Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is facing charges of animal cruelty and sponsoring dogfighting operations across state lines, but his legal problems are the least of the concerns facing the Atlanta Falcons franchise. Though ultimately Vick is facing jail time if convicted, what happens between now and then could very well affect the organization for years to come. [ Read The Rest ]

It is fairly often now that we hear of companies that lose our personal financial data whether it is stored on a laptop that went missing, or part of a security breach of a database. Though most data thefts involve hundreds of thousand of individual records, the reported cases of identity theft that result from the stolen data from companies like TJX (the company has not reported number of records at risk,) ChoicePoint (145,000 records,) and McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin (197,000 records) is proportionally miniscule.
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The State of Virginia wants to withdraw from the No Child Left Behind Act and is willing to sue the U.S. Department of Education if the state loses funding as a result.

State legislators passed a bill on Monday that indicates the state would pursue legal action to protect its funding even though over $300 million is directly tied to implementing provisions in the Act.
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A federal court in Australia ruled on Monday that eBay can broker ticket sales for concerts and other events at greater than face value. The ruling is another blow for events promoters world-wide who are crusading against ticket scalping, even as legislation and court decisions are increasingly backing off strict penalties for scalpers. [ Read The Rest ]

The quick and dirty definition of bankruptcy is when a person who is unable to pay their debt goes to court seeking relief. If you are the petitioner, the court must determine if your debts are truly beyond your ability to pay. Then, depending on your case, either the court discharges the bulk of your debt or sets up a payment schedule that is in your best interests but does not entirely absolve you of the responsibility of paying your creditors.
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It is important to have an understanding of the legal system in our country, how it works and how it does not work because legal issues permeate everything we do. The problem for most of us is that we get our legal education on the fly. When a problem arises, we need an immediate solution.

You cannot always know what legal situation might arise in the future, but it is useful to have a general overview of the areas of law that you are most likely to encounter in your everyday life. Arming yourself with some general knowledge will give you a better foundation for dealing with circumstances when they occur. Depending on your situation, you might need to consult a lawyer for specific legal advice.
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The internet is an enticing avenue for seeking legal counsel because it offers instant and seemingly comprehensive results. Regardless of your specific legal concern, please keep in mind how the internet will hinder you and how it can help you.

The internet might also make it tempting to do the legal research entirely yourself; lawyers are perceived as an exclusive group, and they can be expensive. Do not forget though, that the purpose of law school is to train experts in their respective legal specialties. Law is complex, and lawyers have resources that most of us do not have access to, and would not pay for in any case. And the cost to retain a lawyer is variable. In general, whether you pay for a law practitioner, hire a law firm, or are awarded a public defender, the depth of their knowledge justifies the cost.

For the most part, searching for a lawyer on the internet is as random as thumbing through the phone pages. The listings in either case can seem endless, and your eye is drawn to the biggest and flashiest ad. That is not an informed way to find legal counsel.

The internet compounds the issue because of how ads are paid for. For example, pretend your twenty-year old son in college has gotten himself into trouble and needs legal counsel. He lives in Chicago and you live in Boston. It would make sense to google search for something like Chicago Criminal Defense Lawyer.
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