Negotiating Stressful Life Events: When It's Wise To Have Good Counsel In Your Corner

There are certain times in life when you can’t battle through everything alone. Even if you’re self-sufficient and capable of standing on your own two feet, you may sometimes need professional advice. There are many stressful events in life, which may require us to seek counsel from legal experts. Here are just some examples of when it’s a good idea to have an experienced legal team in your corner.

Going through divorce

Nobody gets married thinking they’ll end up going through the distressing process of divorce. Sadly, not all relationships work out, and breaking up is often the best decision for the parties involved. Marriage is a legal agreement. This means that undoing it requires intervention by legal professionals. If you’re divorcing your partner, you’ll need to seek advice from a law firm. When you’re looking for somebody to represent you, make sure you go for a team with experience in divorce and family law. Arrange some consultations. These informal sessions give you an opportunity to meet individuals and discuss your case. The process may take a long time, so it’s really important to choose somebody that makes you feel comfortable and confident. Once you’ve employed a firm, they will act on your behalf. They will negotiate the terms of the divorce. They’ll work with your partner’s representatives to find a resolution that suits both parties. In straightforward cases, the legal processes can be completed fairly quickly. However, there may be complexities. You may not agree on what each person receives, and there may be custody issues.

Image credit https://pixabay.com/en/photos/divorce/

Buying a house

If you’re buying a house, it’s always wise to have legal experts at the end of the phone. In some states, attorneys do not have to be involved in the acquisition. However, if you have legal experts on board, this can give you peace of mind. They can read the terms and conditions and oversee the transactions and legal agreements. It will also ensure that everything is above board, and offer protection if the deal falters. It’s particularly beneficial to get a lawyer involved if you’re buying with another person or the property is in probate. Your attorney can guide you through the processes, and offer advice if you stumble across potential obstacles.

Buying a house can be stressful at the best of times. The last thing you want is for a sale to fall through at the last minute and have no power to do anything about it. You can use the Internet to search for local firms, and then visit their websites to read up on their areas of expertise. The next step is to meet the attorneys. Don’t feel like you have to go with the first person you see. It’s important that you trust them, and you have confidence in their abilities.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/106574022@N04/11705613613

Dealing with employment issues

There are all kinds of employment issues, which may prompt you to ask a legal expert for advice. You may feel that you’ve been treated unfairly at work. Perhaps you’ve been forced to take leave due to illness, or you think your boss is treating you differently to others. Maybe you’re worried about workplace bullying. Or you feel like you’re being overlooked for promotions as a result of prejudice. There are laws and regulations in place to ensure that everyone is treated fairly in the workplace. If you think that your employer is going against these rules, there may be steps you can take.

Many people choose to seek legal counsel when they have been fired. In order to let somebody go, employers must have a valid reason. If you believe you’ve been dismissed unfairly, you have grounds to take legal action. If there is no clear reason, you could have a case for wrongful termination. There are time limits in place, so if you do want to take action, it’s essential to seek advice as soon as possible after the dismissal.

You may also be thinking about enlisting the services of experts if you’ve had an accident at work. In many cases, work injuries result from accidents that could never have been prevented or foreseen. However, sometimes, workers sustain injuries in accidents that could have been avoided. Every employer has a duty to adhere to guidelines and legislation to prevent work accidents. If your employer has flouted the rules or displayed negligent behavior, you have a right to file a claim. Compensation is awarded to those who have proof that they were not to blame for an accident at work. If you’ve tripped because you were on your phone, you won’t qualify for compensation. But if you were injured as a result of using faulty equipment, you could have a case. If you’re thinking of making a work accident claim, get in touch with firms like UK Claim Lawyers. When you speak to an adviser, they will ask you questions about the accident. If you have a viable claim, they will take over the claim for you, and build a case against your employer.

Image by http://www.thebluediamondgallery.com/highlighted/e/employment-contract.html

Taking over or setting up a business

More and more people are choosing to be their own boss. If you’re launching a startup, you’re probably thinking of product designs and marketing strategies. But there are also legal issues to consider. If you’re employing people or inviting clients to your company base, there are steps you need to take to promote health and safety. As an employer, you’ll need to make sure that you comply with current regulations to protect your workforce. You’ll also need legal advice for aspects of the business such as copywriting. Professional advice is also helpful when drawing up employment contracts and formal business agreements.

If you fail to enforce safety measures, you may be liable for claims against you. If an employee is harmed as a result of your negligence, you will have to pay damages.

Image taken from https://pixabay.com/en/new-york-skyline-laptop-monitor-1071162/

Dealing with disputes

Are you kept awake by noisy neighbors every night? Have you already asked them politely to keep the noise down? Have they started to throw things in the yard or shout abuse at you? Most people get on just fine, but occasionally, you can find yourself in the middle of a neighborhood dispute. If this is the case, don’t try and take matters into your own hands. Report the incident to the police, and hire a lawyer. Often, the threat of legal action will be sufficient to calm the storm if the other party is aware that their behavior is unacceptable.

