Knowing the tides and currents of American Law
It’s been said that little drops of water a mighty ocean make. In that vein of thought, people should build their knowledge of their rights under the law, even if only bit by bit, or drop by drop. Any good seafarer knows the tides and currents and how they will affect a ship’s journey. Any person vested in the American way of life would do well to understand the tides and currents of the laws of the nation, and how they might affect their personal journeys through American society.
A resolution to educate and inform
With the economy still in recession, unemployment still a drag, and people barely able to afford legal services, our law firm is committed to making a difference. This year our firm resolves to educate and inform. Legal knowledge should be available to all who need it. It should not cost an arm and a leg for anyone to learn about their legal rights. Starting this year, our firm resolves to reach out to the public. While we will continue to charge a reasonable fee for individual case consultations, we are committed to making an inexpensive difference in people’s lives.
Free legal seminars for you
We will soon implement a program to offer legal education and guidance in a way more accessible to the public. The core of this program is the free legal seminar. We will sponsor several seminars each month in our offices in San Francisco, Newark-Fremont and Sacramento. Each seminar will last from sixty to ninety minutes and focus on a variety of legal topics.
Education on immigration issues
The estimated 12-14 million immigrants in this country are less than five percent of the population, but the immigration issue is a hot political football. Everybody has a right to seek a better life. We will help you understand immigration topics with seminars that may focus on how to prepare for a marriage interview, or how to successfully re-unite with your fiancée, or how to challenge a denial on a visa interview. We’ll even offer insight regarding the questions that are asked at the consular offices or the embassies when seeking visas or work permits.
Education on foreclosure issues
This is big news and will continue to be big news. The huge financial machines, that were a part of the problems that brought about the housing bubble and its subsequent burst, are now attempting to bulldoze many innocent and mislead aspiring homeowners out of their homes. If you are facing foreclosure, there are ways to eliminate or stall the juggernaut so you don’t have to lose your home. Our seminars will help show you how the foreclosure process works.
Education on bankruptcy issues
With the economy in the doldrums, important seminars on bankruptcy will answer many questions: What’s required in a chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy filing? What is the difference between the two? Can you save your house in bankruptcy? Can lawsuits be settled in bankruptcy? Can you avoid wage garnishment in bankruptcy? Can you get rid of your credit card debts?
Education on civil law issues
Seminars on civil law will range widely: What do you do immediately after an auto accident? What are your rights if you hit someone? How much can you recover if you are injured? What’s pain and suffering? What are your legal rights in a slip and fall? How do you file for divorce? How can you gain custody of your child?
Your only fee is your feedback
Each seminar will be led by an expert attorney. Depending on allowable time, our attorneys can even review legal forms or applications. Some seminars will offer handouts so that participants can take home legal information. The topics, locations and times of the seminar will be published in this newspaper. The public will be asked to make reservations in advance. These seminars will be completely free and carry no obligation whatsoever to the participants. The only payment that we will ask is that you provide us with feedback offering your opinion of the seminar and whether or not it was helpful.
Knowledge Is hope
The hope is that those who can’t afford an attorney will glean some knowledge and get a grasp of their legal rights. People who can’t afford attorneys are often left to do legal work on their own. Or worse, due to lack of knowledge and fear, they sometimes postpone or suspend any action and risk grave consequences later on. One case that comes to mind involved a couple who, out fear of being grabbed by immigration agents, failed to apply for green cards when theirs had expired. They only multiplied their troubles. They were placed in deportation proceedings. If the couple had known their rights, they would have proceeded as necessary and likely not be in the trouble they are now experiencing.
Knowledge is safety
The immigrant community is plagued with many false lawyers, or so-called immigration agents and immigration counselors. People facing financial difficulties and foreclosures face the same sorts of financial consultants and so-called debt elimination services. These miscreants prey on the elderly and other innocents who are struggling with language barriers, money barriers, and even barriers of fear. These impostors need to be put out of business. With a little knowledge, folks will be able to see them for what they are – greedy, misleading and even dangerous.
Knowledge is empowering
But the most important goal is our hope of empowering the community through knowledge. Though at times it may seem ponderous, unwieldy, and even tricky, people should not fear the legal system. The system is there for us. We just must learn to use it. As attorneys, we have resolved to put the tools of legal knowledge into the hands of our communities – even drop by drop – to make an ocean of empowerment.
* * *
Lazaro Law Group, Professional Corporation represents immigrants all over the United States and the US Embassy in Manila. The firm’s offices are located in San Francisco, Fremont/Newark/Union City, and Sacramento, California. Attorney Johnson Lazaro can be reached at (415) 800-5775 or toll free at (855) 4-LAZARO. His email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
* * *
This article should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information is intended to be general and should not be relied upon for any specific situation. This is not meant to create a lawyer-client relationship.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
