Don’t take Legal Advice from law Websites, Hire a Lawyer

The internet is replete with law websites. Every lawyer and firm appears to have its own law websites for any client or other attorney to view or consult. Law websites are important for attorneys to have and maintain since millions of people use computers to find attorneys or for information. However, it is important that you not take any legal advice from law websites, but consult or hire an attorney to get the appropriate legal advice.

Law websites do offer valuable information to consumers. Since finding the appropriate attorney for a case is essential, many people flock to the internet where they can find any number of attorneys or law firms who handle their particular kind of case. There are real estate attorneys, foreclosure attorneys, wills and trusts, probate, burglary attorneys, divorce lawyers, injury lawyers, pedestrian injury lawyers, and others. By typing in certain keywords, search engines will find you a list of attorneys with legal websites based on your keyword search.

Law websites, though, are mainly to introduce potential clients to the attorney or law firm. They may contain bios of each attorney along with their education and particular specialty. Many law websites offer testimonials from clients. The law websites also list the firm’s areas of practice.

LAW WEBSITES ARE NOT LEGAL ADVICE

A number of law websites, however, purport to offer legal advice by defining an area of law. For example, it may define negligence or probate. More specifically, law websites may cite particular state or federal statutes or laws. Bankruptcy law websites may specifically list what exemptions are available and how you may qualify for bankruptcy.

Many law websites from a particular attorney or law firm contain legal blogs, which more specifically address particular legal issues or current legal topics. A blog may discuss the issues of driving under the influence, or why a particular chemical or breath test may be suspect, or how new legislation affects medical malpractice claims in your state.

Other law websites are more general and may not be associated with any particular attorney or law firm, but are legal directories or are designed or funded by a legal organization or one advocating a particular issue such Second Amendment rights, or others. Typically, these sites may also purport to give legal advice by detailing their organization’s goals and how the current law is affecting you or whomever the law affects.

Law websites are not legal advice, and most attorney websites and others will state at the outset, or at the bottom page of their site, that the information contained on their site is not intended to be legal advice and that the reader should not rely on it.

For most people, however, these words are meaningless. Securing legal advice from an attorney is expensive, and many people are hesitant about seeing an attorney unless they are desperate or have a case which the attorney takes on a contingency basis, such as personal injury case.  The consequences of not retaining an attorney, or getting real legal advice, can be much more costly though.

We here at FindLawyerDirect.com are of the view that legal advice from an attorney is vital. By way of examples only, Real estate matters, buy and sell agreements, trust instruments, bankruptcy, custody issues in a divorce, and criminal matters often involve complicated legal issues. By foregoing legal advice from an attorney and relying on information from law websites or do-it-yourself legal sites, you are risking serious consequences and damage that may not become apparent until years later. Each case is different, and you should not assume that your case is exactly like one that is discussed in a legal blog or website.

For example, if you establish or set up your business using the wrong form, you could incur unnecessary tax liabilities. A distressed homeowner wishing to avoid foreclosure may use the wrong bankruptcy chapter and end up losing his or her home or be forced to pay even more fees to an attorney to remedy the situation if it is not too late.

A will or trust that is not set up properly can result in having your assets tied up or not distributed as you intended, and costly litigation may diminish most of your assets that should have gone to your intended beneficiaries at little or no cost.

Terms & Conditions

Thank you for visiting our website. If you want to use FindLawyerDirect.com, you must agree to conform to and be legally bound by the terms and conditions described below.

IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OR CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE OUR WEBSITE.

MINORS

We do not provide services or sell products to children. If you are below the age of 18, you may use our website only with the permission and active involvement of a parent or legal guardian. If you are a minor, please do not provide us or other website visitors with any personal information.

PRIVACY POLICY IS PART OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Our privacy policy is part of, and subject to, these terms and conditions of use. You may view our privacy policy below.

ANTI-SPAM POLICY IS PART OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Our anti-Spam policy is part of, and subject to, these terms and conditions of use. You may view our anti-Spam policy below.

MODIFICATIONS AND TERMINATIONS

These terms and conditions may change from time to time. If such changes are made, they will be effective immediately. If you disagree with the changes that have been made, you should not use our website.

We may terminate these terms and conditions of use for any reason and at any time without notice to you.

If you are concerned about these terms and conditions of use, you should read them each time before you use our website. Any questions or concerns should be brought to our attention by sending an e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com, and providing us with information relating to your concern.

LICENSEE STATUS

You understand and agree that your use of our website is limited and non-exclusive as a non-transferable revocable licensee. We may terminate your license to use our website, and access to our website, for any reason, and without giving you notice.

