Online Resources for Legal Writing

We all need some help some time. Hereunder are some of the best resources available on the world wide web:

To learn more about grammar and writing:

• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/index.htm
• http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/writing/
• http://ingilizceci.net/GrammarMaryAns/Yeni%20Klas%F6r/gramtoc.html

To know more about legal writing:

• http://legalwriting.net/
• http://www.illinoistrialpractice.com/legal_writing/index.html
• http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/write/legal-docs/clear-writing.html

Enjoy learning!

Tips for Hiring the Right Criminal Defense Lawyer

If you've been convicted of a crime, the first thing you need to do is find a criminal defense lawyer with whom you can work to clear your name and prove your innocence. But finding the right lawyer can be extremely difficult. Therefore, you should already know what makes a criminal defense lawyer a good fit, as well as what to avoid when searching for the best one to handle your case.

You already have a lot to worry about if you've been convicted of a crime, so the last thing you need is the stress involved with sorting through a list of lawyers in the area who may or may not work for you. Therefore, we've compiled some tips to help get you started. These will help clarify what you should be looking for as you evaluate your options.

Any Regular Attorney Just Won’t Cut It

When it comes to the specialized field of criminal defense, certain lawyers are great at it and certain ones aren't. Therefore, if you’re looking for someone who really knows how to handle these types of cases, seek out lawyers who specifically state that they have experience in this field. This will ensure that they know how to create a case that will clear your name, while also dealing with all of the claims made by the prosecution that wants to put you in jail.

Make Sure You Get Along

You’ll be spending a lot of time working with your criminal defense attorney, so you definitely want to find someone who is a good fit and who understands you and works with you well. If you find that you’re immediately butting heads and getting into arguments, it’s time to look for someone else. The last thing you need is to have to deal with someone you cannot get along with for the long duration of your trial.

Look for a Lawyer Who Is a Part of Prestigious Organizations

If you find a criminal defense lawyer who is a part of organizations such as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), this is a good sign. It means that he or she is really a seasoned professional in the field. You definitely want someone who takes this type of work seriously, as opposed to someone who has only had one or two criminal cases throughout his or her career. Other organizations you can look for include the ABA's Criminal Justice Section or a particular state’s Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Ask for Referrals From Friends and Family

If you were looking for a new hair salon or a babysitter for your children, you would probably consider asking your friends and family for referrals to people with whom they have worked. You can do the same when it comes to finding the best criminal defense lawyer. Though you may feel ashamed having to do this, put your pride aside, especially since you just never know who your friends and family may be connected with. They may very well know the lawyer you need to win your case and set you free. 

About the author

Olivia Gallagher is a freelance writer who enjoys giving people tips when they need them most, as in the case of people seeking a good criminal defense attorney. If you want to enter this line of work and help people win defense cases in court, seek out more information on a master’s in criminal justice.

Davao City's Amended Ordinance on Liquor Ban

After countless hours of grueling arguments and debate, the amendments to the Davao City Ordinance No. 162 authored by Councilor Bonifacio Militar has already been passed by the city council on its third and final reading. This ordinance regulates the operation of business establishments selling liquor, coconut wine, and other alcoholic beverages.

The new liquor ban will now be from 1:00 AM to 8:00 AM. During such time, business establishments are no longer allowed to sell or serve liquor. Drinking or consumption of any alcoholic beverage shall also be prohibited during liquor ban in the following places: business establishments (bars, restaurants, etc.), plazas, parks, parking areas, and other inhabited places.

The new liquor ban ordinance has received mixed feedback from Davaoeños from all walks of life. Some are happy saying that the earlier liquor ban would mean that their children or partners would now be forced to come home early, others are happy anticipating lesser crime rates, while a portion of the people frowned upon the amendments.

The amended ordinance is now awaiting the signature of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. This shall become effective a number of days after its publication.

The Duties of Personal Injury Lawyers Explained

Accidents happen even to those who are extremely cautious in their everyday dealings. It is a good thing that there are many personal injury lawyers out there whom victims can hire to help them in their legal battles, click here.

Personal injury lawyers are legal practitioners that can be employed to somehow bestow regal representation to individuals who are psychologically and/or physically injured because of the negligence of other people or parties.

Such predicament can be distressful and it is the best interest of victims to ask for appropriate compensation. In times like these, elaborate professionals with unwavering expertise with regard to legal matters are necessary.

