THE FLORIDA LAW BLOG

AVOID A DUI ON NEW YEARS EVE - HERE'S HOW

You don't want a DUI on new years eve, it is not the greatest way to start the new year.  It is expensive and will land you in jail for the night, keep you from driving for six months to a year, and cost thousands of dollars, give you a pemanent criminal record,  not to mention it will not be a good way to start out the new year.  Here are some tips to help avoid a DUI and a bad new years eve. Call a cab early, about an hour in advance of when you want the cab to arrive to pick you up. It is a good idea to program the phone numbers of several cab companies into your phone before you leave the house, that way you will have them handy when you need a cab to get home.  Another option is to hire a limo for the entire evening. The limo will cost you possibly $500 or more, but a DUI will cost significantly more, several thousand dollars, plus a criminal record, loss of license, etc.  A limo will pick you up at your door, drive you from bar to bar, wait for you in the parking lot and bring you back home at the end of the night. If you have serveral friends with you the cost of the limo can be divided and end up costing you very little.  Consider a designated driver, perhaps someone that gave up drinking but would enjoy going out on new years eve. Public transportation is also an option and the bus lines including trolley bus lines will be running on new years eve.  Keep this in mind, you can get a DUI for just sitting behing the wheel of a car, even if the car is not running, so avoid getting behind the wheel of any car if you have been drinking. You can also get a DUI on a bicycle so leave the bike at home.  Have a safe and happy new years eve. 

For more information or a free consultation on your legal issue contact Scott and Fenderson PLLC, your injury law and DUI law attorneys, at 727-321-0099.  http://www.scottandfenderson.com

CAN (SHOULD) A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER MAKE MORE MONEY ON A CASE THAN THE CLIENT?

While it may sound hard to believe, it is entirely possible that a personal injury lawyers fees turn out to be more than the client gets in the end. How this happens is as follows; a typical car accident claim with a bodily injury liability policy of $10,000.00, and the injured client has $5,000.00 in unpaid medical bills. If the lawyer takes his 1/3 fee the lawyer gets $3,333.33 and the client gets the remainder or about $1,666.67. For many personal injury clients this comes as quite a shock that the lawyer made more then they did on their case. Is this legal? Is this Ethical? Unfortunately the answer is yes, it is legal and ethical according to the Florida Bar. If you dont want this to happen to you, ask your lawyer if they will reduce their fees at the end of the case so that they dont make more than you. Ask them to give you this promise in writing at the start of the case. If the lawyer wont give you this promise in writing, they probably wont reduce their fees at the end and the above scenario could happen to you.

For more information or a free consultation on your legal issue contact Scott and Fenderson PLLC, your injury law and family law attorneys, at 727-321-0099. http://www.scottandfenderson.com

CELL PHONE BAN PROPOSED BY NTSB

Washington - A federal safety board called Tuesday for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving. The recommendation is the most far-reaching yet by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in the past 10 years has increasingly sought to limit the use of portable electronic devices -- recommending bans for novice drivers, school bus drivers and commercial truckers. Tuesday's recommendation, if adopted by states, would outlaw non-emergency phone calls and texting by operators of every vehicle on the road. It would apply to hands-free as well as hand-held devices, but devices installed in the vehicle by the manufacturer would be allowed, the NTSB said. The recommendation would not affect passengers' rights to use such devices. Scott and Fenderson PA has been supporting a ban on texting while driving in Floirda for the past year. You can obtain a free "Dont Text And Drive" bumper sticker from Scott and Fenderson, also get a free cell phone wallpaper for your phone with the same message on our web site www.scottandfenderson.com download the jpg file and set it as your wallpaper.

Anderson Cooper on CNN

How Insurance Companies Avoid Paying Claims

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSj3FLO3IXA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

TEXTING AND DRIVING BAN PASSES SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

Scott and Fenderson PA has been engaging in a "Dont Text and Drive" campaign for almost a year now, and have distributed over 3000 bumper stickers. We still have bumper stickers available, that include a small sticker for the back of your phone or dashboard. We also have a free downloadable screen saver on our web site so your phone will remind you not to text and drive.

TALLAHASSEE - FLORIDA SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

Those who text while driving in the state of Florida may have some serious motivation to break the habit. The Senate Transportation Committee approved the no texting and driving bill by a 10-0 Wednesday. The House companion bill, however, has not made it's way through the committee process yet. Offenders caught breaking the ban on texting while driving would face six points on their driver’s licenses, court costs and a $30 fine. The law prohibits driving while manually typing or entering any keys on a wireless device as well as reading messages on those devices. The exceptions to the rule are those who use hands-free devices and emergency responders.

For more information or a free consultation on your legal issue contact Scott and Fenderson PLLC, your injury law and family law attorneys, at 727-321-0099. http://www.scottandfenderson.com