all make mistakes, and it’s how we handle the aftermath that determines whether or not we learn from these situations. If you or someone you love has been involved in a DUI arrest in Richmond, VA, there’s no doubt that the days, weeks, and even months following can be stressful. Following the arrest, there are some things you need to know in order to get back on your feet.

Legal Assistance

In many cases, it is possible to get charges reduced or even dismissed, but it requires someone with a keen understanding of DUI law in VA. Unless you have an extensive legal background, it’s unlikely you’re familiar with the rules and regulations regarding DUI arrests, but an experienced attorney can help you understand all of your options as well as ensure you remain in compliance throughout the course of the proceedings.

Report to Court

It’s inevitable that you’ll need to appear in court following your DUI arrest, and it’s imperative that you show up. Failure to appear can result in further jail time and exacerbate the severity of the trouble you’re already in. Make sure to clearly notate all court dates and keep them.

DUI Punishments

The court will determine a rightful punishment, and it’s up to you to ensure you follow through with your end in order to get your life back on track. It’s important to understand the potential punishments, and just a few of them include:

• Installation of an interlock device on your vehicle
• Suspension of driving privileges
• Acquisition of SR22 insurance coverage
• Fines
• Jail time
• Probation
• Community service
• Attendance in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program

There Is Life After a DUI in Richmond, VA

Getting a DUI in Richmond, VA is a serious situation, and law enforcement is cracking down on these occurrences. However, we all make mistakes, and the manner in which you handle the days following the occurrence have a significant impact on the final outcome. If you or someone you love are facing these types of charges, the professional staff here at the Law Office of David A.C. Long is here to help. We can provide the legal assistance you need, so call us today to see how we can help.

Summer is here and so are the climbing temperatures!  Having a fully functioning air conditioner is critical during the summer months, so having a local air conditioning repair company inspect your system now before the really high temperatures come is a great idea.

Many new homes have heating and cooling systems (HVAC systems) combined, with heat pumps being the most commonly installed units.  Older homes typically have a heating system and if they do have a cooling system, it is typically a separate air conditioning system.  Having an HVAC repair company that is trained and certified to service your type of heating or cooling system is important to ensure any repairs are done properly and according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Heating and cooling systems are complex and typically require trained service technicians for installation and repairs.  When you are ready to have your HVAC system checked you can do an Internet search for a local company, but again, make sure they are trained and certified to work on your specific type of system.

So, be sure to beat the Summer heat, have your existing HVAC checked out to make sure it is functioning properly to keep you and your family cool during the Summer months!

 

Ah, Spring is here and so is the start of the major home building season!  If you have been thinking of building your dream custom home, now is the time to begin.  Most real estate markets around the country have improved drastically from the lows of a few years ago.  If you haven’t already purchased the land where you want to build your dream home, now is a good time to begin looking.

If you already have a home that you need to sell before building your dream home, now is the time to get it listed for sale as Spring and Summer are the peak real estate seasons.  If you are selling your home, be sure to fix any issues that may need fixing and spruce up the exterior and interior as much as possible.  Remember, any prospective home buyer has to be able to immediately see themselves living in your home.  If the yard is unkept or the interior is in a shambles, then the buyer is going to be turned off and move on to the next home.

Once you sell your home and find the property where you want to build your new home, you will need to find a lender that provides home construction loans.  Not all lenders provide home construction loans, so you may need to shop around for the best programs that meet your needs.  The good news is that lending rates are still very low, so you should be able to get a great rate on your new home.

Finding the right home plans is the obvious next step in making your dream home a reality.  There are many sites online that provide custom home plans, and you can always work with a local architect to have your dream home designed from scratch.  The important thing is that you get your home plans created the way you want your home to now and in the future if you plan on being in your new home for many years.

Contacting a custom home builder is one of the most critical decisions because you want to make sure you work with an experienced home builder that you feel comfortable working with.  Building a home can cause a lot of stress because of all the decisions that have to be made and a good contractor will be able to minimize stress because they understand the process and will be able to smooth out a lot of issues based upon experience.