Simply put personal injury lawyers will help give assistance when it comes to getting claims and solve any stumbling block that may be encountered along the way. Some of the regular duties and responsibilities that they perform are explained below.

Making Evaluations
One of the primary duties of personal injury lawyers is evaluating cases to determine their legality. They achieve this by asking certain questions from their clients to obtain first-hand information. Afterwards, they carefully identify certain issues that may develop from the case.

Identify Arising Issues
Personal injury lawyers identify issues that may develop from the cases and perform scrupulous afterwards. This is important when it comes to building a strong case.

Clients should rest assured that the mentioned professionals are well-trained to make sure that they will receive justice and appropriate compensation for the losses and discomfort that arises from accidents and other unwanted incidents.

Keep Client Information
It is also the responsibility and duty of personal injury lawyers to make sure that the information that their clients present are kept confidential no matter what happens. This is an ethical prerequisite and the said legal practitioners make sure that the privacy of their clients will be well taken care of.

Conclusion
Despite the prevalence of accidents and other unwanted incidents, many Americans still overlook the importance of having personal injury lawyers.

It should be noted that battling legal matters caused by negligence and other irresponsible behaviors in the court of law is a complicated process that require expert help.

Simply put, having trained professionals on one’s side is essential for those who want to make sure that they will get the kind of compensation that they duly deserve. With personal injury lawyers, what appropriately belongs to victim’s families will be properly accorded.

AICHR | Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights

What is AICHR?
AICHR, or the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights is a regional human rights body. It is regional because it is specific to a certain region - the South East Asian Region which is composed of the following member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam .

What is the goal of AICHR?
The goal of AICHR is to improve the lives of its citizens in its member states, in economic, political security, and socio-cultural aspect. The establishment of AICHR aims to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Recently, AICHR has drafted the Asean Declaration for Human Rights which, although bombarded with a lot of intrigues and lack of support, has set the framework for human rights cooperation in the region.

Not everybody knows that AICHR exists. Each member state of the ASEAN has a representative who will serve for 3 years. To know more about AICHR, visit aichr.org.

March 8 is International Women's Day

This might be a delayed post but I just want to share what I did last March 8 which happened to be International Women's Day.

Being a woman, having a day to celebrate womanhood is great. However, my celebration was actually a day where realities of women abuses were discussed in a forum entitled "Scared, Scarred, Scorned" which was held at the Ateneo de Davao University. The invitation was extended to me by my friends from Luna Legal Resources for Women and Children, or simply called Luna. The forum had the goal of raising awareness of professionals about the realities of violence against women.

During the forum, invited speakers included victim-survivors, doctors, and lawyers. Most of what I learned on that day is on how to interview and handle victim clients. As a lawyer, we do not only have to be able to help our clients in representing them in court but we can also help a lot if we understand their situation first and if we know how to handle their special cases.

Deed of Sale Sample Format

This is one of those sample formats of a Deed of Sale of a certain motor vehicle when the SELLER has not yet transferred the registration of the vehicle to his own name. Thus, the original owner (registered seller) need not sign the new Deed of Sale. In this scenario, we can establish the ownership of the second owner by citing how he acquired the motor vehicle. To know more, just read the format of the Deed of Sale below:

DEED OF ABSOLUTE SALE

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

            This Deed of Absolute Sale is made and entered into by and between:

                                                                        , of legal age, Filipino, single, and a resident of ____________________________, Davao City, now and hereinafter referred to as the VENDOR;

-and-

                                                                        , of legal age, Filipino, single, and a resident of ____________________________, Davao City now and hereinafter referred to as the VENDEE;

WITNESSETH:

            That the above-named VENDOR is the owner of a motor vehicle, which he acquired from BPI Rental Corporation, in a Deed of Sale docketed as Doc No. ____, Page No. ____, Book No. ____, Series of  ______, dated _____________, of the notarial register of Atty. ________________ and which vehicle is more particularly described as follows:

Make:  

MV FILE No.:                        

            Type of Body:                          

            Engine No.:                              

            Chassis No.:                             

            Plate No.                                 

