Category: Legal

Are you looking to hire a legal staffing firm? Finding the right agency can be challenging, but it is worth the effort. Having an experienced and reliable legal staffing firm on your side can make all the difference in helping you find qualified professionals that match your needs. Here are six tips for choosing the best legal staffing firm:

1. Consider your needs

Before committing to a particular agency, take some time to consider what type of legal staff you need. Do you need paralegals or lawyers? Do you need experienced staff or entry-level staff? What is your budget for recruitment? A clear understanding of your exact requirements will help narrow your search and make it easier to choose the right agency for your needs.

2. Compare services and fees

Once you’ve identified the type of staffing services you need, start comparing different agencies by evaluating their fees, services offered and years of experience in providing legal staff. Get quotes from several companies so you can compare them and choose the one that offers the best value for money. Be aware of hidden costs, such as additional fees for background checks or drug tests, which may not be included in the initial quote.

3. Check their reputation

It’s also important to do some research into each company’s reputation before making a decision. Look for customer reviews online, as these can provide valuable insight into how satisfied people have been with their services in the past. You should also check if they are registered with any professional or industry bodies, such as the National Association Of Personnel Services (NAPS). This will reassure you that they adhere to industry standards when recruiting staff and managing client accounts.

4. Ask about their processes and policies

Find out about their recruitment process and ask questions about how long it takes them to fill positions, what kind of screening methods they use, etc., so that there are no surprises later on in terms of timelines or costs incurred during recruitment activities. In addition, ask if they provide ongoing support after the placement has been made, such as training programmes or follow-up assessments, etc., which could be useful if there are any problems down the line with employee performance or retention rates, etc,

5. Flexibility & Availability Matters

When selecting a service provider, consider their availability and flexibility to work around client deadlines i.e. is the facility available 24/7? Are emergency placements possible? Is there scope for temporary hires? Such factors can be very useful, especially when dealing with urgent situations where quick action is required.

6. Communication & customer service

The ability to establish strong lines of communication between both parties is essential to the success of outsourcing arrangements. Quality customer service should also be a high priority, not only during the onboarding process, but also afterwards – look for companies that prioritise customer feedback and continually look for ways to improve their service quality.

These six tips should go a long way to helping you choose the right legal recruitment firm for your specific needs. With careful consideration when selecting an agency, leveraging their expertise will undoubtedly prove extremely beneficial in achieving organisational goals while streamlining operational efficiencies along the way.

The Trump administration is rolling out a new set of rules that will be put in place to protect U.S. travelers at international borders, including those on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced details about the changes Monday in a press release. The new policy requires all non-U.S. citizens coming into the country to have “substantially more information than what was previously required” before they can enter the United States.

They must show more documentation when entering the country, and they need to provide proof of identity and travel history, according to the DHS announcement. Under the new guidelines, travelers from countries with limited or no access to American airports are also subject to additional scrutiny, according to the DHS.

This change comes amid heightened concerns over COVID-19 infections in the United States, which has resulted in more people traveling internationally to visit family members. As a result, the number of people coming into the country through the southern border has increased substantially, as many of them cross through areas without adequate screening. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency processed 1 million fewer visitors along the southwest border in March compared to February, when there were around 3 million fewer people crossing the Southwest border into the United States. In response, CBP has stepped up its efforts to monitor U.S. citizens who do not possess proper travel documents.

These stricter standards apply only to people who come into the U.S. for tourism or business purposes, but if you are visiting friends and relatives in the U.S., the new guidelines still apply. If you plan to stay in the United States for longer than 90 days, you may need to get an ESTA waiver if you don’t already hold one. However, you cannot request a waiver if you have been in contact with someone who recently traveled to China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, Spain, France, Germany, Japan, or other affected countries within 14 days before your arrival in the United States.

What this means for travelers

According to the DHS, the new rules require travelers to submit certain information in advance before they arrive at a port of entry into the United States. The information includes name, date of birth, gender, passport number, nationality, address, phone numbers, email addresses, next of kin information, emergency contacts, medical conditions, criminal convictions, and any other pertinent personal information.

