5 Things to consider before hiring a divorce lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta

 

Credentials & Attorney’s Experience

Experience of your divorce attorney is an extremely important consideration. There might be chances that your attorney may have handled similar cases before and are well versed with the knowledge of divorce laws in your region.  They can help you to prepare a strong case as they are aware of the expectations of the judges in your jurisdiction.

Additionally, the credentials of your attorney also matter. Ideally, a divorce lawyer practices primarily in the field of divorce or family law. But if are a special case such as coming from military grounds or having gay partners, an attorney having experience of handling such cases may be important.

 

Client Testimonials

 

The best way to judge your attorney is to consider their previous client’s feedbacks. It lets you know more about their client relationships and helps you to decide whether to hire a particular lawyer. You can contact the Law Society of Alberta to know if a former client has filed a grievance against the lawyer.

 

 

Ability To Communicate With Attorney

 

Unable to communicate effectively, is one of the top complaints clients have for their attorney. You must set clear expectations with your attorney in terms of accessibility and promptness of your attorney in responding to your phone calls, emails and requests for meetings.

 

 

Attorney’s Charges

 

Your lawyer may charge a different fee on the type of services offered. The charges may either be a Fixed Fees, Contingency Fees, Hourly Rates, Percentage Fees or a mix of any of these. You must inquire about the fees of your attorney in detail during your first consultation. Also, it is recommended to have an estimated fee for your case and a likely duration for the final verdict.

 

Know more about the types of Legal Fees in Alberta.

 

Personality

 

Finally, it is important to be comfortable while working with your attorney. You might also get a chance for working closely with the attorney, paralegal and admin staffs during your case. Therefore, you must ensure that you will have good terms with everyone around to help you with your case.

It may take a couple of meetings with an attorney to determine whether or not you’re making the right choice for you and your situation. Don’t be rushed into contracting with an attorney until you are certain, he/she is the right attorney for you.

If the answer is anything other than a resounding yes, you should keep looking. Your case is too important to entrust to someone who does not garner your confidence.

You can connect with one of our experienced Divorce lawyers at Right Legal in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Importance of various Business Laws in Alberta

Whether you are an incorporated company operating as a sole proprietorship, or in partnership with two or more person or an individual or a corporation working in a joint venture, you must be aware of the business laws for both provincial as well as federal acts.

Various types of Business Laws:

Business Formation Laws

A business entity may be any of the following types:

• a sole proprietorship,
• partnership, or
• a limited liability company (LLC)

The law defines the rules of formation. Each of these may differ in terms of tax structures and legal implications.

 

Employee Laws

OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) laws vary for different provinces and types of industry. When operating a business, you must ensure the health and safety of your employees. Knowing these laws in detail can help you operate your business efficiently.

Learn More about Employment Laws in Alberta.

License Laws

A restaurant business might require a different license than a computer store. Each business might need certain specific licenses to operate. For instance, a restaurant business might require a different license than a computer store.

You must have a right license before you start operating your business.

Zoning Law

This law defines whether your business is allowed to be operated in certain zones. As per the Federal or Provincial Laws, there might be few restrictions in particular areas which might prevent you from operating your business.

Tax Laws

These are extremely important laws as they can affect the day-to-day operations of a business. Taxes on your business can vary on many factors such as location, type of business, types of customers, sales volume etc. To be updated on these laws will help you operate your business smoothly.

Environment Laws

The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) is the primary act in Alberta which regulates the rules for the management of air quality. It is extremely important for your business to comply with these regulations.

The details of Environmental Laws in Alberta can be found here.

Our Business Lawyers at Right Legal, in Edmonton, Alberta can help you to find a suitable law for your business.

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Why do you need an Estate Lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta

It is essential for each one of us to have a will, at some point or other, in order to ensure that one’s personal assets are distributed according to their wishes after the death.

What is a Will?

A will is a legally binding document, which contains the details regarding handling your assets after your death. In addition, a will may also be used to appoint a guardian to take care of children until they are “of age”.  If a Will is not made in time, it may create a lot of confusion for the family members after death. Moreover, this is maybe a cause of conflict as the assets would then be divided as per intestacy rules.

Learn more about the differences between the Power of Attorney and Directive Principles.

“ Intestacy is the condition of the estate of a person who dies without having made a valid will or other binding declaration. Alternatively, this may also apply where a will or declaration has been made, but only applies to part of the estate; the remaining estate forms the “intestate estate”. Intestacy law, also referred to as the law of descent and distribution, refers to the body of law (statutory and case law) that determines who is entitled to the property from the estate under the rules of inheritance.” – Wikipedia.

