Writing a will can be a daunting, even harrowing experience. Confronting the inevitability of your own death and deciding what should be done with all of your belongings can be a scary thing. For this and other reasons, some people never write a will. Other times, young people die unexpectedly, too quickly to have ever even considered how their property will be handled after their death. The question of how property is handled after someone dies without a will is an important one and one that has a complicated answer.

Intestate Laws by State

Dying without a will means dying intestate; in this instance, your property is distributed by your state’s intestacy laws. Depending on if you are married or single, as well as if you have children or parents who are still alive, the state you live in will distribute your estate automatically. These laws differ from state to state; if you own property in another state than the one you died in, it will be distributed according to that state’s laws.

If You Die Single

When people think of last wills, they usually picture someone passing on their possessions to their spouse and children. But if someone dies without a will, and doesn’t have a spouse or children, then who will receive their estate? In the event of someone dying with no children, then their estate is passed on to their living parents. If both are living, the entire estate is passed to them; if only one is living, then it is split evenly between that parent and any siblings. If someone dies single without any living parents or siblings, then their estate is split evenly between the relatives on both parents’ sides.

If You Die While Married

If you fall more into the traditional inheritance structure of being married with children, then intestacy laws are a bit simpler. If you die without a will, your estate is automatically passed on to your spouse in its entirety, even if you have children with that spouse. If, however, you have children from a previous marriage, then it will be sp[lit evenly between your current spouse and those children.

These laws vary from state to state, but they are compulsory. If you want to ensure that your current spouse receives everything, or if you want to make sure your parents are completely left out, then you should contact an estate lawyer, like from the Yee Law Group, to draw up a last will.

Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were recently injured in an accident, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit. While some people believe if they suffered any injury, they deserve compensation, this is not always the case. Some guidelines dictate who can file a personal injury lawsuit, as a personal injury lawyer in Houston, TX, from a law firm like John K. Zaid & Associates can explain. Here are two questions to ask yourself if you think you may have a personal injury case.

Who Caused the Accident?
If you are in an accident, you can only file a personal injury lawsuit if someone else is at fault. For instance, if you were the one to cause an accident, you may have to pay a settlement, rather than file a claim against the other party. If the other party is at fault and acted carelessly, then you may have a case.

When it comes to negligence, the person had to breach his or her duty of care. For instance, in the case of a car accident, everyone has a duty to other vehicles on the road. Drivers must follow the regulations to keep others safe.

Did You Suffer an Injury?
To have a personal injury case, you have to suffer an injury. Some people mistakenly think that if a person puts them in danger, they automatically have a personal injury case. For example, if a car runs a red light and narrowly misses you in the crosswalk, the driver did put your life at risk, but you weren’t injured. His or her negligence could have caused serious harm, but you do not have a personal injury lawsuit.

There are instances in which someone’s actions could have resulted in severe injuries. If you are lucky and there were no injuries, then you do not have a case. However, if you suffered an injury or if your property was damaged due to the other person’s actions, you would have grounds to pursue legal action. An injury needs to have a value high enough to make a claim worth it. For instance, if you were hit by a bicycle but only suffered minor bruises, it may not be worth filing a personal injury claim against the bicyclist.

Personal injury law can be complicated. If you are unsure if you have a case, consider contacting a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. He or she can sit down with you, examine the facts of your case, analyze the evidence and determine whether you have a solid personal injury lawsuit.

DWI lawyer

When getting pulled over by the police on your way home from a friend’s house results in a DWI charge, you may be dealing with some overwhelming feelings. Not just that, but there may be a conglomerate of information that you do not understand.

In states where DWI is the charge for driving while intoxicated (as opposed to a DUI), three degrees denote the level and type of charge you may receive. There are many differences between these charges and what each may ultimately mean for your case, as a DC DWI lawyer from a firm like the Law Firm of Frederick J. Brynn can explain.

Simple DWI

The police officer who stopped you probably observed something wrong with your driving. Perhaps you crossed a solid line or made an illegal turn on red. Regardless, the stop resulted in a face-to-face, which eventually ended in your arrest for the DWI.

If you get slapped with a simple charge, it means the police had reason to believe you were driving under the influence. This may mean you exhibited physical signs of being under the influence of drugs, something that a breath test cannot usually detect. If you do wind up taking a breath test, and it registers impairment due to alcohol, this charge will be amended or changed. A simple DWI means your behavior indicated something was amiss.