If you want to bring children under 18 years old or babies less than two months old on vacation with you, you now need to present a valid form of identification for each passenger. This includes passports, driver’s licenses, green cards, student IDs, work visas, etc. You won’t be able to use a U.S. birth certificate or Social Security card to establish age. And if you’re bringing pets on board, you’ll have to provide proof of vaccination records as well.

You can still bring your pet onto a plane, but you’ll need to provide a receipt showing it had been vaccinated against rabies. If you are flying internationally, you’ll need to get a TSA-approved vaccine for your animal while you’re boarding your flight, and then you can take care of the rest once you land.

While the government acknowledges these new rules are meant to help prevent foreign nationals from posing a risk to public health, they could potentially discourage some travelers from going to the United States. The new rules could cause headaches for those who want to visit loved ones in the U.S. or take a vacation here. But the measures are necessary to safeguard the safety of Americans by increasing border security.

How to prepare for the new rules

To make sure you’re prepared for the new requirements, you should familiarize yourself with the new procedures outlined in the guidance document. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:

Get all of your paperwork ready ahead of time. Check your airline tickets, hotel reservation confirmation emails, car rental reservations, etc. to see if you need to gather any additional documentation. If you’re staying in another state, check whether you need to pack an extra suitcase.

Bring your most recent copies of your passport, driver’s license, credit/debit cards, and any other forms of ID you currently carry. Make sure you have your boarding pass handy, too. If you’re planning to rent a car, make sure you have your vehicle registration papers ready as well.

If you’re taking a trip overseas, make sure you have your passport ready to go and all relevant travel documents in order. If you’re traveling via airplane, make sure you have your vaccinations ready. Remember to bring your boarding pass and any other relevant information so you can verify your itinerary when you arrive at your destination.

You may also want to read up on coronavirus prevention methods and precautions for tourists in the U.S., including hand hygiene, social distancing, and mask usage. And if you’re looking for ways to entertain your kids during quarantine, we’ve got plenty of ideas.

The person can apply for the esta from by taking the genuine steps. The main motive of people is to take the steps that will help in filling the form. A person can apply for the form through the online mode. In the long run the option will turn out to be favorable one. A person can take the steps to achieve the goals.

Let’s define the strategy of preeminence before we even go any further into this. It is essentially being the superior choice within your market. It attracts clients to your law firm, eager to hire you rather than your competition.

Don’t you want potential clients to feel like your firm is there to help them and not sell them? When your law firm is perceived as the authority it naturally draws clients in and they don’t feel like they are being sold anything. They truly feel that your firm is there to help them – because they see you as the leader.

Once you get on the path to preeminence and authority domination, you will never have to worry about where your next case is going to come from. You will never have to worry about what marketing strategies are losing you money and which ones are barely delivering a ROI. Your business grows exponentially and the financial reward is an added bonus.

So, How Does YOUR Law Firm Get Preeminence in YOUR Market?

Preeminence comes when you completely change the strategy and focus of your business growth. You have to see and position your firm as the local authority in your market. Not only do you need to appear to be the top dog, but you also have to believe it, feel it, and live it daily. This attitude will help you to position your law firm as the most reputable and trusted option in the eyes of anyone seeking legal help within your market.

You also have to love what you do. The business is going to come, the money will follow, and the growth will be rapid. When clients come into contact with your firm they need to sense you have a genuine interest in helping them, personally. When they sense that you care more, they will engage with your firm because they will feel you are a far better choice than any other law firm out there.

It Starts With Genuine Communication

Preeminent law firms are those that are trusted, mainly because they have established themselves as the authority online. When a potential client performs a search in Google and they see one firm occupying the top real estate it is automatically viewed as the best option.

Now, when you combine top Google rankings with authority placements and mentions on some of the largest and most trusted news and media websites, what do you get? When a potential clients sees that you have the search results covered as well as major media exposure they not only feel like they already know you, but they completely trust you before they even speak to you. The power of a digital presence is unlike anything else that you can do to brand your firm.

