The NEW brickcitylaw.com

Page Law Office, PLLC is pleased to announce its site redesign, courtesy of the fine folks at Findlaw. The new brickcitylaw.com is rich in content, easily navigable, and a vast improvement on the clunkier one done by yours truly. We hope you like it.

In the future, the space here at pagelaw.wordpress.com will house our blog, containing casual observations, timely commentary, and the occasional rant. We look forward to your comments and hope you continue to keep us in mind for all your legal needs.

Your Court Date

One of the most common questions we get is from current clients asking when their case is set to go to court. While we’re happy to tell you your court date, we are often unavailable to talk with you when you call because we’re in court, on the phone, or otherwise engaged.  If all you want to know is your court date, we strongly recommend getting your court date from the Clerk of Court’s Office.

For one thing, the Clerk of Court is the official keeper of the court records.  If they tell you your court date is March 15th, it IS March 15th.  They make the dockets, mark the files, and keep the records.

Secondly, they have an industrial phone system and multiple personable and highly-trained staff  available to take your call.

Finally, and best of all, they have a website where you can look up your pending criminal or traffic court date.

COMING SOON!

We’re preparing for some MAJOR website changes in the very near future.  Please be aware that these changes are designed to improve the experience of our current and prospective clients.  If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see in our new site, please let us know.

New at Page Law Office

I am proud to announce that we are expanding our practice areas.   Mr. Hilscher has expanded his practice to include Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support and other aspects of family law.

We have been inundated over the last year with requests for assistance in these areas and have previously referred the cases to other attorneys in the area.  Nevertheless, it has become increasingly clear that there continues to be a real need in this area for another firm to practice in these matters. We know that these are often sensitive cases involving damaged relationships and raw emotions, and we are here to give you sympathetic and thoughtful legal advice.

We strive to give you honest and up-front counsel, reasonable rates and strong advocacy for your rights.  As always, our consultations are free up to a half-hour, in which we will listen to your situation, assess your case  and quote you a fee.  We will also happily consider matching any other fee quote you receive.

If you or someone you know has a need in these areas, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Help Me Help You (reprise)

I’m overworking my stress reduction tool today.

If you want your attorney to work some magic on your Drunk and Disorderly charge, it is really not a good idea to show up to court so obviously impaired that the bailiff sends you home.

*Sigh*

Choosing the Best Ownership Structure for Your Business

The right structure — corporation, LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship — depends on who will own your business and what its activities will be.

When you start a business, you must decide whether it will be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or limited liability company (LLC).

Which of these forms is right for your business depends on the type of business you run, how many owners it has, and its financial situation. No one choice suits every business: Business owners have to pick the structure that best meets their needs. This article introduces several of the most important factors to consider, including:

• the potential risks and liabilities of your business
• the formalities and expenses involved in establishing and maintaining the various business structures
• your income tax situation, and
• your investment needs.

An Example

“How can you represent them?”

This question represents one of the larger sources of misunderstanding between the ethics of the legal profession and those who view attorneys in the worst, most stereotypical fashion.  I can’t speak for how other attorneys might answer this question, but for me the answer is:  I represent them, because someone once did it for me.

“But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.”  ~ Romans 5:8

You’re Not Helping

If you flip someone off in traffic, you might get angry stares or a nasty honk of the car horn, but if you do it in court, expect much more severe consequences.

A McHenry County [Illinois] man found that out the hard way.

Kane Kellett, 24, raised his middle finger while he was being sworn in to face home invasion charges at a rights hearing, the Daily Herald reported. He also hurled profanity at Judge G. Martin Zopp.

Zopp promptly gave Kellett six months in jail for contempt of court.

H/T CBS 2 Chicago

What Not to Wear 3

General rule, people:  The clothing you wear to court should say nothing about you besides, “I am an upstanding citizen of North Carolina deserving of mercy and trust.”  I recently saw a shirt in court with the name of what appeared to be a band. This band had chosen to name itself after the Latin phrase Tabula Rasa, meaning “blank slate”.  In and of itself, not the worst attire I’ve seen in court by a long stretch, but in this case, it only served to underscore and give hidden meaning to the vacant expression of its owner, who looked startlingly like this guy:

Introducing Kris Hilscher

I am pleased to announce the addition of attorney Kris Hilscher to Page Law Office.  Mr. Hilscher is a bright and talented graduate of Campbell University School of Law, and I am excited to have him on board.

There have been times in the past in which it was difficult for me as a solo attorney to be in all the places I was needed and to quickly respond to current and prospective clients.  Having Kris on board greatly enhances my ability to ensure that all of my client’s needs are being met.  Now we are able to tackle our day as a team, whether that requires handling cases in multiple counties or responding to client inquiries while the other is in trial.

A recent admittee to the North Carolina Bar, Mr. Hilscher is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Campell Law Observer.  Moreover, during his third year in law school, he practiced with the 11th District Attorney’s Office in Johnston County and gained significant experience handling cases in criminal district court.  I expect that clients of Page Law Office will appreciate his writing talent, courtroom skills and the personal service he provides.