 

Many people have the dream of starting their own business, but may not know exactly how to go about it.  All the experts will tell you that you should start a business doing something you are passionate about.  Many successful businesses have been started from a hobby or idea that the founder is passionate about.

Starting a new business can be scary because there are a lot of risks involved.  To reduce the risk of starting a new business, you should consider starting the business while you still have full-time employment if possible.  Being able to maintain a consistent income can reduce the risk of not know if your business will generate enough revenue to support you and your family.

One of the first things to consider when starting a new business is what type of business entity to choose.  Do you need to set up a Limited Liability Company (LLC), a corporation, or run the business as a sole proprietor?  Selecting the proper business entity is very important and you should take the time and talk with an experienced business formation attorney to ensure you understand all of your options and select the best one for your specific needs.

There are a lot of things you will need to manage when starting your new business and depending on your type of business, entity and other factors, the complexity could become overwhelming.  Utilizing the services of a small business lawyer will help ensure you and your business are protected from legal issues down the road.

Here are some services that business lawyers can help with:

• Registration of Fictitious Name with Required Published Notices
• Application for Business License
• Draft and File Statement of Information
• Assist in Applying for Federal Employer ID
• Register with State Employment Development Department (EDD)
• Dispute Resolution Services
• On-demand Corporate or General Counsel Services
• Draft Demand Letter and Follow-up
• Respond to Demand Letter and Follow-up
• Draft Contracts
• Annual Review of Legal Needs (A popular service for first-time clients)
• Review Current Employee Policies and make recommendations
• Draft Employee Policies and Procedures
• Draft employee or independent contractor agreement
• Review contracts and make recommendations
• Draft Employee Stock Option/Benefit Plan
• Employment termination and release agreement
• Draft Use or Licensing contract
• Negotiation of contract
• Draft Non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements
• Draft Purchase Agreement
• Draft Partnership agreement
• Draft Operating agreement
• Draft Website Privacy Policy
• Draft Website User Agreement/Term of Service
• Election to be treated as an S Corporation or Partnership

Contact San Diego Business Lawyers Gehres Law Group for more information about their affordable business services.

Unfortunately, accidents happen unexpectantly every day.  In a lot of cases, you can be involved in an accident at no fault of your own.  Because serious accidents can have life changing effects on your life, personal injury laws have been created to help protect victims that have been injured because of the negligence of another party.  If you’ve been injured in an accident, below are a few things to consider.

• If the accident was caused by someone else you need to attempt to document the scene of the accident if possible.  If you are able, try to take photos of the accident scene, get the names and contact information of any witnesses that may have seen what happened.  If you are injured, have someone else attempt to document the scene of the accident and get witnesses contact information.
• If people are injured, be sure to contact 911, so that emergency teams can be notified to respond to the scene of the accident.
• There can be many factors that cause an accident, so its important to not tell anyone that you caused the accident.  Responding police officers will document the accident and if you claim responsibility for the accident it could be used against you by insurance companies and personal injury lawyers.
• If medical personnel do not respond to the accident, you should still consult with a physician to ensure you have not sustained any injuries.  Even if you “feel fine”, you should visit a doctor because some injuries may not be apparent right away.
• If the accident was serious and caused injuries you should definitely contact a local personal injury lawyer that has experience representing clients with your type of injuries and accident.

If your accident involved injuries, one of the first calls you should make is to a local personal injury attorney.  There are many online resources that you can use to find more information about personal injury laws and to find an experienced local injury accident lawyer.  For your convenience, we’ve included some online resources that may be beneficial if you’ve been injured in an accident.

Accident / Personal Injury Resources

• Findlaw Personal Injury Information & Resources
• Personal Injury Lawyer Directory
• Avvo Personal Injury Resources
• Personal Injury Lawyers in Orange County, CA
• RomingerLegal.com/c/personal-injury-lawyers
• Rominger Legal Lawyer Directory
• Justia Personal Injury Overview
• Personal Injury Lawyers in San Jose, CA
• Nolo Personal Injury Laws & Information
• Personal Injury Attorneys in San Diego, CA
• Personal Injury Attorneys in Riverside, CA
• Car Accident Lawyers in Riverside, CA