            That the VENDOR has agreed to sell, and the VENDEE is willing to buy the above-mentioned motor vehicle;

            NOW THEREFORE for and in consideration of the amount of _______________________________________ PESOS (PhP ______________), in hand paid by the VENDEE unto the VENDOR, and receipt is also hereby acknowledged by the VENDOR, the VENDOR hereby SELLS, CONVEYS and DELIVERS in the manner that is absolute to the herein VENDEE the above-described motor vehicle;

That the VENDOR hereby warrants the peaceful ownership of the above-mentioned vehicle;

            IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands this ____________________ in the City of Davao, Philippines.

___________________________

Vendor

___________________________

Vendee

SIGNED IN THE PRESENCE OF:

____________________  and  ______________________

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Republic of the Philippines)

City of Davao             )S.S.

x-------------------------------x

            BEFORE ME, a Notary Public, in the City of Davao, Philippines, appeared ______________________, with Driver’s License No. ______________________, valid until _______________ and ______________________, with Driver’s License No. ______________________, valid until _______________ and ______________________,, both known to me to be the same persons who executed the foregoing instrument and acknowledged to me that they voluntarily executed the same.

            This instrument consisting of two (2) pages including this page wherein the acknowledgment is written and duly signed by the parties as well as their instrumental witnesses refers to a Deed of Absolute Sale.

            WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL this ______________ in the City of Davao, Philippines.

                                                                       

Doc. No. ______;                               

Page No. ______;                               

Book No. _____;                                             

Series of           .

Steps To Take After Receiving A DUI In PA

The charges for DUI in PA are divided into three categories, and each category has three sub-sets of consequences depending on your previous record. If your blood alcohol content (BAC) is above 0.08%, you are considered intoxicated even if you show no other symptoms and pass the field sobriety test. Based on BAC there are three categories of DUI: 

1. 0.08% to 0.99% BAC also known as General Impairment
2. 0.10% to 0.159% BAC, this is considered High BAC
3. 0.16% or higher, this the highest BAC level with severe consequences

If you are a first time offender and are arrested for general impairment, you will get a $300 fine, have to attend alcohol highway safety school, be on six months’ probation, and will have to be treated if you are diagnosed with alcoholism. With repeat offenses and higher BAC percentage, you can be sentenced to five years of prison, $10,000 fine, one year in ignition lock, and will be charged with a 1st degree misdemeanor. 

What to do when charged with DUI? 

1. Get Bail

There is very little you can do from behind bars in terms of fighting any DUI charges. Due to this, before you do anything else, you will have to post bail so you can organize yourself and be ready for your court appearance.  

2. Contact a DUI Lawyer

While it may seem like a good idea to hire any random lawyer, a DUI lawyer is the only person on earth who can get you out of this jam. DUI lawyers have past experience in handling such cases, and they can get you the best deal, or even get the judge to dismiss the charges in some cases. A general defense lawyer may have years of experience, but having someone with direct experience and connections in the exact field is the best defense when it comes to preparation for any time of court case.

3. Keep up with your court appearances

You will have to appear before the district judge. You should immediately contact a legal representative that specializes in DUI cases, and should make sure you are there for the hearing. 

Not appearing in court can be the worst thing you do if you are facing DUI charges in PA, because that could imply you are running from the law, and a warrant can be issued in your name. Get a DUI Attorney, and make sure you are present in court whenever they ask you to be there. 

Understand the consequences

Getting charged with DUI in PA or in any other state can have severe consequences on your life. This kind of offense goes on your permanent record, and affects your ability to get a job and to drive. You could also end up doing jail time and receive heavy fines, in addition to the insurance rates on your car going up. However, you can make the best of a worst situation with the right legal representation, so drive safely and follow these steps if you are charged with DUI.

By Charles H., a part time blogger with a law degree, currently residing in western PA.

Anti-Smoking Ordinance in Davao City

This morning, there was a heavy traffic all over Davao City and while I was about to take a photo of the cars lined up, I snapped the one below:

It's a perfect timing to get a photo of a driver who is smoking inside his vehicle. The problem is, smoking is prohibited in Davao City, and the prohibition is not just in public places. There have been some information circulating that you can only smoke inside your own house. You can also smoke inside your car provided that all windows are closed.

Unfortunately, the driver of this white Toyota pick-up is unmindful of the new ordinance. And worse, just look at the cigarette butt that this irresponsible driver threw on the road.

The FULL TEXT of the Anti-Smoking Ordinance of Davao City may be read here.

