Thursday, September 24, 2009

Austin Lawyer taking it to the next level

Before Monday, Austin lawyer and computer forensics expert Craig Ball might have seemed the least likely speaker to wow an audience of Gen X and Yers gathered to learn about the latest technology and social media at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival. Today, he stands toe-to-toe with the Internet celebs who dominate the festival from year to year.

Ball was part of a panel, "Presenting Straight to the Brain," about techniques for persuading with PowerPoint beyond the usual bullet points and tired graphics that plague so many presentations.

Ball showed the crowd of more than 500 an animation he uses to explain the inner workings of a hard drive to a non-technical audience. This and other parts of his presentation drew applause, shouts of approval, and scores of positive "tweets" from audience members who were documenting the panel on Twitter.com.

"I figured the crowd was nice to me because it was like being nice to your granddad," joked the 51-year-old Ball, who began his SXSW remarks by telling attendees, "For those of you who are wondering, the red thing I'm wearing around my neck is called a tie."

"Really, I was leery of speaking to a younger group which was not at all like my typical audience of attorneys and judges," related Ball. "I was blown away by how receptive they were. I was happy to have the feeling of holding my own with the other panelists."

Ball's seemingly complex animations are done solely with PowerPoint. For tips and articles about how he does it, see www.craigball.com.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Car Accidents Are Not Always Accidents

When we're involved in a car accident, quickly we tend to dismiss the fact that the accident wasn't an accident at all, but rather an act of irresponsibility and recklessness. When someone is driving 90 miles per hour, even if on the fast lane, and hits someone, should we call that an accident? I think not.

This is when having the law on your side pays off. I am not a sue-happy person, though what is right needs to be made known, as an example and warning for those who show little concerns for traffic laws.

In 2007 when my wife was hit by a motorcycle driver who was racing on FM 620, I didn't know anything about the law and in turn we got cheated by the insurance company. That was the last time too. Not only were they hesitating to pay her for the car that was totaled, but they offered us $600 for the settlement. Naive as I was, I readily accepted thinking that what had happened was an accident. I felt sorry for the fellow that is now left on a wheelchair, but the fact that he acted irresponsibly jeopardizing my pregnant wife's life was still a fact nonetheless.

Looking back in retrospect, we should have filed a law suite but it's too late now. The insurance company coaxed me to sign a waver shortly after the accident had happened...when we were still going back and fourth to doctor's visits to take care of her badly bruised knee and backlash injuries.

If you're involved in a car accident that was maybe not an accident, don't dismiss it for less than it really is. Look for your personal injury lawyer and find out about your rights.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Austin Personal Injury lawyer

I mentioned before that I would be posting a list of reputable personal injury lawyers on this page...so far I have been able to find one. His name is Chris Morrow and you can call him at 512-206-4220. He doesn't have a website yet though he appears to have a good track record and clients seem very pleased with the outcome of the lawsuits.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Be Careful With "Lawyer Directories"

Personal Injury Lawyers as well as any other attorney, pay to be listed in directories all over the net. BEWARE! Don't make your decision based on how good their ad looks or how many times you've seen their names plastered everywhere you look.

Make sure that before you make your decision on who you're going to hire you read their feedback. There are countless websites giving client feedback on lawyers across the country. Don't make decisions that are not purely based on knowledge and experience.

Citysearch and Yelp are good examples of local feedback websites where you can learn from the experiences of others. A lawsuit is not a cakewalk and your decision for a good lawyer will make the difference in the end.

A check list to have when looking for your Personal Injury Lawyer

I found this article very informative and I think you may benefit from reading through it and making sure you go through the checklist yourself.

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Whenever a road accident occurs, the question of who is truly at fault always arises. It is therefore very vital to prove that the other parties have the liability of the accident in order to obtain financial damages from them.

In doing this, you have to present some supporting evidences such as statement of witnesses, police report and pictures of the scene among others.

These things will add up to the merits of your case and strengthens the possibility of having a favorable court verdict. However, you may not be able to achieve all these without the assistance and support of a professional car accident lawyer.

A vehicular accident claim is definitely a legal matter that requires law expertise and extensive knowledge about the court proceedings. Although, most of these cases were filed to insurance companies by victims who want their incurred injuries be given justice. Hence, consulting a good and competent law advocate before filing a formal charge is indeed necessary.

A vehicular accident lawyer’s tasks include:

- evaluating the merits of your case
- computing the amount of your possible financial recoveries
- preparing your case for formal filing to the dependant’s insurance company
- accomplishing paper works that are needed in the case
- gathering substantial evidences, which may include witnesses’ statements, your medical records and a copy of the police report
- attending the scheduled hearings to present your evidences, defend your side and make sure that all your rights are properly observed
- file an appeal before the civil courts in case your claim was rejected by the insurance company

There are various law firms that offer legal services for road accident victims. You just have to choose among them whichever best suits your need. The following are some of the guidelines in selecting the right lawyer.

- have a list of lawyers and law firms in your area that handles vehicular accident claims
- have a look on their records of accomplishments in handling their cases
- determine the lawyer’s background and track record
- talk to other people who have already hired their services in the past and ask them about the law firm’s way of handling cases
- verify how these law firms charge their clients

After doing these things, you may now decide on whose legal services to appoint. Keep in mind that the future of your case greatly depends on how you properly choose a lawyer to manage your case. Therefore, you must take it seriously and with much caution for you not to jeopardize your chances of obtaining justice.

Personal Injury Lawyers--Making The Right Choice

A while back, a good friend of mine was involved in a car accident along with her then fiance. While her now husband suffered no injuries, she incurred some severe back and neck injuries. The insurance company, seeking to settle the case swiftly and inexpensively, offered a ridiculous settlement after about a month of doctor's visits and a medical bill nearing 80K.

Thankfully our friend refused it and sought her rights under Personal Injury Law. She first looked up online to see who she could rely on. She was particularly interested in a personal injury lawyer that could show a history of success. When she finally hired a lawyer that she believed was the guy to take care of her case, she came to learn some pretty disturbing news later on. After the case had been litigating for over a year, the lawyer, without consulting the client and therefore without her consent, accepted from the insurance company a settlement that didn't even cover her doctor's visits. Come to find out, the lawyer she had hired was also representing the insurance company. Sick as it may sound, it happens every day.

When you're looking for a lawyer, make sure you do your research thoroughly. If you have questions, let me know as I happen to know a few good ones in that field. It's a sick world out there. Beware.