Mississippi Recent Legal Answers from Lawyers

Almost every civil claim requires money damages, i.e. the money you lost due to the other party's wrongdoing.  It's not like a criminal prosecution where attempted murder or burglary, etc. is just as much of a crime as a succesful murder, burglary, etc.  If you had actually broken a tooth, you might have a case for the sost of the dental work, and maybe for pain and suffering,  As it is, all you've lost is, arguably, the price you paid for hte chicken.... Read More

This can only be done, and then in line with your mother's Will or, if she has not Will, distributing to her heirs at law, by someone who is her agent under a Durable Power of Attorney recorded in the county deed records or by someone who has been appointed guardian of her estate by a court.  If your sister is neither of these, you might want to talk with an elder lawyer about getting the apparent fraud undone.  You can find one near you on the website of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (www.naela.org)    ... Read More

To "press charges" means to go to the authorities (police, district attorney) and ask them to pursue criminal claims against the driver resulting in criminal penalties, i.e. jail.  That can only be done in Mississippi, where the crime occurred.  You may be able to file a civil suit for money damages in Oregon, but only if there is some basis for Oregon to exercise personal jurisdiction over the driver, i.e. he owns a home there, he regularly does businesss there, etc.... Read More

No.  Lawyers do not commonly keep Wills and spend their days tracking obituaries in the newspaper or deaths reported to the Bureau of Vital Statistics and then notify people named in the Wills. In some states a Will can be admitted to probate some years after death but only to transfer title to real property.  Perhaps MS is not one of those states.... Read More

Whether you can keep your home in a Chapter 7 depends on the amount of equity in the property and the amount of exemptions to which you are entitled under applicable state or federal law. Most states have homestead exemptions which protect a certain amount of equity. The best way to determine what assets you can keep, as well as whether you are eligible for Chapter 7 and if it is your best option, is to have a comprehensive consultation with an experienced bankruptcy attorney in your area.  ... Read More

A F-1 student visa is given in the discretion of an American consular officer depending upon his or her perception of the applicant's bona fide nonimmigrant intent. You would have to convince the American consular officer that you still have ties and bonds to return to in your home country once your course of study is over. Also two of the questions on the DS-160 non-immigrant visa application form are whether you are married and  whether you have close relatives, including a spouse, in the US. You should be sure of the answers before answering . In that way, you would avoid any possibility  of committing a misrepresentation. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.  ... Read More

Unless a contract provides otherwise, most debt enforcement procedures, including garnishment of income, can only be employed after a judgment, in other words only after you sue and a court finds that you are owed the money.  Once you get a judgment, you can garnish the judgment debtor's income (except for certain exempt income, which does not seem to apply here).... Read More

I don't think it is worth hiring an attorney over $400, but if you are a corporation or other business entity you may have no choice.  Corporations, llc's, and some others are legal entities which can only be represented by attorneys.  Individuals can represent themselves, but not anyone or anything else.  However, in some small claims courts, a shareholder is allowed to represent his corporation.  I do not know if the small claims court in your jurisdiction is one of these.... Read More