Collecting Student Feedback at the end of the Year

With new university reports compiled all the time and increasing importance being placed on student satisfaction, it is important that lecturers get their teaching style in order. While you can ask students to fill out feedback forms at the end of the last lecture or to go away and fill in online surveys, this is time-consuming and means you have to take the responses from each person’s feedback manually.

One of the best ways to collect data quickly and accurately is with an audience response system. Each student is given a handheld voting remote and asked to press the button corresponding to their answer to a question. These responses are then sent to a receiver before being processed and transformed into an on-screen result immediately. This way, everyone is able to see the overall feeling of the group of students, and the lecturer can tackle any issues straight away.

Student satisfaction is given fairly significant weighting in lots of the university league tables, and for many students it is one of the most important factors. If the students at an educational establishment aren't satisfied, it suggests that it might not be the right university for them, so the way students respond in these official surveys can have a serious impact on application patterns.

Aspects assessed in the student surveys include satisfaction with teaching style, module content, contact hours and resources available, so make sure you include these in your own feedback forms. An easy way to collect these responses can be at the end of the last lecture of the academic year before exams. Most students will probably turn up for last minute revision, so you will get the most feedback this way, and it’s quick and easy to carry out so nobody will mind doing it.

Students like to know that people are listening to them, so by asking for their feedback they will feel more appreciated. Also, it means that you are able to improve on any aspects that need work for next year’s intake. Not only does this benefit the students as it means they get the learning experience they feel would work for them, but it helps you to refine your teaching technique.

Feedback is very important, as without it problems can go unrecognized which may be highly detrimental to students’ learning. By asking a few quick questions, you can find out how you've been doing as a lecturer and what you can do to help students in the future.

Celia Griffin lectures on the subject of media law and often engages new technologies to help increase engagement in her students

10 gadgets to make your study time more productive

For decades, TV shows have told us that with technology will come a lack of need for studying; after all, robots were meant to do the menial tasks while we wore headsets which told us everything we needed to know. However in the world where teleportation devices and floating cars are yet to be invented, gadgets can still help us to study. College, for most pupils, is a juxtaposition between the desire to party and the desire to not flunk the next test – here are just 10 of the best ways to make your study time more productive.

1. Voice recognition on gadgets

Once upon a time, voice recognition software was atrocious – in the eyes of that computer, “shut down” and “restart” would have been indistinguishable. However nowadays computers have an immense facility to recognize words extreme accurately. Rather than typing an essay or using the mouse to click “copy”, new operating systems will allow you to speak commands to your computer. A great way to save some time.

2. A good alarm clock

Sure, alarm clocks aren’t really gadgets any more. However one option which has recently become available with alarm clocks is a programmable level of noise for different occasions. Students are renowned for their ability to sleep through a regular alarm clock, and thus the need for a super-loud alarm clock was spawned. If you struggle to wake up in the morning, it’s a pretty decent investment to make.

3. Use a desktop

Laptops are a godsend for students who need to travel on a regular basis, but otherwise it’s a good idea to opt for a desktop PC in a dorm room. Not only are they generally cheaper, but desktops have a better facility for processing power and usually have larger hard drives. Student life is all about saving money – a laptop is a much worse investment than a good quality PC.

4. Use an eBook reader

No, this does not mean buy an iPad with the excuse that it will help you with your studies; we all know that Angry Birds will take precedence over the reading app. Buy a Kindle (regular, not Fire!) to use with free online PDF files to help with your studies. You won’t have to carry around piles of books, and all digital copies can be backed up using a memory stick or PC.

5. Noise-cancelling headphones

Distractions are more common in university than the parties are. Every student will have, at some point in their life, had to leave their studies to go and see who it is screaming down the other end of the hallway or join the party that they can hear raging downstairs. Noise-cancelling headphones are the way to combat this – they will block out any noise which isn’t coming from a music device (so you can still use them to listen to music) to help you to concentrate on your studies.

6. A Dictaphone

Sure, you’re thinking that a Dictaphone is in no way a new gadget. However there are now applications on most smartphones that emulate a Dictaphone; students can therefore use it to take fast but detailed notes from books or in lectures.

7. A scientific calculator

This is yet another gadget that the new generation might scorn, but it would be foolish to underestimate the usefulness of a scientific calculator. Of course this is much more beneficial to math and science students, but even students who are doing economics might find that they need a good, reliable calculator.