Image by https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurt-b/12597412465

Handling an estate

Have you lost somebody close to you? If so, the last thing you want to be doing is negotiating legal language and reams of papers to handle their estate. You often see adverts for websites that claim to handle the entire process for you. But in reality, dealing with an estate is a complex process. If you seek legal advice, your lawyer can sort everything out for you. It will probably be completed much faster, and you won’t have any additional stress to worry about.

It’s also advisable to get help when writing your own will and planning your estate. You can buy basic plans online. But a legal expert would always advise spending a little more on a more complex, watertight document. This is particularly relevant if you are dealing with large sums of money, or you have young children.

Image courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/ken_mayer/5599532294

Illegal offenses and accidents

Have the police pulled you over for dangerous driving? Has somebody been injured on your property? Have you been involved in a car crash that was your fault? If there’s any chance that you could end up wearing handcuffs, even if it’s only for a short period, call a lawyer. It’s hugely beneficial to have somebody who knows what they’re doing in your corner.

Image sourced from https://pixabay.com/en/photos/handcuffs/

How do I know if I need a lawyer or not?

There are some instances where it’s a legal requirement to get an attorney involved. In other instances, it may just be a question of convenience, peace of mind, and getting a professional job done quickly. You can often do things yourself. But like in all walks of life, you’ll usually achieve a better result if somebody with expertise helps you. Most of us don’t have extensive knowledge of legal procedures. Getting somebody who does on board will save you time and hassle, and increase the chances of a successful result. There may be times when you don’t need legal help. But it’s always wise to consider your options.

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/michigancommunities/5437319777

Life is full of ups and downs, and we can never predict what’s around the corner. Sometimes, we may come up against humps in the road, and legal experts can help us to overcome them. In other cases, we may need professional advice to embark on exciting new ventures, such as buying a house or setting up a business. Getting divorced, buying real estate, or handling work issues may involve complex processes. Having somebody in your corner to fight your battles can reduce stress, and increase your chances of a positive outcome.

Get 400 SWAGBUCKS When you Get a $0.99 SIM Card from FreedomPop

 

Swagbucks, the online rewards site that puts cash back in your wallet, has an AMAZING offer through FreedomPop where you get 400 SB (which is the equivalent of $4 in gift cards) for buying a SIM card for just $0.99!

FreedomPop's Global 3-in-1 SIM gives you free voice, text, and data in the US *and 25 other counties). Buy the $0.99 SIM card, get your first month of FreedomPop for fee, and earn 400 SB. If you stay subscribed for 3 months, you'll get an additional 1000 SB! 

Get yours by using this link before Wednesday, September 28th!  It's a zero-risk offer that pays you to try out a new, less expensive way to use your mobile phone.

Haven't tried Swagbucks yet? This is a great way to do it, and when you sign up through the link above and get your 400 SB, you'll get a bonus 300 SB at the beginning of October. So that's $4 for trying Bluehost, which gets you 700 total SB, which you can turn into $7 worth of gift cards!

Avoid Gaining Weight When You Are a Mature Student

These days, more and more people are finding ways to return to education as adults, whether it's because they didn't have the chance to do a degree when they were younger, because they want to retrain for a different career, or because they want to build on their existing qualifications with something like an MBA or a masters in social work.

With online courses and community college courses, it is possible for people of all ages to do college courses without having to relocate to a university campus or get into loads of student debt. However, just as going to college at 18 causes most people to gain weight (the famous 'freshman 15'), beginning to study something full-time can mean spending a lot more time sitting in front of your computer in a sedentary state – especially if you are doing something like an MSW online where even your lectures don't require you to go anywhere or move!

With the temptation to snack and the idea in your head that you are too busy to hit the gym, weight can creep up if you don't take some strategies, like these, to avoid it:

Find Time-Efficient Workouts

You may have some periods of intensive studying or essay writing, but if you find time-efficient ways to exercise then you can stop yourself from letting exercise become a bottom priority you just don't do during the busiest times. High-intensity interval training is great for this, as you can burn lots of calories in just a few minutes a day and get a great metabolic boost for the next 24 hours to boot. It is also something you can do at home with almost no equipment, and can learn from YouTube videos, meaning no time lost going to classes or driving to the gym.

Choose Healthy Snacks

Snacking can actually help you keep going when you are having a long study session, but you need to pick snacks that aren't full of empty calories and simple carbs. Bananas, seeds, berries, and small amounts of nutritionally beneficial but calorically dense snacks like nuts, dark chocolate and olives can all be better choices than chips, cookies, candy and crackers, and all contain beneficial 'nootropic' elements like antioxidants that can actually help brain function.

