Archive for April, 2011
FBI arrests Tennessee pastor for role in child custody case
He is charged with aiding in international parental kidnapping, which carries a three-year prison term.
Published Apr 22, 2011.
Read more: Portland Press Herald
The Training and Skills You Need to Become a Court Clerk
Courts process many hundreds and even thousands of documents every day in court cases, ranging from minor traffic tickets to murder. Some types of cases processed in the court system include traffic infractions, domestic disputes, small claims, personal injury claims, bankruptcies, and criminal charges ranging from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies. Court clerks play an essential role in the daily operations of all court systems, including municipal, county, state, and federal courts.
What is a Court Clerk?
A court clerk performs a variety of tasks in the everyday operations of a courthouse. A court clerk may provide face-to-face customer service in a clerk’s office, and take calls from people asking about court services, like how to file for divorce, for example. Court clerks often research and prepare copies of court documents, which sometimes involve looking at microfilm of very old court cases.
They take new cases for filing, and perform many other administrative and customer service tasks. The specifics of a court clerk’s job will vary depending on the jurisdiction of the particular court, but a court clerk always works in direct contact with people who need to navigate the court system.
What Skills and Knowledge Does a Court Clerk Need?
If you want to work as a court clerk, you’ll need a good combination of clerical, computer, and people skills. You must learn to adapt quickly to technology and use database programs specific to the court system that you will be working in. You will also need to be familiar with legal documents and legal terminology, and you must have the ability to keep cool under pressure.
A lot of the people you’ll come into contact with might be angry, upset, or confused about their involvement in the legal system. While this can make clerking a stressful job, it is also an exciting one, since you will get to see major court cases from the frontline.
What Kind of Training Does a Court Clerk Need?
In most cases, there is no formal education required to work as a court clerk. Even though a college degree isn’t strictly required, a certificate or associate degree will be helpful. Courts sometimes hire people who have general administrative and customer service experience, especially in smaller towns.
In larger court systems with a high volume of cases and more demanding customer service requirements, prior work in the legal field and extensive familiarity with legal terminology will probably be required. You can get relevant experience by working as a legal secretary, legal assistant, or file clerk.
How Will I Know if a Job as a Court Clerk is Right for Me?
A good way to see what a court clerk actually does is to simply visit your local courthouse and watch how things unfold at the clerk’s office. You are likely to see clerks behind the counter entering data, stamping documents, and answering customers’ questions.
If you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with the opportunity to interact with a variety of different people, court clerking may be for you. If you keep calm under pressure, have good clerical and computer skills, and enjoy a job that focuses on customer service, organization, and multi-tasking, you have the skills to land a job as a court clerk.
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Originally published here.
Kenneth Echie
Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer explains calculating your accident settlement
Ottawa Lawyers: Calculating Your Settlement
1. Damages
First you must understand what damages you are entitled to. If your accident or injury caused you to miss time and wages from your work, you are entitled to receive those lost wages in your compensation. If your injury requires you to take long term disability, you should be compensated for that as well. Any property damages as a result of your accident, as well as emotional trauma and medical bills from physical trauma, these are all things that you will want to calculate in as damages for your compensation. Experienced Ottawa lawyers can help you figure out what your damages are from your accident and ensure that you are properly compensated.
Who?s More at Fault?
Another factor in determining settlement amounts is the percentage of fault. In order to win a case, Ottawa lawyers must have evidence that the accident or injury was due to the negligence of the other party. However, 100% of the injury need not be their fault. Typically some of the blame may lie on the side of the injured party, and in that case the insurance company and the victim can come to a conclusion as to what percent of the accident was the fault of the injured party and what percent was the fault of the other party.
Once a conclusion has been reached, there is a new calculation of the possible settlement amount. After adding up all of the damage amounts, including lost wages, disability, mental anguish, and anything else you may feel entitled to, the percentage that is attributed to your fault is then taken out of the equation. For example, if your damages total $1,000, and it is decided that you are 30% to blame for the accident, you would be seeking out $700 in compensation for your losses. Experienced Ottawa lawyers may try to argue for more on your behalf, but this is the number that will typically begin the negotiations.
If you or a loved one has been injured or died as the result of an accident, you may be entitled to accident benefits you are not receiving. As an Ottawa lpersonal injury lawyer specializing in personal injury, I meet with people daily who have been seriously hurt and need help. Call me at 613 978-9549 or email info@ottawainjury.ca for more information and a free consultation.
Visit www.ottawainjury.ca
Originally published here.
Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer David Hollingsworth