CONTENT OWNERSHIP

All content on our website is owned by us. On behalf of ourselves, we claim all property rights, including intellectual property rights, for this content and you are not allowed to infringe upon those rights. We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who attempts to steal our property.

You agree not to copy content from our website without our permission. Any requests to use our content should be submitted to us by e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com.

If you believe that your intellectual property rights have been infringed upon by our website content, please notify us by sending an e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com Please describe in detail the alleged infringement, including the factual and legal basis for your claim of ownership.

DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

The information on our website is provided on an ”as is,” ”as available” basis. You agree that your use of our website is at your sole risk. We disclaim all warranties of any kind, including but not limited to, any express warranties, statutory warranties, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that our website will always be available, access will be uninterrupted, be error-free, meet your requirements, or that any defects in our website will be corrected.

Information on our website (despite falling under the category of a law website) should not be relied upon and should not to be construed to be professional advice (legal advice) from us. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any of the information provided, and is not responsible for any loss resulting from your reliance on such information.

If your jurisdiction does not allow limitations on warranties, this limitation may not apply to you. Your sole and exclusive remedy relating to your use of the site shall be to discontinue using the site.

Under no circumstances will we be liable or responsible for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential (including damages from loss of business, lost profits, litigation, or the like), special, exemplary, punitive, or other damages, under any legal theory, arising out of or in any way relating to our website, your website use, or the content, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability for any claim arising out of or relating to our website shall not exceed one hundred ($100) dollars and that amount shall be in lieu of all other remedies which you may have against us. Any such claim shall be subject to confidential binding arbitration as described later in these terms and conditions of use.

OBSCENE AND OFFENSIVE CONTENT

We are not responsible for any obscene or offensive content that you receive or view from others while using our website. However, if you do receive or view such content, please contact us by e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com so that we can investigate the matter. Although we are not obligated to do so, we reserve the right to monitor, investigate, and remove obscene or offensive material posted to our website.

INDEMNIFICATION

You understand and agree that you will indemnify, defend and hold us harmless from any liability, loss, claim and expense, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your use of our website or your violation of these terms and conditions.

COMPLIANCE WITH GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

You agree to obey all applicable laws while using our website.

You agree that the laws of England and Wales govern these terms and conditions of use without regard to conflicts of laws provisions.

You also agree that any dispute between you and us, excluding any intellectual property right infringement claims we pursue against you, shall be settled solely by confidential binding arbitration. All claims must arbitrate on an individual basis, and cannot be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of anyone else. All arbitration must occur in South Yorkshire, UK. Each party shall bear one half of the arbitration fees and costs incurred, and each party is responsible for its own lawyer fees.

SEVERABILITY OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

If any part of these terms and conditions of use are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, that part shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remainder of these terms and conditions are fully enforceable and legally binding.

HOW TO CONTACT US

Any questions or concerns about these terms and conditions of use should be brought to our attention by e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com, and providing us with information relating to your concern.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These terms and conditions, including the policies incorporated herein by express reference, constitute your entire agreement with us with respect to your use of our website.

This Terms and Conditions of Use was last updated on 4-14-2012.

Privacy Policy

HOW WE PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY

This privacy policy tells you how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By visiting our website, you accept and agree to the terms and conditions of this privacy policy. In particular, you consent to our collection and use of your personal information as described in this privacy policy.

MINORS

We do not provide services or sell products to children. If you are below the age of 18, you may use our website only with the permission and active involvement of a parent or legal guardian. If you are a minor, please do not provide us or other website visitors with any personal information.

POLICY IS PART OF OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

Our privacy policy is part of, and subject to, our website’s terms and conditions of use. You may view these terms and conditions above.

THE TYPE OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT FROM YOU

Like most places on the Internet, simply by visiting our website you automatically tell us certain information. This includes basic information such as your IP address, when you visited, the website from where you came prior to visiting us, the website where you go when you leave our website, your computer’s operating system, and the type of web browser that you are using. Our website automatically records this basic information about you.

And like many other websites, we may use cookies. In plain English, this means information that our website’s server transfers to your computer. This information can be used to track your session on our website. Cookies may also be used to customize our website content for you as an individual. When you visit this website, you may view advertisements posted on the site by Google or other companies. These advertising companies may collect information about you while you are visiting this website and other websites. They may use this data to show you advertisements on this website and elsewhere on the Internet about products and services you might like. This website does not collect the information or control the content of the advertisements that you will see. You may be able to opt out of such advertising. To find out more about Google and its DoubleClick DART cookie used to generate interest-based advertising, visit google.com/privacy_ads.html Your use of this website without opting out means that you understand and agree to data collection to provide you with interest-based advertising. If you are using one of the common Internet web browsers, you can set up your browser to either let you know when you receive a cookie or to deny cookie access to your computer.