• How do you get potential clients to feel like they know you before they even meet you?

• How do you get them to feel as if they already have a personal connection to you?

The answer is simple: Personal Branding.

Take a look in your local market for a moment. Chances are that the other law firms that you compete with have absolutely no persona in your market. If you simply step outside the box and work on your personal branding the impact will be substantial.

We have single handedly helped law firms grow from one and two man operations to huge firms that had to change office locations multiple times to accommodate their size as they grew.

Very few law firms understand how to do this correctly. They believe that their degrees and accreditations are enough that cases and clients are magically going to call their firm and hire them. We live in a digital age, where people instantly turn to the Internet when they want to look up information or attempt to solve a problem.

Now, let’s assume that your law firm was in Los Angeles and you practiced criminal defense. What would happen if someone in the Los Angeles area went to Google and typed in “criminal defense attorney Los Angeles” – would your law firm show up? If you aren’t at the top position find your firm in the search results and ask yourself these questions:

1. If I were the consumer looking to hire a law firm would I click on this listing that is down below with hundreds of other search results?

2. Why would they click on my website rather than one of the top search results?

3. Will they feel confident about hiring my firm seeing as we aren’t ranking on top and viewed as an authority in our local market?

Having a digital presence that makes your firm desirable automatically results in consumers taking action.

So, how do you get your firm to that point?

Attract Authority

Many law firms feel that in order to sign a client they need to overwhelm them with information and statistics, but that is not the case at all. Trying too hard to “sell” or impress a potential client will only push them away.

The best way to ”sell” is to not sell at all! When someone can take the information available to them and make a decision whether or not they want to hire your firm or not, it is always going to result in a higher quality client. These types of clients are less maintenance and they are hiring your firm because they truly believe that you are the best choice. They didn’t base their decision on a fancy sales pitch.

Ways to Make The Decision Easier For Potential Clients

1. Rank on top of the organic Google search results

There is nothing more powerful than showing up on the top of Google’s organic search results. This instantly gives your law firm major credibility and a potential client is automatically going to believe in his or her mind that your firm is the best.

Complete domination is key, ranking on top for several keywords that pertain to your location as well as the areas of law that your firm practices. If a client is searching a generic term like “lawyer in (your location)” as well as “personal injury lawyer (your location)” and sees that your firm is listed on top for both they are going to instantly see you as the best choice. It is human nature to see impressive search results and automatically associate them with being the best. There is a reason why the majority of Google searchers never navigate past the first page, and why the majority of clicks go to the top three results. Naturally, we want the best, or at least what we assume is the best!

2. Compliment your organic rankings with paid search rankings

While organic search rankings deliver an incredible value it is also a good idea to occupy the top of the paid results as well. Implementing a PPC campaign into your marketing effort is a way to make sure that you completely own the top of the Google search results.

There is going to be a small percentage of individuals that gravitate towards the paid results – after all they wouldn’t exist if they didn’t receive a large percentage of clicks. By dominating the organic as well as paid results it ensures that your firm will receive the majority of search traffic from both the organic and paid channels. When you are just getting started you can focus on organic rankings, but once the revenue and growth is on the rise you need to ride the wave and keep up with the exponential growth and allocate advertising funds toward pay per click marketing. It will actually

3. Build authority through PR

Public Relations outreach is very effective for helping you to build that authority and image as the best choice. When we take on a brand new client for our law firm SEO services, the very first thing we do is syndicate a news worthy press release throughout network of journalists and media contacts. This gets picked up by some of the largest news media outlets, including ABC, Fox News, CNBS, and others. How do you think prospective clients would view a local firm that received press in these major news outlets? Are these outlets currently featuring your competition? The answer is most likely no.

