How to Select a Criminal Defense Lawyer

When you or someone you love is charged with a crime, finding a defense lawyer is your first priority. This is also one of the most difficult tasks of the ordeal because selecting the right lawyer could mean the difference between conviction and walking away free. However, one has to take into account several factors like price, experience and ability of the lawyer. So, what can you do to select the right criminal lawyer in Boston? Here are a few tips.

There are many Boston criminal defense lawyers who handle routine criminal cases. Then, there are defense lawyers who concentrate on certain kinds of crimes like a felony or a misdemeanor. As far as possible, select a criminal lawyer who concentrates on the area of defense that you require. If that is not possible, hire a lawyer who can put in sufficient effort in your defense.

Your rapport with your lawyer is an important element because the entire equation between you, the lawyer and the dynamics of the case hinges on this. Before you search for a lawyer, find out what qualities are important for you. Do you want young, hard working and enthusiastic or wise, old and wizened - or someone in between? Also find out if your case requires certain special skills.

You need to ascertain the qualifications of your lawyer. He or she must belong to the State and County Bar Associations. Additional memberships are indicative of the lawyer's continued interest in their area of specialization.

Some of the methods you can use to search for a good lawyer in Boston are:

1. An online search directory can help you search for a defense attorney by location. Several free search engines allow you to search by area and even by area of expertise. Some services even fix an introductory appointment with lawyers of your choice so you can assess the lawyer firsthand.
2. Ask friends, relatives or colleagues for references. Choose a lawyer who knows what they are doing and one of the best ways to know about the proficiency of a lawyer is to find out from people who have worked with them in the past.
3. Once you get a list of attorney's check out their credentials. You can do this through an online search.
4. Check out if the lawyer you choose belongs to reputed associations. For instance, cases involving drunken driving could benefit from lawyers who belong to the National College of DUI Defense.

In this way, you would be able to identify an expert criminal lawyer from Boston with the required credentials, results, experience and qualifications.

Auto Accident Attorney - When Car Wreck Lawyers Are on the Case

Are you looking for an auto accident attorney? In this article we are going to talk about when car wreck lawyers are on the case. There are so many car wrecks that happen each and every day. The sad thing that many people do not understand that they can get help from an auto accident attorney without paying any upfront fees. Let us go ahead and talk about when car wreck lawyers are on the case.

You Have Gotten Rear Ended

Let us say that you have been rear ended. Since you have been reared you will of course not be found at fault in the accident but what about your injuries? Will the insurance company be ready to pay your bills and give you all of the money that you deserve? Maybe, but I doubt it. Even if your injury is not extremely horrible you should still consult an attorney that specializes in this area of law.

You Have Gotten T-Boned

If you have gotten T boned by another driver then there is a big chance that you could have gotten some serious injuries. You may have gotten whiplash, broken bones, broken nose and some other injuries that may be life long and non reversible. This is an especially important time to contact someone that knows what they are doing.

My Injuries Are Not That Serious

OK, let's say that you have gotten into an accident but you do not think that your injuries are that bad. Maybe they are not that bad or maybe you just do not see the results of the injury yet. You should always go to the doctor and be checked over no matter if you think you are badly injured or if you think you are just fine. You could actually miss out on your auto accident settlement if you do not go to the doctor and then later decide to see what the problem is.

Getting a Divorce Without a Lawyer

If the right precautions are not taken, the process behind obtaining a divorce can easily end up costing an arm and a leg. Handling a divorce is stressful enough without the hassle of financial burdens that goes along with attorney and court fees. But what if you could cut out the middleman? Truth be told, there are ways of obtaining a divorce without the aid of a lawyer, saving you a bit of time and money in the long run. In this article, we will outline the steps necessary to filing on your own.

Step 1 - To begin, you will need to familiarize yourself with the paperwork that will be required to get the process on the road. Get in touch with your local courthouse and ask for copies of recent divorce papers. These documents are public record, and are free to the public. If you feel uncomfortable, you can always ask a friend or family member who has gone through the process to view their papers instead.

Step 2 - Take these papers home and get in contact with your spouse. Discuss what each person wants out of the divorce, such as custody and property matters. Try to reason that the process will be must less costly and painful without the aid of a lawyer, provided you are both able to agree to terms.

Step 3 - Next, read through the copied documents from your lawyer and edit them to reflect your individual situation. Edit all personal information, agreements, etc.. Once you are finished, you are ready to begin on your own paperwork.