Don't Stay Sitting Down Too Long at Once

Staying at your desk for hours at a time can not only affect your posture, making you look less fit and toned even if you haven't gained weight, but can also cause your metabolism and digestion to slump. Get up and walk around a little every hour or so, even if you just nip to the store or even just walk around your home a little. Even a couple hundred steps can stop your body going into full 'sedentary' mode if you do them every hour.

These are just three ways you can make a simple but conscious effort to avoid weight gain as you study.

If You Make These Bad Excuses For Staying In A Job, Maybe It's Time To Call It Quits

Anybody who’s been in a crummy job will know what a grind it can be. You spend all day dreaming of quitting. And then a little voice in your head comes along and tells you that’s impossible. What are you supposed to do? Carry on like you have been for the rest of your life?

Sometimes, that little voice in your head can be the voice of sanity. It might tell you not to pack in your twenty-year career all because your boss called you “lazy.” But sometimes, that voice in your head can hold you up and make you believe you’ve got no other options. 99 percent of the time, that’s just not true.

“I Don’t Quit”

Here’s the thing about success: you’re either moving towards it or you’re not. The key to getting to where you want to go isn’t banging your head against a brick wall, hoping you’ll break through. It’s about making the decisions that maximize your chances of success. And sometimes that means quitting.

Larry Page, John McEnroe, and Tiger Woods all famously dropped out of college. Why? It was getting in the way of what they wanted to achieve with their lives. Saying that a winner never quits is patently false.

“The Grass Is Never Greener On The Other Side”

www.flickr.com

Ask any employment lawyer, and they’ll tell you that culture can change dramatically from company to company. In some firms, workers are harassed, bullied and intimidated. In others, they’re treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. It’s just not true to say that all companies are the same. It’s rather like saying all people are the same since companies are just collections of people. There are even organizations that go around trying to find the best places to work, based on employee satisfaction.

“I’ve Invested So Much Here; I Can’t Leave Now”

The fallacy of sunk costs causes untold misery to the people who fall prey to it. It’s the belief that if you’ve already spent a lot of time, effort or money on something, you should continue doing it. But that’s just bad advice and illogical. Imagine if businesses operated that way. We'd have millions of wasteful businesses, plummeting further and further into unsustainable debts.

If you find yourself thinking like this, the best opportunity is to cut your losses as soon as possible. Yes, you’ll lose some of the time investment you made. But if you wind up staying, you risk losing a lot more.

“Quitting Will Wreck My CV”

Sure, you might not like your job. But you think to yourself: “at least if I stay, I won’t be wrecking my CV.” But the problem is that staying in a job you hate is a surefire way to make sure you’re ground down and don’t progress. And that’s likely to look even worse.

“My Job Is Well Paid”

Is it worth working in a job that makes you permanently miserable? Almost certainly, no. The reason is that you've got plenty of options open to you if you make a lot of money. For instance, you can use your income to build yourself a safety net that will allow you time to find something you enjoy more.

Penguin Park, Praying at Home (Priest Practice?) and Pronto Pasta #KansasCity

Last Sunday Aron was out of town :-( and I took my kids plus Julia and Little Eva to Penguin Park in North Kansas City. This is a place we had not been in many years and I regret not going every year. We have gotten too busy these last few years and a half hour trip just seemed like so much, or the weather was never just right, or the kids wanted to take friends who go to school.

My mom and stepdad took the kids once and I think that was when we only had three kids! Otherwise I remember going a couple of times and chasing chasing chasing kids around and worrying about where they had gone in the park. Last Sunday the place seemed very small to all of us and only the two youngest of my kids really still enjoy a good playground, which is kind of sad.

It was a little hot last Sunday, but I knew it was time to go. We packed some snacks and drinks and headed up north. I don't want this to be the last time we go! We discovered a lake behind the park (thanks to Google Maps) and we love nature hikes and situations so off we went after realizing there were too many bees at the actual park!

the mascot

teens hanging out

the little ones having fun

my big 15-yo baby

the entire crew heading down the trail to find the lake

so much cooler in the woods!

me with my 8 yo daughter Eva

me, my Eva and her friend Eva

yes, i know you don't feed ducks but we did it anyway

the other side of the lake... they found a hook and some fishing line and Joel helped Sam fish

I am a horrible judge of time these days and we were going to be late for Mass at Holy Trinity. We would have gone anyway BUT THERE IS NO PARKING! So we went home and Joel led us in a rosary. Sam was very devout.

Joel getting priest practice?

super lazy dinner. i had an Ibotta rebate (see my post on this) for Pronto pasta so here you go ... I made mac and cheese out of it

I am absolutely in love with days like this when we get to just explore and not have to worry (too much) about time or where we have to be next. We had more lazy days when the kids were younger and those are disappearing so I treasure these days even more now.