This media trust can also be leveraged on your website as well. A simple “As Seen On” section complete with logos from the major news outlets that featured your firm builds instant credibility and a potential client is going to be more comfortable picking up the phone and calling your firm or submitting your consultation request form after seeing them. These are outlets that every consumer interacts with almost daily, so the familiarity factor combines with the trust and authority factor to make them completely comfortable.

4. Leverage media placements for branding and link building

Being features on huge websites such as The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and Inc are great for what we just discussed above, public relations, but they also help to enhance the SEO effort. Links from these types of major authority websites are virtually priceless. They are the links that your competitors would love to get but they have no idea how to get them. They are the links that every SEO company will tell you they can get, but none of them can deliver them.

Law Firm Authority can get you those links using our strategic outreach, and these are the types of links that help to push your law firm to the top of the Google search results. A single link from an authority source such as The Huffington Post is worth more than thousands of low quality links that the other SEO companies are building.

As SEO switches gears and more emphasis is place on actual PR and natural link building rather than spammy keyword heavy anchor text, these placements become extremely valuable. Automated software isn’t placing these links all over and a team of link builders isn’t building them. They are earned and placed by the media outlet. Leveraging a piece of custom content or a recent case that your firm handled allows us to get picked up by these outlets and earn the most highly desirable links.

You want these links, don’t you? You want major media coverage, right? You want to completely dominate your local market and be able to pick and choose the most appealing and profitable cases for your firm, right? If you answered “Yes,” then you need to contact us today and schedule a free strategy session, where we will review your current digital footprint and develop a custom strategy to have you controlling the search results and being the authority law firm in your market.

Achieve Greatness Using The Strategy of Preeminence

Every law firm wants to be the best. They all want to have more business rolling through their doors than they can handle. They want to be able to grow. Nobody wants to be average, but not everybody is willing to take the steps necessary to reach greatness. It doesn’t happen without the hard work and strategic planning.

Step #1: Picture what you want to achieve in terms of growth and revenue

All of your competitors that aren’t achieving greatness are stuck in a rut because of this first step. They simply can’t picture in their mind what complete domination looks like. They can’t even fathom what being the authority firm in your market would be like.

You have to be able to envision what it would be like to be the top firm and have your phones ringing off the hook. Take a look at some larger markets and look at the biggest and most successful firms. If you can’t picture yourself in that position it will be difficult to ever achieve it. In fact, if you can’t envision greatness you will never experience it and know what it feels like.

Step #2: Establish the solution to help you reach your growth and revenue goals

You need to identify what is going to help you achieve your goals and experience greatness. Dominating the digital space will help you reach your goals, and Law

In 2017, there was a substantial increase in the number of automobile accidents that resulted in deaths. Knowing the possible causes of accidents can help people be more attentive for their cause of action and recognize when they have to speak with a personal injury lawyer in their own claim.

Increased Fatalities in Little Village Chicago

The National Safety Council noted that there was an increase in automobile fatalities during the first half of 2017. In that time period there were more than 18,680 individuals who died in motor vehicle accidents and over two million individuals who sustained serious injuries across the nation. There were 40,000 people who died in automobile accidents in the year 2016. This number of deaths demonstrated that a 6 percent growth from 2015 and has been the most significant increase in motor vehicle fatalities in 53 decades.

Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents

Almost 100 people die in automobile accidents daily in the USA. According to statistical data, the most common causes of Automobile accidents include the following:

Speeding

Another frequent cause of motor vehicle accidents is speeding. Speeding has been a leading cause of motor vehicle accidents. When a driver is speeding, he or she has less time to brake or otherwise react before an crash. The motorist may be not able to correct the direction of the automobile, brake or prevent the collision. Speeding is often done together with other dangerous driving actions. By way of example, a motorist may speed while texting on a telephone, drinking and driving or impaired driving. When motorists fail to adjust their pace when the roadway is wet from rain, ice, sleet or snow, then they may skid off the roadway and be injured or killed in serious accidents. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has attributed 33,000 fatalities in the United States to the greater speed limits throughout the nation.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving has now surpassed drunk driving as the leading cause of motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Distracted driving happens when a driver takes her or his eyes, palms or attention from the road. Distracted driving includes eating, drinking, talking to passengers, fiddling with the radio, adjusting the GPS unit, reading and grooming. A serious and common form of driving is speaking on the telephone or texting. These kinds of distracted driving are particularly dangerous since they might take the motorist’s hands, attention and eyes off the street.