Step 4 - Type up your documents using a computer program such as Word or any other text editor. Base your paper off the edited copies that you have doctored earlier, using the same format and verbage.

Step 5 - Be sure to proof read your copies! Fix any errors as you find them and take them to your spouse to review. Once you have the OK, head on down to your county clerk's office and have them notarized.

Step 6 - Your spouse must be served regardless of whether you two agree or not. Your spouse will have to have the papers notarized as well, signing their name under the notary's signature. If you and your spouse are on good terms, you can knock this out very easily by having both of you head down to the notary the first time around. This will allow you to have all papers notarized at the same time.

Step 7 - Once the necessary documents have been signed and notarized, the paperwork should be taken over to the county clerk. The clerk will inform you of the docket date and inform you of the specifics regarding the filing fee. Most fees tend to range between $50 and $100.

Step 8 - On your day in court, the judge will review all the paperwork to ensure all matters are accounted for. Both parties will be asked to agree to the specifications outlined within the documents. Once both parties have provided an affirmative answer, a divorce will be granted.

Unknown Facts About Leadership Revealed

Imagine a bed of oysters, carpeting the bottom of the clear blue ocean, waiting for some adventurous diver to scythe through the dappled waters and bring to the surface the secret pearls trapped inside.

OK it's a bit fanciful, I admit, but in this article I'll be highlighting a pearl of wisdom from the ivory towers of the academic world.

Now before you get too hung up on the concept of pearls of wisdom from ivory towers, ask the question: is academic research of any value at all?

My answer is, of course, yes. But as a business school professor teaching at business schools around the world, I would say that wouldn't I?

Now the academic papers that are the most valuable are those that challenge our thinking. The ones that are sufficiently unexpected to make us think 'THAT'S interesting!'

For now, I want to concentrate on something that's interested me for a long time: the search for the charismatic CEO, and whether or not charismatic CEOs have any effect on business performance. Some researchers think they do - but some say they don't.

So I looked back at my February 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Management, known as AMJ, with interest. 'Does CEO charisma matter?' it asked in large friendly letters on the cover.

Summarizing brutally, it appears that in times of uncertainty or crisis, charismatic CEOs appear to give some stability and a sense of direction to companies... But not always.

And this I think is what makes academic research so interesting. It challenges the commonsense view of the world. We assume that larger-than-life characters who run our businesses make a real difference. But actually when we come to look for that evidence it isn't there.

I'll say it again: There's no link between the charisma of a CEO and business performance. This becomes important to us as practicing managers if we choose to promote or select senior executives for roles just because they are charismatic. There's no guarantee that the charismatic leader will deliver great performance.

You might be thinking: so what? Well, first of all, this is highly reassuring to those of us whose egos are not John Wayne-sized. And secondly, those of us who are involved in recruiting managers and leaders must not be seduced by charismatic individuals. We must assess every candidate for every role based on past performance and their plans for the future. Charisma does not guarantee performance. Caveat emptor. Buyer beware.

So next time you hear an angry report in a tabloid newspaper blasting away at the vast sums of money spent on academic research, think again before you say 'That's obvious', or 'That's ridiculous'. Behind the headlines there might just be a pearl in a shell.

Florida Car Accident Lawyers - Common Causes of Car Accidents

Among all the personal injury cases, road accidents that involve motorcycles or cars are the most frightening. It can affect the passengers, drivers and the passers by as well.

People involved in car accident can suffer different types of injuries - minor to serious. Severe car accidents may result in fatalities even.

With the increased amount of road traffic, chances of automobile accident are also higher nowadays. Life after car accident is sometimes more painful than the incident itself. Job loss, unemployment, reduced income, disability, injuries and top of all the feeling of being sufferer due to some one else's negligence make life miserable.

You will be shocked to know that in America one person die in car accident in every 13 minutes! Then just think how scary the figure will be if you calculate road accident casualty of a year!

Not all the victims are aware of their legal rights and they fail to claim what they deserve. Even if we subtract the number of people who cannot make it to court, hundreds of thousands car accident compensation claim cases are filed in the court of the states every year. Hundreds of automobile accidents take place in Florida and consult Florida car accident attorney to get their claim filed.

Car accident lawyers help victims and their families get compensated for all their damages and injuries. But compensation is the solution once the accident has happened already; the question is how the instances of car accidents can be reduced if not stopped completely?

Let's review the most common reasons of car crashes. Once we know the reason, we can take proper measures to avoid it.

