July 2018

If you’re thinking about becoming a notary, there are a few questions that you might have that can often be answered by talking to someone at your local courthouse. After completing the coursework required to be a notary, you need to complete a notary application Florida offices have created in order to practice in the state. You will usually get your test scores about two weeks after you take the state exam to be a notary. You can have your scores sent to an email address or delivered to a mailing address that you list when you take the exam.

Being a notary means that you will need to be bonded by the state. You will need to have your fingerprints taken, which can be done at most police stations. There are usually certain forms that you have to complete when your fingerprints are taken so that all of the information is on file. In most instances, you are not eligible to be a notary if you have convictions on your criminal record. However, minor convictions can sometimes be overlooked depending on the specific charges. If you have a change of address, you need to let the state know within 30 days so that important documents can be delivered in a timely manner. You also need to make the state aware of any other changes that might impact being a notary. Any name change would be included in this information. An example would be if you were to get married while being a notary and would need to submit a name change or even a different address. There will be a time when your commission expires. This means that you would need to submit the proper documents to have your license renewed so that you can continue practicing in the state.…

Abuse and violence come in numerous forms. It doesn’t matter if you have a problem with cyber violence in Africa, or domestic violence in Houston, because it is a form of sexual, physical, economic, emotional, dating-related, psychological, focused abuse that could cause physical and mental harm to a victim.

We have compiled a list of the most critical types of violence that happens all around us:

1. Domestic Violence

By definition, domestic violence is a form of behavior that manipulate, intimidate, isolate, humiliate, terrorize, frighten, threaten, coerce, injure, blame or hurt someone in sexual, physical, psychological and economic threats or actions. It happens mostly in families, which is why we call it domestic. The main idea is to create a situation where one person will have power and control over another.

It includes:

• Physical abuse – Everything that has a form of physical violence such as biting, pinching, shoving, hitting, pulling and many more. The idea is to use physical force and power to intimidate the partner you’re living with. The leading cause could be substance or alcohol abuse, as well as the partner’s violent personality.
• Sexual abuse – If one partner tries to contact another partner without prior consent sexually, it is a form of sexual violence that usually happens in most families. It is a thin line between sexual abuse and rape, because rape represents sexual encounter, while sexual abuse could mean doing physical harm to original parts of the body, passive aggression due to sexual disagreement, or treating another partner in any demeaning manner.
• Economic abuse – Most people don’t know that this particular abuse even exists because we still live in the world where women and men are not equal when it comes to finances. Therefore, men due to inability to control the other side, try to make partner entirely financially dependent by controlling financial resources and assets. Consequently, it happens that husbands withhold access to money, or forbid employment or even schooling due to various reasons.
• Emotional abuse – The emotional abuse can cause significant psychological problems to a victim especially when people get married. Aggressor undermines the victim’s self-esteem, confidence, and self-worth. It can include constant criticism as well as name calling and diminishing one’s abilities and personality due to common mistakes.
• Psychological abuse – In most cases, it features threatening and intimidation with the idea to commit physical harm to partner, self, children or other parts of the family. It leads to complete destruction where victim think that the aggressor will make a hassle if it doesn’t go his way.

2. Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is the typical type of behavior, similar as the one that we’ve mentioned above, where a person doesn’t give consent for sexual intercourse, and aggressor tries to do it on a hard way. The victim feels frightened, uncomfortable and intimidated in the form of sexual activities.

Sometimes physical assaults can happen in the case that the aggressor tries to touch another person sexually, without a person’s consent. However, it doesn’t feature limitation to sexual intercourse, such as rape, because it can be sodomy, incest, child molestation, attempted rape, and fondling.

The victim and aggressor are not in the relationship, because then the violence would be a domestic form of sexual abuse. Therefore, if you force a person, drug, threaten sexually, then you’re committing sexual abuse.

It includes:

When someone puts their tongue, fingers, penis, mouth or any other objects in your penis, vagina or anus without your consent, it is the worst form of sexual abuse that we also call rape.

