I work in a small general practice law firm. Despite that description, I am not familiar with every area of law. There are dozens of areas of law, some broad in scope and others very specific. Some law firms opt to practice in limited areas of law while others, like the one I work in, practice in several areas of law. There are benefits and drawbacks to each law firm model; however, I prefer working … Read more
Apr 24, 2018
LEGAL ASSISTANT’S CORNER: We Don’t Know It All
Apr 17, 2018
Drum Roll, Please!
Today, April 17, is National Haiku Day – let us all break out our pencils and pay homage to the Japanese art form! Without further ado, here is mine (with tongue solidly in cheek):
Snakes, spiders, rats, wolves
Slither, creepy, dirty, sly
The den of lawyers
Don’t worry, I plan on sticking to my day job.
© 4/17/2018 Heather M. Carr of Hunt & Associates, P.C. All rights reserved.… Read more
LATIN LESSONS: Pro Se and Pro Per
You may have heard the Latin terms “pro se” and/or “pro per” tossed about when discussing who someone is legally represented by.
Pro se is a term utilized in the court system to refer to someone who has opted to represent himself. Translated from Latin it means on one’s own behalf. Pro per is used in the courtroom interchangeably with pro se and is an abbreviation for the Latin term “in propria persona” which means … Read more
Apr 13, 2018
Prohibition, Booze Cruises and “Preppers”
DID YOU KNOW?
During Prohibition, it was still absolutely legal to consume alcohol; it was only illegal to manufacture, sell or transport “intoxicating liquors” according to the 18th Amendment which was passed in January 1919. The amendment didn’t go into effect until January 1920 so early American “preppers” could stockpile their liquor(s) of choice. The entire debacle came to a close with the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933 but not before some … Read more
Apr 5, 2018
LATIN LESSONS: Subpoena and Subpoena Duces Tecum
The legal world still hangs on tight to their archaic Latin terms and some terms have even become part of our modern lexicon such as “subpoena” and “subpoena duces tecum”.
A subpoena is a writ ordering someone to attend a court proceeding. The word subpoena originated in Latin as “sub poena” which means under penalty – words still utilized in subpoenas issued today.
A subpoena duces tecum is a writ ordering someone to attend a … Read more
Apr 4, 2018
Using the Duty to Report Child Abuse as a Marketing Tool
In a creative if misguided use of the law requiring many occupations to report to the state’s child protective services whenever they have reasonable cause to believe child abuse has occurred, a Pennsylvania dental clinic is notifying parents of children it has treated that it will need to report them for child neglect if they do not bring their children back to the clinic for treatment. In its letter to parents the clinic reminds them … Read more
Apr 3, 2018
A Court Holds Seattle’s First in Time Ordinance for Tenants to Be Unconstitutional
In 2016 Seattle adopted an ordinance known as the “First-in-Time” (“FIT”) law requiring landlords to accept the first prospective tenant who applied and met certain pre-established standards. The announced purpose was to eradicate implicit or unconscious bias in the selection of tenants by depriving landlords of any discretion in their choice among qualified applicants. The ordinance required each landlord to post written notice of all criteria used in qualifying applicants as tenants both in hard … Read more
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