Distracted driving is very significant for drivers under age 24. Additionally, more than 220,000 teens of the exact same age were treated in emergency room departments for the injuries that they sustained.

Fatigued Driving

Fatigued driving results when a individual becomes tired while driving. Drowsy driving is much more common for those who work night shifts, get insufficient sleep or that drive many miles. Drowsy driving is of specific concern in the trucking industry, where automobile drivers log several miles and have an incentive to take shortcuts so as to get paid quicker. Drowsy driving results in one million motor vehicle accidents each year. Drowsy driving is dangerous because it impairs judgment, slows the capability to make decisions, reduces a driver’s alertness and attention.

Impaired Driving

Impaired driving also causes a significant variety of automotive mishaps in Illinois and across the country.

Drugged driving incidences also have increased over the past couple of decades. Drugged driving contains accidents brought on by impairment by prohibited substances as well as legally prescribed drugs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that over 22 percent of drivers test positive for some kind of medication, if it be illegal, over-the-counter or prescription drugs.

What should you do if you are in an auto crash? When it happens, injuries may be severe and emotions. But, there are important things to do in the scene of the accident and soon afterward. Below is a listing of items to do after an crash, if possible.

Stay at the Scene

Never leave the accident scene until it is appropriate to do so. If you leave, especially if someone has sustained injuries or was killed, you can face serious criminal penalties for being a shout motorist.

Assess on All Drivers and Passengers

Get medical attention for anybody who needs it. If a person is unconscious or has a neck or back pain, do not move them until qualified medical aid arrives, unless a danger requires moving the individual.

Call the Police

When there’s considerable property damage, bodily injury, or death, you want to telephone the police. Ask that a police report be filed in situations where cops do arrive in the scene, and receive the name and badge numbers of the responding officers.

Law enforcement will document the scene of the crash, record information about the involved parties, and ensure the protection of those involved in the crash as well as passing motorists. The priority is security, but the fact of the matter is data collected in this process can be vital to future lawsuit.

Exchange Information

If there are passengers, additionally obtain their names, numbers, and speeches.

But you should not apologize for anything at the scene. Is everybody okay?” You may be admitting legal liability for what occurred. Immediately after an accident, it may not be evident who was at fault or more in fault. Moreover, in many states, fault is not determinative of which insurance companies will pay for any reduction. Therefore, try not to acknowledge guilt unintentionally or unnecessarily.

Speak to Witnesses

Request every witness that which he or she saw. Get their names, numbers, or addresses, if possible. Ask locals if they’ve ever witnessed other accidents in the same place.

Contact your Insurance Provider

As soon as possible after the collision, call your insurance carrier. Insurance companies have coverage guidelines in order to extend coverage to their policyholders, and failure to report an accident in a timely manner can lead to the insurance company denying your claim at a later date.

Timeliness is especially important if you believe you’re at fault for the accident. If you’re sued, your insurance provider, in most situations, will offer you a defense, provided that you have met the obligations outlined on your insurance policy.

Cooperate with them and tell them the facts about what occurred and the extent of your injuries. Explain the facts clearly. If the insurance company finds out that you have lied to them about anything, you can get into serious trouble, including potential denial of coverage for the accident. Obtain and review any police record filed, so that you may point out who broke what traffic laws or that was at fault.

Seek medical care

It’s important to get checked out in the ER. Shock in the accident can numb the pain of harm for a while. Medical professionals might have the ability to see the telltale signs of accidents not clear to the naked eye.

