Business & Education

In a neighborhood in South Dakota, a mom and her three kids lived in a nice neighborhood. Because she was a widow, the community was very helpful and supportive of her when she moved in. They would bring her homemade meals, desserts and even offer to baby sit while she found a new job. Of course, this woman was very happy about the support and such that she received.

The person who lived next door would typically come out and speak to her over the fence. She loved gardening, so she would weed the garden and plant seeds while they chatted. The lady noticed that her daughter enjoyed talking to the man as well. Several occasions she watched the man laughing at her daughter’s jokes over the fence. For some unknown cause, it made the hair on her neck stand up.

After a couple more times of watching her daughter talk to this man over the fence, the mother informed her daughter that she was not to stand outside and speak to the man anymore. When her daughter asked why, she didn’t have a reply. In fact, she even asked herself what made her feel so strange about the man talking to her daughter. He had been nothing but nice and probably just felt sorry for the little ones losing their dad the way they did. Without trying to alarm her daughter, the mom simply told her that it wasn’t polite to hold the man up all day, chatting and bothering him.

Searching on the web one day, the mother came across a website called wegapeoplesearch.com.The explanation of the site piqued the mother’s interest and she had a thought. Knowing the next door neighbor’s name, she decided to check him out. Because the website said that you could information on someone just by knowing their name, the mother decided to satisfy her curiosity. She typed in the name and within seconds she was directed to a page full of information on this very ‘nice’ man. In fact, she received his local and national criminal and civil records, his phone number, his address, and his arrest records. It turns out that a few years ago; this man was convicted of touching a child under the age of 8 for sexual purposes. The mother was absolutely horrified. She could not believe what she was reading and that no one had told her anything.

Thinking that it can be a mistake, she checked the local sex offender checklist and certainly, he was there. The mother alerted the police that the man had been speaking with her daughter, and determined to leave that house. She was so grateful that the web site had been there and that she had been feeling unusual about him. Without those two issues, she could not imagine what might have happened. If you are suspicious about someone, please do what this mom did and check it out. You by no means know what sort of tragedy you can prevent.

Many people put cameras in their homes for a variety of reasons. The most popular of these reasons is for the security of the home and the family within it.

Home cameras allow a family to view possible threats before becoming involved in the situation. A camera installed over the front door, for example, allows someone to see who is at the door when the bell rings without even having to be anywhere near the door.

Cameras are also used to watch over a particular area of the household or to keep an eye on a certain person to ensure his or her safety.

A camera placed in view of a swimming pool can keep swimmers safe or catch someone who causes damage to the area when the family isn’t around.

Cameras can be used to record all activity in the home or place of business with the purpose of preventing people from doing anything improper.

When people are aware that there’s a camera in a particular area, their behavior will change. This works even if the camera is a fake intended to simply deter individuals from committing acts that would get them in trouble were they recorded on tape.

Cameras can be found in many varieties, including wireless cameras as well as those that are connected directly to a computer. When choosing a camera, your choice should depend on the needs of you particular situation and your budget.

You should also consider the location of the computer on which your recordings will be stored as well as the type of things that you want to protect when choosing a security camera.

You have a lot of options, so do some research and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re not sure about what kind of camera would be best for you.

When it comes to personal injury attorneys it can be a big hassle to find one that will meet your needs. You should shop around and try to find the best one possible to meet your needs.

If you can not find a good attorney that is local then you can find one online that may be some what close enough to you. You should try to go with someone that is trusted and someone that will stick with you and your case every step of the way.

A personal injury can happen to anyone and it can happen in a lit of different ways. It is normal for someone to hire an attorney if they have fallen victim to a personal injury from someone or even from their place of work.

If it is not possible then the attorney will let you know and this is something you should stick with instead of arguing with them about it. Anyone can get hurt at any time and it may or may not be your fault.

You should always do your homework on a lawyer, make sure they are credible and make sure they will try to get the best for you without failing. Some attorneys will recommend other personal injury attorneys to you.

If you can not find an attorney that is local to you then you should check everywhere you can online and see what other people might recommend. You should never settle for an attorney that is not going to meet your needs as a client. You are the one who is paying their salary and if you are not happy with them then you do not have to choose them to represent you for your personal injury case.

5. Self represented parties sue the wrong person or entity! This is a common and fatal error that self-represented parties make time and time again. When you sue a person or a business, it is of the utmost importance that you sue the correct legal entity. For example, if you sue your neighbor whom you know as “Joe Smith”, you must be sure that “Joe Smith” is his full legal name. Otherwise, you may later come to find out that his legal name is in fact Joseph Smith or Joe Thomas Smith”. If you did not use the correct legal name in the lawsuit, it will be impossible to try to enforce your judgment against him. Alternatively, you may want to sue your florist who you know as “Flowers R Us”. However, the correct legal entity behind Flowers R Us is in fact 123456 Ontario Inc. If you sue “Flowers R Us” instead of “123456 Ontario Inc.”, you will likely not be able to enforce a judgment against them. A licensed paralegal will automatically perform all necessary searches to determine the correct legal name of the person or business that you are suing!

4. Self represented parties always include too much information or not enough information in their claim or defence! This comes with a lack of understanding for what the court needs to see in your legal documents, and what they do not need to see (or do not want to see). Most self-represented parties often include far too much detail in their narrative. We often see a four or five page description of the events surrounding a case, which is not only far too much information, but can be extremely frustrating for the judge (who we try not to irritate, especially at the outset of the case). On the other hand, self-represented parties also leave out pertinent details of the narrative. For example, when suing for a breach of contract, a self-represented party often goes in to great detail about how much they have paid to the other party and when they made each payment, however; they often leave out the most important detail of all – that being, the original agreed upon amount of the contract. A licensed paralegal will have the knowledge and skill set to narrow down the issues and present your case clearly and effectively to the judge. Part of our strategy is to draft effective pleadings to convince the judge of why you should win your case, even before appearing in a courtroom!

