Posted on January 15, 2020 in Immigration

There are many reasons why people from other countries wish to live in the United States. It could be to join extended family members who reside here or to obtain better education or employment. The legal steps for becoming a U.S. citizen can seem daunting at first. However, the government offers guidance on the proper procedures depending on the situation. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for managing the legal immigration to our country. The USCIS is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Recently, the USCIS announced it expanded the guidelines related to the naturalization requirement of “good moral character (GMC).” It is important to understand how GMC is defined and how this news can affect the immigration process.

How Is “Good Moral Character” Defined?

Good moral character is typically defined as an ideal state of a person’s beliefs and values that benefit society. According to U.S. law, GMC can be assessed through the requirement of virtuous acts or by evaluating negative conduct. In legal judgments, GMC can include several different characteristics, such as the below:

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 Posted on January 15, 2020 in Personal Injury

If you have ever traveled on any of America’s highways, you have probably noticed how many large trucks drive on the road each day. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), there were 36 million large trucks registered and used for business purposes in 2017. When large trucks are involved in motor vehicle collisions, the results can often be catastrophic, especially when other vehicles are involved. Large trucks can weigh tens of thousands of pounds, compared to the average passenger vehicle which typically weighs about 5,000 pounds. Due to this disparity, truck accidents are likely to result in serious injuries to the occupants of other cars. Even though the causes of truck accidents can vary, the following are a few examples of who could be held liable for injuries sustained in a truck accident:

The Truck Driver

One of the most common parties to be held liable for a trucking accident is one of the most obvious -- the truck driver. The motorist is the person who is in actual physical control of the vehicle, so everything that he or she does can contribute to whether or not an accident occurs. For example, a truck driver who speeds, drives while distracted, violates traffic laws, or drives while drowsy or under the influence of drugs or alcohol may be held responsible for his or her actions.

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 Posted on January 08, 2020 in Immigration

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced it is updating its policy manual to reflect information on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients who travel outside of the United States and who are subject to deportation or removal proceedings. Specifically, this amendment covers those immigrants with final removal orders, who leave the United States and reenter with an advance parole travel document.

What Is an Advance Parole Travel Document?

In U.S. immigration matters, an advance parole travel document is temporary “approval” to travel outside of the United States. Nonimmigrants, including TPS immigrants, must obtain Advance Parole to receive permission to reenter the United States after traveling abroad without threatening their current status. This works similar to a visa when an immigrant lawfully enters the United States.

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 Posted on January 07, 2020 in Family Law

Informing your children of your impending divorce is likely one of the most difficult tasks you will face as you make the transition from married to single parent. Since the divorce process is unique to each family, there is only so much you can control as you navigate this difficult journey. No one knows your children or understands the bond you share as a family better than you. Delivering the news is never easy, but according to psychology experts, a premeditated conversation can create the opportunity for a smoother, less stressful experience for everyone involved.

Set the Stage

Psychologists emphasize that learning of their parents’ divorce is something that a child will always remember. How you handle the conversation can have a lasting impact on your children’s perception of their long-term family life, and it can also affect how they take the news in the immediate, short term. You will likely want to approach this matter with delicacy, but you can also use the conversation as a chance to reassure your children that you will always be there for them and let them know about some positive changes they may be experiencing.

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 Posted on December 30, 2019 in Family Law

Time and time again, we hear about the many different factors that can contribute and ultimately lead to a divorce. While certain red flags have proven to be important in predicting the outcome of a marriage, identifying the qualities in a relationship that can boost the chances of success are just as crucial. Although the aspects that support and strengthen the bond of a life-long partnership may not prevent a divorce that is already in motion, knowing what to look for may help avoid one in the future.

Qualities that a Married Couple Should try to Possess

Marriage is a partnership that requires hard work and dedication from both spouses. If the aspects listed below are present in your relationship, experts believe you have a higher chance of experiencing a healthy, lasting marriage:

• A safe-zone dynamic - It is no surprise that a key quality in every healthy relationship is a mutual sense of trust, but studies suggest that this can mean several different things in a lasting marriage. Not only do partners need to have faith in one another on a basic level, but husbands and wives should also be able to confide with each other and be themselves. Spouses who feel a sense of refuge in their relationship are more likely to experience a stronger marriage.