We may also collect any data that you provide us by posting it at our website or by e-mail. You can always choose not to provide us with information. However, if you do withhold information, we may deny you access to some or all of our website’s services and features.

Some transactions between you and our website may involve payment by credit card, debit card, checks, money orders, and/or third party online payment services. In such transactions, we will collect information related to the transaction as part of the course of doing business with you, including your billing address, telephone number, and other information related to the transaction.

WHAT WE DO WITH YOUR INFORMATION

We use your information to operate our website’s business activities. For example, we may use this data to contact you about changes to our website, new services, or special offers, resolve disputes, troubleshoot issues, and enforce our website’s terms and conditions.

As a general rule, we will not give your data to third parties without your permission. However, there are some important exceptions to this rule that are described in the following paragraphs.

We may, in our sole discretion, provide information about you to law enforcement or other government officials for purposes of fraud investigations, alleged intellectual property infringement, or any other suspected illegal activity or matters that may expose us to legal liability.

Although we do not disclose individually identifiable information, we may disclose aggregate data about our website’s visitors to advertisers or other third parties for marketing and promotional purposes.

From time to time, we may use third party suppliers to provide services on our website. If a supplier wants to collect information about you, you will be notified. However, you will never be required to give information to a third party supplier. We restrict the way third party suppliers can use your information. They are not allowed to sell or give your information to others.

USER NAMES AND PASSWORDS

Your access to parts of our website may be protected by a user name and a password. Do not give your password to anyone. If you enter a section of our website that requires a password, you should log out when you leave. As a safety precaution, you should also close out of your web browser completely and re-open it before viewing other parts of the Internet.

YOUR USE OF INFORMATION AND UNSOLICITED JUNK E-MAIL

If you obtain personally identifiable information about another website user, you are not allowed to disclose this information to anyone else without the consent of the user and our consent too.

We hate junk e-mail (Spam). Information you obtain from our website about us or other site users cannot be used by you or others to send unsolicited commercial e-mail or to send unsolicited commercial communications via our website’s posting or other communication systems.

YOUR VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES WHO ARE NOT OUR SUPPLIERS

You may choose to provide personal information to website visitors or other third parties who are not our suppliers. Please use caution when doing so. The privacy policies and customs of these third parties determine what is done with your information.

AUTORESPONDERS

We may use autoresponders to communicate with you by e-mail. To protect your privacy, we use a verified opt-in system for such communications and you can always opt-out of such communications using the links contained in each autoresponder message. If you have difficulties opting out, you may contact us by sending an e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com

POLICY CHANGES

The terms of this policy may change from time to time.  If you disagree with the changes that have been made, please contact us (by e-mail), and any changes made to this policy will not apply to information we have collected from you prior to making the changes.

If you are concerned about the topic covered by this policy, you should read it each time before you use our website. Any questions or concerns about this policy should be brought to our attention by sending an e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com and providing us with information relating to your concern.

This privacy policy was last updated on 4-14-2012.

Anti-Spam Policy

We hate unsolicited commercial e-mail as much as you do. Also known as Spam or junk e-mail, it is a disservice to the Internet community.

We fully endorse and comply with the requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act), and all other applicable unsolicited commercial e-mail laws.

If you subscribe to electronic newsletters or other communications from us or our website, you will always have an option to unsubscribe immediately. As a law website we sill send you e-mails based on the legal information available on our website (subject to our terms and conditions above). The e-mails may from time to time include some advertisements but we will not compromise the user experience.  The information supplied should not to be construed to be professional advice (legal advice).

If you have additional questions, comments or concerns, please contact us by sending an e-mail to  findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com and providing us with information relating to your concern.

Please note that the content of this page can change without prior notice.

This Anti-Spam Policy was last updated on 4-14-2012.

External Links Policy

Our website contains hypertext links to websites and other information created and maintained by other individuals and organizations. These links are only provided for your convenience. We do not control or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, relevance, or timeliness of any information or privacy policies posted on these linked websites. You should know that these websites may track visitor viewing habits.

Unless otherwise expressly stated by us, hyperlinks to particular items do not reflect their importance, and are not an endorsement of the individuals or organizations sponsoring the websites, the views expressed on the websites, or the products or services offered on the websites.

We permit links to our website if they do not imply an endorsement by, or affiliation with, our website.

We review our website periodically for broken or out-of-date links. Any and all links may be posted, altered, or removed at any time. To report problems with links on our website, or for more information about this policy, please send an e-mail to findlawyerdirect[at]gmail.com

Please note that the content of this page can change without prior notice.

This policy was last updated on 4-14-2012.