The person willing to create a Will is often referred to as Testator. A lawyer would ensure that the Testator is in a healthy physical and mental condition while he/she is drafting the will.

Also, it must be noted that a Will should be drafted as a part of estate planning and not strictly as per the statutory rules. It is always recommended to have a legal advice prior to having an estate planning. An experienced lawyer provides expert advice in all the matters related to family and estate planning. They can help you to create the most effective estate planning considering the financial, social & economic factors such as taxes, insurances, premiums, mortgages, debts, inflation of the family. Moreover, working with an Estate Lawyer will ensure that you can change or update the will if any of the rules of Wills and Succession Act changes.

Our experienced Estate Lawyers at Right Legal in Edmonton, Alberta help you create an effective Estate Plan.

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Personal Injury – Long Term Disability Coverage in Edmonton, Alberta

Rising number of cases for a Trip and fall or slip and fall accidents has been a worry in Edmonton, Alberta. Every year thousands of people visit hospital emergency rooms after facing serious injuries due to fall.  Whether you trip and slip or fall and get injured by someone or on someone else’s property, you are eligible to compensation for your losses.

You can claim your compensation in the following cases:

1) if you have sustained genuine losses as a result of  serious injury by someone or

2) an injury was caused due to an unsafe condition on other’s property.

In either of the cases, the owner/occupier of the property may be found liable for your damage.

Read more about Personal Injury Law in Alberta.

In cases of a severe injury, you may be eligible for a Long Term Disability Coverage.

In case you have experienced an injury at your workplace, you may claim for Workers Compensation Board (WCB) benefits as a part of your Long Term Disability Coverage (LTD). Understanding the benefits of LTD and WCB can be confusing and often the injured party may not have all the information at once.

 

Differences Between LTD and WCB Benefits

Individuals working in Alberta have access to several types of disability coverage, as well as WCB benefits. WCB benefits are often regulated and stated in terms of qualifying criteria for an individual, their net income loss and the duration of their benefits. WSIB also covers the medical expenses.

On the other hand, LTD benefits are offered for accidents that occur outside the workplace. It involves impairments that affect a person’s ability to perform his/her daily tasks. It is important to note that although an LTD may cover for a person’s loss in income, it may not cover their medical expenses. Also, the LTD payouts may take 2 to 3 years to a maximum of 65 years (the retirement age).

Most LTD policies cover a large proportion of an injured person’s benefits. Therefore, in some cases, an LTD claim may not allow you to have other disability benefits. While the policy differs from case to case basis, the claims may not be guaranteed in all the cases. However, with few co-ordination clauses in place, you can benefit from both LTD as well as WCB.

Our experienced Personal Injury Lawyers at Right Legal can help you to find the right program and assist you to file a disability claim.

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Understanding Personal Injury Law in Edmonton Alberta

If you are a victim of a car accident, who might be eligible for compensations for injury payments under the Insurance Act of Alberta. It is extremely important to understand the laws governing the Insurance policy. There are different ways where you can receive compensation. For instance, you may be eligible for car accident benefits irrespective of someone else’s fault. Moreover, insurance companies may cover expenses regarding health-care, income and housekeeper for an at-fault driver.

You may receive personal injury rewards even before moving to a court.

However, filing a personal injury claim can be a tedious process and you may have to keep track of every minute thing. Keeping in mind the complexities involved with the process, we encourage you to get in touch with a lawyer to work on your case.

One of our experienced Injury Lawyers at Right Legal can help to file your claim. They can assist you in getting proper access to care, benefits and highest possible value for your claim.

 

Injured party

 

Under the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims program (MVAC) of Alberta, you must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for the claim :

 

1. Motor vehicle accident, resulting in severe body injuries. (No property damages are covered).
2. Be a resident of Alberta or be from a jurisdiction that has a program similar to MVACthat would cover Albertans out-of-province.
3. The accident must have occurred within the province of Alberta.
4. The accident must be the fault of an uninsured or unknown driver.
5. Liability for the motor vehicle accident must rest solely with an uninsured or unknown driver.

 

Providing Notice of Potential Claims

 

Although Motor Vehicle Accident Claim Act requires you to submit the claims earlier than 90 days of the accident, yet it is highly recommended that you contact Motor Vehicle Accident Claim (MVAC) as soon as possible.