Driver's inefficiency:

Drivers often forget their responsibilities and get tempted to break road rules and traffic laws desperately. Crossing speed limits, tailgating, disobeying traffic signals are the common causes of car accident. Such acts during rainy or stormy nights can lead to disasters.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or any other toxins:

Drunk driving could be dangerous. People lose control over themselves when they are drunk or under influence of toxins. There is an allowance although; a certain quantity of alcohol is considered ok for drivers, any amount higher than that should not be taken when you are going to drive.Lack of concentration:

While driving full concentration should be given towards it, no active participation in any other activities is desired. Drivers often forget their duties and engage themselves in active discussion with co-passengers, talking over cell phones or listening to music while driving.

The above mentioned factors can be controlled. Several laws have been introduced at state level too to control such activities. However, mass awareness is required to prevent road accidents due to driver's negligence.

Below are some points where, not the driver but another party is responsible for the accidents. Whoever is responsible for the accident, Florida residents should always contact Florida personal injury lawyers for further legal help. Let's proceed with rest of the reasons:

Defective vehicle or sudden break downs:

Cars and motorcycles are nothing but machines and machines can be defective or can crash any time. However, drivers and motorcycle riders should give their vehicles a check periodically to see if all the parts are working properly or not. Also, not a single mechanical problem should be left unattended.

Defective roads:

Local administrative body is responsible to ensure the roads and highways are safe for driving. If they fail to perform their duty, legal action can be taken against them.

Bad weather:

Heavy rain, stormy weather, snowfall, sustained wind and other natural calamities often lead to road accidents. Drivers, motorists and pedestrians should be extra careful on road during bad weather.

How Vehicular Manslaughter Charges Can Affect You

DUI is a serious charge in Arizona, but that's particularly true if you were driving under the influence, got into an accident and someone was killed as a result of the collision.  Even if you were barely above the legal limit and had no intent whatsoever to cause any sort of injury or death, it may not matter should the state decide to prosecute you under this charge.

Below is a brief look at how the vehicular manslaughter laws work in Arizona, but if you are facing prosecution for this sort of situation, the worst thing you can do is sit in fear and hope that it goes away, as it will not.  The best thing you could do right now is contact a criminal defense lawyer and start building your defense right away.

Vehicular Manslaughter Laws in Arizona

Ironically, there is no statute in Arizona that speaks specifically to DUI vehicular manslaughter.  Instead, other laws are invoked to bring the prosecution forward, and the following laws are relevant as law enforcement moves towards an arrest.

13-1103. Manslaughter; classification

A. A person commits manslaughter by:

1. Recklessly causing the death of another person;

Recklessly is the key word in this statute, as the Arizona laws dictate that anyone who is proven to have been driving under the influence is acting recklessly as a matter of law.  Specifically, it means that a person knew of the risks he was encountering and acted anyway with disregard for those risks.  Therefore, a person convicted of DUI and who caused an accident that led to a death will be charged with manslaughter, which is a Class 2 felony.

If you are convicted of manslaughter because of a DUI, you could face a substantial prison sentence.  While there is a range available to the court, a defendant could face up to 21 years in prison if he or she is convicted.  This does not include any other charges that could be 'bundled' with your conviction, inclu

Percolator Coffee Smells Better Than Baking Bread

People will think you are a dinosaur for using a percolator, especially a stove top percolator, but that's OK because no drip coffee maker can match the taste and aroma of percolated coffee. If you're old enough to remember the smell of freshly brewed percolated coffee that filled the house when it was time for dad to head off to work and you to school then you know exactly what I mean.

You will have to get a Farberware coffee percolator because they seem to be making them the old school way. The Yosemite model (doesn't that create an image of brewing a pot over a campfire in the mountains?) is thick gauge stainless steel and it feels it too. That's exactly what you need on the stove top or on the side burner of your gas grill.

Maybe you do not make a habit of brewing coffee on your barbecue but it is something you will dearly appreciate if you get caught in bad weather that knocks the power out for a week or two and everything in the house is electric.

How long do you let the percolator go after it starts? There is no absolute, certain answer but for four or more cups about eight minutes of percolating time seems to be optimal. Be sure to turn down the heat after the first perk. You do not want to boil the coffee and it is not necessary to do so either. The lower you can get the heat and still keep the coffee bouncing up into the glass bubble on the top the better the coffee will taste. Too much heat will cause a nasty burnt taste.

You will also want to use coarse ground coffee in a percolator. That's no problem if you grind your own coffee but it can be if you buy grocery store coffee. Most brands only offer drip ground coffee and if you use this grind in a percolators more porous filter you may end up with some of it in your cup.