Aggravated DWI

The most serious in the tier is the aggravated DWI charge. If you find yourself facing this charge, it means that:

• Your breath test registered your BAC at .16 or higher
• You broke a string of traffic laws
• You caused an accident

When the accident causes bodily harm to another, you may find yourself facing a felony charge. An aggravated DWI usually comes with a high fine and some mandatory jail time.

Per Se DWI

In states that have a per se DWI charge, it means that you are presumed to have been under the influence while driving. The justification for the arrest and this charge is that your breath test registered right at .08, the federal standard that denotes intoxication. At this breath range, a driver may have had one or two alcoholic beverages, or they may have had more. While in custody, if the alcohol content in the blood rises, the charge could change. However, the police usually give the benefit of the doubt and charge a per se without recharging at a higher level.

Since each state differs in the way they handle driving while intoxicated charges, having a DWI lawyer is essential. Find one close by and consult with them as soon as you can.

With rising pressure to legalize and decriminalize marijuana, as well as increasing criticism of how federal and state police forces enforce drug laws, American drug law is in a strange state of flux. Much of the future of drug crime law rests on who the next president will be. Even so, it is important to understand how current drug laws operate and what the current penalties are.

Marijuana Law

Several states, like California, Washington and most famously Colorado have fully legalized marijuana at the recreational level. This means that anyone can freely obtain and use marijuana in the state, as long as they are of legal age. Several other states have legalized medical marijuana, which means that someone can obtain and consume it with a doctor’s prescription. A few states and cities like Atlanta have decriminalized marijuana; while it is not legal to obtain and consume, people in these cities will no longer be arrested for being caught with marijuana in their possession. However, marijuana has not been decriminalized at the federal level, meaning that in many parts of the country a small amount of it could lead to arrest. In these places where it is still illegal, marijuana offenses can be treated like any other drug crime.

Different Drug Crimes

American drug crime falls into two categories: possession and distribution. These categories are generally based on the weight of the drugs found in the person’s possession. Below is a general list of the different punishments based on weight. Below is Texas’s drug crimes range, which is emblematic of how drug crimes are categorized in America as a whole:

• Less than 1 gram: State jail felony, up to 2 years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
• 1-4 grams: 2nd-degree felony, 2-20 years, and a fine of up to $10,000.
• 4-200 grams:1st-degree felony, 5-99 years, and up to a $10,000 fine.
• 200-400 grams: 1st-degree enhanced felony, 10-99 years in prison, and a fine of up to $100,000.
• 400 grams or more: 1st-degree enhanced felony, life in prison or 15-99 years, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Generally, “intent to distribute” is assumed if a person is found with more than four grams of any illicit substance found in their possession. Some states are more generous, with Louisiana allowing up to 35 grams before they charge for intent to sell. others, like South Carolina, will charge for intent to sell for possession of more than one gram. If you or someone you know has been charged with possession, call a criminal defense attorney like from Morales Law Firm, today.

Every state has local agencies set up to help you set up and enforce an order for child support. Generally speaking, you can fill out a short form and submit a copy of your child support order (if it already exists) to get help from your local office. Generally speaking, these services will be free to any recipients of public assistance like food stamps or TANF.

Additionally, you can hire an experienced child support lawyer to help you set up and enforce an order for child support. This can be helpful, especially if you have problems communicating with your ex or other concerns. Your local child support agency is strictly concerned with child support and won’t be able to help you with any other issues that may arise. Custody and visitation, for example, are issues that will benefit from the aid of a legal attorney who is familiar with your state’s law.

Filing the paperwork to get a child support order enforced or established is complex. While an agency will be able to help guide you through the process, hiring a lawyer instead can help you with things like documenting income that your ex may receive, locating your ex in the first place, and facilitating the legal process of serving your ex with notice papers. Additionally, an experienced attorney will be able to help you determine what financial information needs to be collected to calculate an appropriate child support amount.

Even if a child support order has been established, it can be difficult to enforce. Your ex may not pay his or her child support on time – or at all. In this instance, the only way to have the order enforced is to either go through your local child support agency, or your state’s court system. You may be able to have a judge enforce a garnishment order or even file a contempt of court proceeding against your ex. Additionally, your ex’s tax refund may be intercepted to pay their obligations, their passport may have a hold placed on it, and liens can even be placed on their real estate or vehicles. A lawyer can be immensely helpful when it comes to enforcing a child support order and helping take appropriate actions.

If you have any questions regarding the creation or enforcement of a child support order, contact an experienced lawyer, like a child support lawyer from Pioletti, Pioletti, & Nichols Attorneys at Law, to help you. While you can file everything on your own, you may be leaving a lot of time and money on the table if you aren’t completely aware of your options.