8. Evernote App

Satisfied that we’re now talking about new technology? The Evernote app is probably one of the most useful applications that students can have on their phones – besides Facebook, of course. You never know when you’ll want to take some notes in your life; you might walk past a bus stop and see an advert that you can discuss in your latest essay on product design, or your friend might recommend a really good book to help with that Cold War essay. No matter what you use it for, Evernote is today’s equivalent of having to carry a pen and paper wherever you go.

9. A digital organiser

Let it never be said that the Filofax has gone out of fashion, but to be realistic it may no longer be as practical for students as a mobile phone. Most mobile devices allow you to sync a calendar with an organiser – to make your studies really effective, you can use the digital organiser to make sure that you are always focusing on the right task.

10. Buy a projector

I can almost read your mind: “What good is a projector to a student?” Well the answer is simple. Kinaesthetic learners will find that studying for exam papers is much easier when they can visualise the content that they are supposed to be remembering.

Written by Sonia Jackson from www.essay-bag.com

3 Unbelievable Real Life Diamond Heists

When you think diamond heist, you think fast-paced movies like The Pink Panther, Ocean’s 11, and Reservoir Dogs, not something that actually happens in real life. But the truth is that piles of real diamonds are sometimes too tempting a target for crooks to ignore. Criminals regularly pull off daring heists, nabbing millions of dollars worth of precious gems in an instant. These capers usually take a long time to plan, a lot of thought to execute, and the gems are rarely returned to their rightful owners.
Here are just three true tales of diamond thefts that put your everyday hollywood heist stories to shame.

1) Graff Diamonds
In 2009, an experienced makeup artist in London was approached by two men for a job.  They were shooting a music video, they claimed, and wanted to look very different. She altered their skin tone, changed the appearance of their jawline, and fitted wigs. After observing the work, one of the men remarked “My own mother wouldn't recognise me now.” The other laughed and said, “That's got to be a good thing, hasn't it?”

What the makeup artist didn’t know is that she had unwittingly prepared disguises for diamond thieves. Now completely disguised, they appeared at Graff Diamonds jewelry store looking like any other well-dressed customers. They then drew handguns, and threatened the employees, who quickly unlocked display cases that showed of the store’s prices and rarest merchandise.  They left the store carrying 40 pieces of jewelry valued at a stunning $65 Million.

They left the store, fired off a shot to scare witnesses, and sped off in their getaway car. To avoid detection, they switched cars while escaping, and left to their safehouse.

They might have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for one major mistake: they had left a cell phone in their original getaway car. Police used the number from the cell phone to track down the thieves, nabbing ten in all.  Even though everyone in connection with the crime was caught and will always have the crime on their criminal records, the jewelry was never recovered.

2) Harry Winston
The robbers who knocked over the Harry Winston store in Paris, France went a step further than just disguising their faces — they also disguised their gender. On December 4th 2008, four men, some of whom were wearing dresses and wigs, walked into the Harry Winston Store and brandished handguns.

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes they smashed display cases and barked orders — they evidently knew some of the employees first names. The store was right down the street from a police station, but the thieves acted too fast for the police to arrive. They got into their getaway car with sacks of rubies, diamonds, and emeralds valued at more than $105 Million, and sped away.

While investigators believe that the robbers were part of an Eastern European organized crime syndicate, they have never been caught — and the millions of jewels have never been recovered.

3) Diami Store
On February 24th 2008, the owners of the Diami Store in Milan were schmoozing with celebrities in afterparties for the Academy Awards.  Unbeknownst to them, meticulous robbers were stealing millions of dollars worth of their jewelry back home.

Though the robbery itself took only 40 minutes, this stunt took months of planning. They made their way into the jewelry store via a tunnel that took over a month to dig. During the construction of the tunnel, some neighbors complained about construction noise, but the police didn’t respond because they assumed it was merely part of completely legal construction projects in the area.

The thieves made their way into the building, using the tunnel to avoid alarms and surveillance cameras. Inside were a handful of wealthy clients, five employees, catering staff, and a manger. The skilled robbers overpowered them all, tied them up, and locked them in a washroom. They cleaned out jewelry from the safe deposit boxes and left through the tunnel they came. Despite an intense investigation, they have yet to be discovered.

Brainy Criminals
We like to think that are crooks are of the bumbling variety, but the mind of a robber can be more complex than law-abiding citizens give credit for. While you might not have tens of millions worth of jewelry to protect, a small amount of protection can keep even high-IQ crooks away from your personal valuables.