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 Posted on December 30, 2019 in Personal Injury

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were approximately 450,000 police-reported traffic accidents involving large trucks in 2017. Of these documented crashes, roughly 344,000 resulted in at least one person experiencing some sort of personal injury. Due to the large size of semi-trucks and tractor-trailers, if an injury or wrongful death does result from a truck accident, the victim is often the individual that is in the opposing vehicle. As of recently, there has been an increased effort placed on determining what can cause these dangerous crashes and how they can be prevented. Financial compensation may be awarded to the victim of an auto collision.

Critical Events

Among the many variables that can lead a truck accident, the actions or factors that make an auto collision unavoidable are known as critical events. According to the FMCSA, there are three types of critical events that are most commonly involved in collisions:

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 Posted on December 28, 2019 in Personal Injury

Everyone crosses multiple thresholds and passes through numerous doorways every day without incident. Doors and doorways are built to provide structure and access to a room or establishment and are generally safe to travel through without much if any, concern or thought. Unfortunately, slip and fall accidents do happen – leading to serious injury that could have been prevented had the proper precautions been used. Businesses in particular, but in fact, all property owners have a legal duty to ensure all aspects of the premises are safe and working for guests and visitors. This means conducting reasonable inspections and fixing problems when discovered.

For the average homeowner, not enough people come in and out to create the kind of wear and tear stores and other companies open to the public experience, meaning most will never have an issue. Businesses, on the other hand, should perform regular inspections and maintenance on all aspects of the facility, including the entryway, because there are many more opportunities for things to break and cause an injury.

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 Posted on December 27, 2019 in Immigration

Immigration is a popular topic these days due to the current White House administration’s focus on securing our borders. If someone from another country wishes to become a United States citizen, it is not as easy as simply obtaining a passport and buying a plane ticket. A foreign national must complete many legal steps to immigrate to the United States. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administers the country’s immigration and naturalization system. The USCIS recently released a set of guidelines on what to do if an alien’s conditional permanent residence status ends.

What Is Conditional Permanent Residence Status?

A Conditional Permanent Resident (CPR) is when a foreign national is granted permanent resident status in the United States on a conditional basis. This can be a spouse of a U.S. citizen or an immigrant entrepreneur (investor). As a CPR, an alien receives a Green Card, which is valid for two years.

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 Posted on December 20, 2019 in Personal Injury

In this day and age of advanced technology, there has been an emphasis placed on our well-being. Safe driving measures, specifically, have been of great interest to both federal and state governments across the country. One of the most notorious dangerous driving behaviors that causes thousands of car accidents each year is operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Increased focus has also been placed on other reckless behaviors, such as distracted driving and speeding. Recently, however, a trend of drowsy/fatigued driving has been scrutinized as an additional form of unsafe driving.

What Is Drowsy Driving?

Simply put, drowsy driving occurs when a person gets behind the wheel of a car when they are tired. Although everyone experiences fatigue differently, it is always considered unsafe to drive a vehicle if you are sleepy. Not all drowsy drivers will fall asleep at the wheel, but the likelihood of an accident does increase. If you are driving while you are tired, your senses are not as alert, your brain functions a little slower, and you could end up in a serious accident.

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 Posted on December 20, 2019 in Family Law

The divorce journey is just as much a psychological process as it is a legal one. Interactions between both parties are often emotionally charged, no matter how amicable the decision to end the marriage may be. If you are fortunate enough to be on good terms with your spouse as you proceed with your divorce, you can have some significant advantages as you move forward with the experience. Ending a marriage is always painful to some degree and is certainly never easy, but an uncontested divorce under any circumstances is always preferable over a contested one.

Divorcing Amicably

In an uncontested divorce, both parties are cooperative, and neither is resisting or fighting against the dissolution of marriage. There are no major disagreements, and any arguments that do arise are typically easy to resolve, since each spouse is concerned with making decisions that support the best interests of both parties. If you are able to find and keep some common ground with your spouse as you begin the divorce proceedings, you may discover the following advantages:

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