• If some touches, kisses, or fondle with your body without your permission.
• If someone is physically forcing you to have sexual intercourse, to give or receive oral sex.
• If someone forces you to masturbate them or to masturbate
• If someone forces you to watch sexually explicit content or to pose for graphic pictures with general threats.
• If health care professionals, doctors, and nurses give you additional internal examination or touching your sexual organs in unwarranted, unprofessional and inappropriate manner.
• If your boss tries to use his/her’s status to have sexual intercourse with you, or even lousy mouthing or flirting that you’re not feeling comfortable with.

To learn more on sexual violence and its history, we recommend you to click here.

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Do you need legal representation? Be careful about who you choose to be your lawyer. Since this is the person who will be handling all of your affairs and representing you in court, you’ll want them to be smart, reliable and trustworthy. Here are just a few tips for making sure that you find this diamond in the rough.

1. Look for a Specialist

Not all lawyers are the same. For example, a probate expert in Phoenix is going to have an entirely different skill set than a traffic lawyer in Charlotte NC. Don’t waste your time on someone with a practice area that doesn’t suit your needs. Find someone with a background in your particular type of case.

2. Get Recommendations

Has anyone in your family used a lawyer? Do they have any names that they can throw at you? Even if their recommendation is more like a warning to stay away from someone, it can help you narrow down your options when it comes to choosing a law firm. Positives and negatives can both help you make a decision.

3. Ask about Rates

Some lawyers charge by the hour. Others will ask for a flat fee. If you’re filing a lawsuit and hoping for damages, your lawyer might want a percentage of the settlement. You won’t know their exact rates unless you ask, so don’t be shy about opening a discussion on money matters.

4. Schedule a Consultation

At the end of the day, this is the most important step that you can take in hiring a lawyer. If you don’t meet them face-to-face, you can’t be sure that they’re the right choice for you. What if your personalities don’t mesh? What if they’re completely different than their advertisements suggest? Schedule a consultation and find out.

These are just a few things to keep in mind as you search for a lawyer. As you can see, there’s a lot more to the process than simply opening the phone book and choosing someone at random. You’ll need to be smart and thorough about your choice. Good luck!…

While no one wants to fall behind on their debts, it does happen in some cases and it’s often unavoidable. When this does happen, it adversely affects your credit and it creates a situation that keeps getting worse. This creates an intolerable situation and, in many of these cases, filing for bankruptcy may be the best option.

There are two types of bankruptcy, but a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the type that most people envision. In this type of bankruptcy, people suffering from mounting credit card bills, lawsuits, and other collections actions can obtain a new beginning. While a bankruptcy does show up on your credit report, it can often be a better alternative than continuing to build debt and risk liens, garnished wages, or worse.

Although a bankruptcy can affect your credit rating, it’s not a permanent situation. In many cases, careful financial planning can help you recover in just a few short years. Some people even raise their credit score to 700 within just two years. How fast you recover will depend on how you manage your finances, following the bankruptcy.

In typical cases, it takes four months to complete a bankruptcy filing, but, before you contact a chapter 7 lawyer Orlando FL, you should be aware that there are certain conditions you must be able to meet. If you fail to meet these requirements, you won’t be able to file a bankruptcy and you’ll just be wasting your attorney’s time.

1. Your income must not exceed the median income for the size of your household in Florida.

2. In cases where your income does exceed that value, you must be able to show that fixed expenses, like mortgage or rent payments, child support, and health insurance premiums, leave you with less than $167 per month. This excludes what you would pay out in credit card payments and similar debts.

3. A bankruptcy may also be permitted, where your debts are related to poor investment choices or a business venture that has failed.

If you qualify for a bankruptcy under these conditions, your best action is to contact an experienced bankruptcy attorney. A legal advocate familiar with Florida’s bankruptcy laws can help ensure you follow the stipulations that will lead to a successful filing.…