Keep Track of Your Medical Treatment

Note any physicians, physical therapists, nurses, or other caregivers which you receive treatment from, and each medical provider that referred you to other health professionals. Keep a detailed account of those remedies or medications you receive. Additionally, ask copies of all medical reports and invoices as these help you prove your medical expenses later.

Medical costs are relatively easy to document, but suffering and pain is trickier to establish. Keep a list of how your injuries have impacted your daily life. Contain any missed workdays, listing any routine activities you can’t undertake, and describe how the injuries have affected your life.

Take photos

If it’s safe for you to accomplish this, take some pictures of the vehicles’ places, the harm, the location where the accident occurred, and any other photos you think would help in proving what occurred in the accident.

If you cannot take photos, then take notes. Draw diagrams of the scene, so it will help when you’re talking details with law enforcement and your insurance company.

Photos help your insurance adjuster determine how much you should be compensated for the damage to your car and can help in court. Photographs of your car before the accident can offer a great “compare and contrast” to show the real extent of the damage suffered in the crash.

Speech the damage to Your Car

Regarding the property damage on your car or truck, and subject to any information provided to you by a attorney, talk with your insurance carrier about the damage to your car or truck. If the other party is to blame for your crash, the compensation should be managed through another party’s liability insurance. If you are at fault, your damage will be handled through your own policy’s crash policy, subject to your deductible. Most insurance carriers will guide you through the process of getting your car repaired, and a few even recommend repair facilities that cover repairs under a short warranty.

Obtain your insurance company’s damage valuation. If you are not satisfied with how your insurer has valued your vehicle, don’t give up. Get two independent repair estimates or replacement estimates. Assertively notify the adjuster of your worries. If you can not agree on your auto’s value, consider mediation or consult an lawyer.

Be careful what you say at the Crash scene

Even if you feel that the crash was your fault, do not admit fault or blame at the scene. The phrase What you say can and will be used against you in a court of law typically identifies criminal cases as part of their Miranda Rights, but it also applies in civil cases, such as those that originate from accidents in a car accident.

Keep communications with the other party civil as well as brief. Maintain your cool and refrain from “finger pointing” at the scene. When you’re interviewed by a police officer about the truth, keep it easy, and refrain from imagining things like speed and space. Just stick to what you understand. If you aren’t sure how to answer a query, say simply, “I do not understand.”

Don’t speak to anyone about the accident aside from your attorney, your insurance company, and the police. Don’t speak to a representative of another insurer, without the knowledge of your attorney or insurer. Also, tell your lawyer or insurer about the call.

Be Wary of Early Settlement Offers

Be careful, if you’re given a settlement from an insurance company. Confirm all your physical injuries have been treated. Some injuries don’t show up or reach their greatest degree of discomfort until many days, weeks, or months afterwards. Don’t settle a claim until you understand you’ll be paid for all your injuries, and consult a lawyer before signing any settlement records.

Mental Incompetence

If the victim is mentally incompetent after the accident, the statute of limitations may be tolled. These sufferers have just two years to file a personal injury lawsuit once they regain their capacity.

Discovery of Harm

Some legal doctrines extend the statute of limitations so that a person may be able to file a lawsuit after the conventional statute of limitations continues to run. 1 such legal concept is the discovery of harm rule. This legal theory holds that in some cases a plaintiff may not be aware of the injury that he or she has suffered. Rather than holding the victim to the same two-year statute of limitations, the statute of limitations would be tolled or stopped until the plaintiff discovers the injury after which the statute of limitations begins to tick from that date.

Nonetheless, in order for it to apply, the court has to be convinced that the plaintiff didn’t realize the harm he or she suffered until a later date and that this delay of finding out this advice was fair under the conditions. This means that the personal injury lawsuit must be filed within two years from once the cause of action arose. In most situations, this can be within a couple of years from the date the injury happened. This statute of limitations applies to personal injury cases, including medical malpractice and wrongful death cases.

Statute of Repose

Besides some statute of limitations, Illinois has a separate law of interest to the time limit for medical malpractice case. This statute of limitations is two decades. The statute begins to run when a man knew, or should have known through the