3. Self represented parties do not know the law! Knowing the law and how to apply it to various situations is different from knowing when a cause of action arises. People generally know when a wrong has been committed against them for which they can seek remedy through the courts. However, knowing the law and which legal arguments apply to a situation is an entirely different matter all together. There are often times when you cannot ask the court for certain legal remedies or rely on certain defences if you have not included them in your initial claim or defence. This can result in unfavorable judgments or orders against you. A licensed paralegal will know how to argue your case in a legal context and which arguments to notify the other parties of in advance of the hearing so as to not deprive you of any of the rights and remedies that are available to you!

2. A self represented does not know the Rules of the Small Claims Court. The Small Claims Court is governed by, among other things, the Rules of the Small Claims Court. The Rules are quite lengthy and govern all aspects of a proceeding including forms, service, evidence, timelines, fees etc. A self-represented party will often find themselves overwhelmed by the rules of a proceeding, let alone the actual case itself. For example, the rules pertaining to evidence require all parties to exchange documents thirty days before trial, otherwise it may not be admissible in court. Many self-represented parties serve their evidence on the opposing party after the 30 day deadline, or sometimes they show up with the evidence at trial without having served it on the opposing party at all. Situations like this can be devastating to your case. The judge may not allow you to rely on evidence that has not been served properly, which may be fatal to you. The judge may also adjourn the trial to a new date in order to give the opposing party time to review the new evidence. This can cause a great deal of delay in a case and can frustrate the proceeding. A licensed paralegal will be fluent in the Rules of the Small Claims Court and will be in a much better position to move your matter forward in accordance with those rules. You will not experience the same amount of delay and overwhelming sense of confusion as you would if you were to be self-represented; your paralegal will explain each step to you and will take on the responsibility of complying with the rules, so you wont have to!

1. A self-represented party is SELF-REPRESENTED!!! The number one mistake made by self-represented parties is that they are SELF-REPRESENTED! Law is a knowledge intensive field born out of education and experience. A self-represented party is simply not equipped to handle all of the rules, the law, and the twists and turns that accompany litigation. Many self-represented parties feel as though they can just appear in court, tell the truth, and win by virtue of being honest. That is NOT the way things work in the courtroom. Did you know that you can represent yourself at all levels of court, not just the Small Claims Court? People automatically think that Small Claims Court is “easy” since you can represent yourself. Not so. There are rules to be complied with, there are laws that protect the other party that you may not be aware of and may not know that rebuttal arguments to, and of course, the other party may be represented by a paralegal or a lawyer who will simply out argue a self-represented party. We have many clients come to us after having attempted to represent themselves only come to realize that they made one of the mistakes listed in this article. It may end up costing you more to correct a problem that is created by your ambition to represent yourself, rather than to hire a paralegal to do it properly from the start.

It’s a great question and the answer is YES! If you’ve never been to a small claims court it’s used when there is a dispute between yourself and either a private party or a business. However, this is not a court that deals with criminal issues, but only financial discrepancies. The judge will look over all the evidence and hear both sides before he or she decides who owes what and how much.

Unfortunately there is a cap that is setup with a small claims court, but it depends on the province you go to court. A great example of this is Ontario, Canada that only allows $10,000 as the maximum amount. Recently that changed though to $25,000, so if you file in Ontario this would be the most you could ask for in your claim.

Now keep in mind there are a few things a judge can do once he or she has heard both sides of the case. The judge will then consider the evidence as well from each party and either:

* Award you everything you are asking.

* Give you a lesser amount

* Possibly rule in favor of the defendant and award you nothing

* Make a judgment for the defendant if they brought forth a counter-claim

What it comes down to is the best scenario would be to get everything you ask for as the plaintiff. Unfortunately this doesn’t always occur. Plus, if you’re unaware of the Canadian laws or even the local laws in the province it can be even more difficult.

Instead of going into the small claims court without being prepared, most people turn to a paralegal to represent them. They will be able to inform you of all the laws and give you that extra edge that is needed in the courtroom. A few things they will be able to advise you on will be:

* Entering everything that needs to go into evidence

* What you should or should not say in court.

* How to behave in court and respond to your defendant’s comments.

* How to describe your case and fill all the paperwork out properly

When you enter a verbal and written testimony, the judge is really good at picking up those small descrepancies between them. This is just one of the many reasons why a paralegal’s assistance will be required. They can help you prepare the initial paperwork and save you the hassle of trying to explain yourself. If you don’t it’s possible that something this small could cause you to lose the case.

With a good paralegal on your side, you are likely to misrepresent yourself in court or even become confused over the process, especially if you have never filed a claim before.

You: The Defendant

If you are the defendant going into small claims court because someone else has filed against you, then seeking representation must be the first thing you do after finding out about the case. A paralegal will help you understand all aspects of the claim and can find loopholes or mistakes on the filer’s part which could get you off completely or get you awarded money on a counter claim.

No matter what side of the case you are on, the Canadian legal system can be complicated and you definitely need to seek representation! Even though criminal charges and jail time are not on the table, you still stand to lose quite a bit if you are ruled against in a small claims court proceeding.