 

Filling a Lawsuit

 

In order to seek compensation, under Motor Vehicle Accident Act, you are required to sue all the persons involved in or are liable for the accident. In general, you have 2 years to file the lawsuit.

 

You can refer to this article, to learn more about the Motor Vehicle Claims Act in Alberta.

 

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Are you eligible for Bankruptcy in Edmonton, Alberta?

There might be situations where you are under financial pressure and fail to repay your bills and mortgages. Collection agencies start calling you and it might be a time of think for alternate options. One of the options can be filing for Bankruptcy. Bankruptcy filings in Edmonton, Alberta are governed by the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Learn more about the Bankruptcy Act here.

One important qualification for filing Bankruptcy is to be an Insolvent.

To qualify as an insolvent, you must:

• Owe at least $1,000 in debt
• Unable to pay your dues, and
• Have more liabilities than assets.

 

Apart from individuals, even corporations can also be considered for Bankruptcy. These businesses can be assigned into bankruptcy at the sole discretion of their shareholders or directors or petitioned into bankruptcy by a creditor.

Also, a person must be a Canadian Resident having a registered business here or have a property in Canada in order to be considered as an Insolvent.

Learn about Asset Protection Tips in Edmonton, Alberta.

What is the role of a Trustee?

Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can administer a bankruptcy in Canada. These professionals are federally licensed and follow a stringent code of ethics to mediate any dispute. Also, the cost of dealing with a Trustee is lesser compared to that of independent consultants as Trustees fee are regulated by the government.

Two main roles of a Trustee:

1. To sell Debtor’s assets
2. To recover and distribute money to Creditors at the end.

 

Apart from this a Trustee can also act as a debt consultant and can :

• Provide debt counseling
• Prepare proposals for creditors
• Negotiate settlements

 

Length of Bankruptcy

There are several factors that affect the length of bankruptcy in Alberta, yet most bankruptcy charges are for a minimum of nine months, except in cases where it is extended on court orders. In other cases, if your income is higher than the limit set by the government, the length of bankruptcy can be extended.

Since bankruptcy laws are confusing, you might be willing to take an expert advice to file your case. Our trusted and experienced Bankruptcy lawyers at Right Legal can help you with advice on your case.

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What should you do in case of a Sexual Assault Case

Sexual assault against women is a crime. These are cases which can leave victims under emotional and physical stress. Studies show that a number of sexual assault cases against women go unreported as the accused belongs to the family of the victim while others go unreported as the witness doesn’t wish to testify in front of court proceedings. Various sexual assault centers offer help in terms of counseling services, court support, diversity & inclusion and public education.

What is a Sexual Assault?

According to the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact without voluntary consent. Sexual contact here includes:

• Unwanted oral contact or “kissing”
• Unwanted touching, grabbing, groping, or sexual rubbing
• Unwanted oral-genital contact or “oral sex”
• Unwanted vaginal or anal penetration

What Should you do if you are a victim of a sexual assault case

Your first call of action should be getting in touch with Sexual Assault Centres as soon as possible. You can also choose to call police if you think the case is of a severe nature. A sexual assault center has trained volunteers who can provide you with a moral or emotional support and help you prepare to call the police.

 

Also, learn when to file a civil lawsuit in case of a sexual assault.

 

In case you need medical attention:

Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) has trained nurses who can provide you with specialized education in terms of sexual assault care. They can offer you a physical examination to look after your injuries and prepare you to take tests for pregnancy and other sexually transmitted infections. You can get in touch with SART nurses in any of the following hospitals listed below:

·     Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital (9401 86 Ave, Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 0C6)

·     Grey Nuns Community Hospital (1100 Youville Dr. W Northwest, Edmonton, AB T6L 5X8)

·     Leduc Community Hospital (4210 48 St, Leduc, AB T9E 5Z3)

·     Misericordia Community Hospital (16940 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5R 4H5)

·     Northeast Community Health Centre (14007 50 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5A 5E4)

·     Royal Alexandra Hospital (10240 Kingsway NW, Edmonton, AB T5H 3V9)

·     Strathcona Community Hospital (9000 Emerald Dr, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 0J3)

·     Sturgeon Community Hospital (201 Boudreau Rd, St. Albert, AB T8N 6C4)

·     University of Alberta Hospital (8440 112 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7)

·     Westview Health Centre (4405 S Park Dr, Stony Plain, AB T7Z 2M7)

Sexual Assault cases are of severe nature and must be acted upon.

You can always connect with one of our Edmonton based criminal lawyers at Right Legal who can help with your case.

 

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