This afternoon Slate magazine posted an interesting (and quite telling) calculator that allows you to enter your annual income for 2010 and see how long it took Mitt Romney to earn that amount in 2010, and vice versa (how long it would take you to earn his amount of income).
Here it is:
The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously restricted the police’s ability to use a GPS device to track criminal suspects in a first test of how privacy rights will be protected in the digital age.
The court rejected the government’s view that long-term surveillance of a suspect by GPS tracking is no different than traditional, low-tech forms of monitoring. But its decision was nuanced and incremental, leaving open the larger questions of how government may use the information generated by modern technology for surveillance purposes.
complete story from The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-warrants-needed-in-gps-tracking/2012/01/23/gIQAx7qGLQ_story.html
Happy 2012!
January is well under way and many of us are tidying up our matters from last year and planning for this year.
If you, your family, or friends have the need for an attorney in your new year’s planning, please feel free to call me at your earliest convenience. Happy New Year, Eric
(713) 370-7100
eric@ericgruetzner.com
www.ericgruetzner.com
Please remember to vote today….the polls are open from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM. If you need polling place information in Harris County, please visit www.harrisvotes.org. Eric
I had a client come to me after he had a bone-breaking fall in a store, and as you might imagine, he had many questions and concerns. It’s not unusual for a slip and fall to produce such a serious injury, but what you do immediately after the accident is critical. First, take care of yourself! Seek out medical attention and get the treatment you need. Don’t talk to anyone about the facts of the fall, especially anyone from the store or the store’s insurance company (remember those folks are looking out for the store’s interests, NOT yours). Next, call me at (713) 370-7100 or email me at eric@ericgruetzner.com and let’s visit about your accident. Texas slip and fall law is stacked heavily in favor of the store-owners, so it is wise for you to consult with an experienced Texas slip and fall attorney as soon as possible about your case! Take care and until next time, stay safe out there, Eric
As an attorney I have represented hundreds of accident victims. Before becoming an attorney I worked for a large insurance company in the commercial claims department, so I’ve seen this issue from both sides and I can confidently say that before you speak to ANYONE from any insurance company, you should consult with an attorney first.
Why? Simple, an attorney has your interests first and will advocate for you. The insurance adjuster has the interests of his/her company and insurance policy holder first, NOT you.
But I don’t have anything to hide, you say. And I do not believe you do, but let me give you a short example. It is routine in a car accident for the adjuster to ask you how fast you were driving immediately before the crash. You may say something like “about 45 MPH.” Now unless you specifically remember looking at your speedometer and it said 45 MPH, you should reconsider answering with such certainty. In a number of cases I have seen the insurance company take that statement (45 MPH) and use an “expert witness” to calculate braking distances and then blame YOU for the accident.
If you had spoken with an attorney, he/she would have asked you when you last looked at the speedometer, etc….before letting you guesstimate your way through a statement.
If you have an Texas injury case that you would like to talk to me about, please feel free to call me at (713) 370-7100 or you may email me directly at eric@ericgruetzner.com.
Recently I blogged that SB 820 was in the works, and it has now passed.
Let’s all hope that once it is in practice that it will provide a good groundwork for possession and access schedules for children under three years of age.
Here’s the link and history on the bill as passed: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/History.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB820&Sort=A
Eric Gruetzner
The Texas Legislature is in session, and Senate Bill 820 may result in more guidance to judges and attorneys in crafting possession and access schedules. Essentially, it appears that the bill will amend the Texas Family Code by spelling out the relevant factors that a court must consider when making a possession order for children under three. Let’s keep watch on this one, because if it passes then there may be both more guidance on the issue, as well as more uniformity across the state
I encourage you to read the bill here (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/SB00820F.pdf#navpanes=0)
Eric
So, you have a Divorce Decree or other final order that says that the child’s other parent is ordered to pay child support, but you are not receiving it. What can you do now?
If you are frustrated, and getting nowhere with your collection efforts with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, then it’s probably time for you to consult with a family lawyer about the range of collection possibilities that may be available to you.
The good news is that with options like enforcement, child support liens, tax refund garnishment, and the like, you will likely get paid if you are two things: 1) persistent and 2) patient.
I would welcome the opportunity to visit with you about your matter if you are encountering child support collection problems. Eric
Law Office of Eric Gruetzner (713) 370-7100 or eric@ericgruetzner.com
All too often there are false allegations made in divorce/custody cases. If I had a nickel for every time I heard in court that the other parent is on drugs, assaulted them, is bipolar, and so on…….well, I’d retire from that mountain of nickels!
But seriously, if you are the victim of false allegations of this nature, this is a serious matter that can be used to keep you away from your children. And I would advise you to sit down immediately with your attorney to formulate a strategy.
If you don’t have an attorney and these types of allegations are made against you, I advise you to retain a good family attorney IMMEDIATELY. I have successfully defended a number of cases like this where my client’s spouse makes false allegations like this and we fight back until we win.
Family law is a different type of law because fundamentally the best interest of the child standard is the benchmark for suits involving children….but ask any Texas family lawyer precisely what ‘best interest of the child’ is defined as and a serious of ‘factors’ is usually the best that can be given. We often say….best interest of the child is in the eye of the beholder, and you don’t want a false picture of you painted in the judge’s eye (the beholder).
Don’t lose faith, call me today and let’s set the record straight together! Eric Gruetzner (713) 370-7100 www.ericgruetzner.com.
