May 2009
Monthly Archive
Medical Insurance for Students
Be sure to visit our exceptional webpage for health insurance for college student guidelines!
Medical cover normally isn’t a priority when preparing for a college education. In general, the majority of students don’t worry about how they’re going to cope with insurance needs. When you are in your 20’s you will usually tend to think that you will be around forever and you will never become sick.
Regrettably, this is seldom a sensible plan no matter how healthy an individual may seem. Affordable student medical insurance isn’t merely a luxury, it’s genuinely an essential. Those students fortunate to be included in a parent’s medical insurance are in general covered up until their twenty-third birthday. For the individual who does not have insurance cover via their parent’s insurance, a fundamental part in preparing for school must be getting appropriate medical insurance. So what is important in an insurance policy targeted at college students? Deductibles: This is an annual payment made prior to your health benefits starting, akin to an auto insurance policy. To use an example, if the deductible is 500 dollars, 500 dollars must be paid prior to getting any benefits linked with your policy.
So what exactly does co-pay mean? Once your deductible is covered, almost all insurance policies expect you to pay a part of the bill for each visit to the doctor, medicinal drug or procedure. That, in a nutshell is a co-pay. What will your insurance plan include? Many plans are Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and Partnership for Prescription Assistance. In essence this means particular doctors may possibly be excluded from your list of health providers or not be covered under a medical insurance policy. A directory of participating health providers are provided with your insurance plan, so study that when selecting a health plan for college students. Catastrophic coverage: There may be a limit on medical insurance targeted at students in particular as far as critical illnesses, in most cases, the cover is ordinarily much lower than any regular health insurance policy.
Limitations: Student medical coverage plans usually have a number of limitations. Look over your policy to learn what your policy includes.
Carry any medical insurance details in your wallet no matter where you go. Illnesses are not only not possible to predict, they are also likely to hit at a bad time. Make sure you are au fait with your insurance plan, whether through your parents or you have your own health plan.
EPT to Create Largest Poker Event in Europe
The European Poker Tour (EPT) Season Five is about to come to a close with the largest online poker event in Europe’s history. The event will take place in Monte Carlo April 27-May 3. The event will include a total of 14 separate events that will be part of the festival including the Main Event, a High Rollers Event, and the first ever Ante Up For Africa in Europe. Last year’s Main Event attracted over 840 players, with, 22-year-old Canadian Glen Chorny taking home over 2 million and the Grand Final title. This year, the 10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em (NLHE) contest is set to surpass all records at a European poker online tournament with over 1,000 players expected to attend, creating an estimated 12 million total prize pool. The EPT Grand Final Main Event structure has been altered this year to 30,000 in chips and 60-minute levels on Day 1, with 75-minute levels from Day 2.
The first ever Ante Up For Africa in Europe is being held the night before the kick-off of the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. The charity event will raise money for the current humanitarian mission in crisis-torn Darfur, and will feature a host of stars including Nelly, Boris Becker, French rugby players Sebastien Chabal and Philippe Saint-Andre and French rapper Bruno “Kool Shen” to name a few.
Also this years two major poker online tournaments will be introduced, including the three-day 25,000 European High Roller Championship and the two-day 5,000 European Pot Limit Omaha Championship (PLO).
Celeb Fashion Clothing Designers and World Class Clothing Couture Houses
Another day and another cluster of popular celebs decide to join the fashion designer niche. First there is the singer Victoria Beckham who started off designing high value ladies jeans that were stocked in exclusive designer fashion shops like Macys and Harrods. Victoria Beckham later came out with a high fashion range of outstanding tailored outfits, very similar in the style that Victoria dresses herself in.
Surprisingly next up is Liam Gallaher, best known from Oasis, the infamous bad boy quoted that he has the urge to get together a guys clothing collection aimed at the UK mass market. Gallagher is getting together a range of gents clothes that Liam Gallagher knows he would like to wear. And so expect duffel coats, baggy jeans and ripped jumpers.
If you are looking for designer clothing that has been made by world class designers then you might wish to get down the lanes of Bond Street in London to find the likes of Chloe, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and more. At Matches, the clothing store, you will see super brands such as AM Eyewear and Tom Ford. Matches stock the most recent fashion from around the world and pride themselves on hand selecting the key tops from the catwalk and fashion weeks. You will probably acquire online with the website or visit the 5 London based designer clothing stores, both allow you to speak to your very own fashion expert who will be delighted to help you mix and match the perfect skirt with incredible shoes for work.
Matches, the luxury fashion boutique, has been selling clothes for nearly twenty years. Matches, the designer store, is now a favourite in the flashy London fashion circles and the prime clothing store to shop if you are desperate for something sensational. The fantastic clothing buyers at Matches have a great eye for detail and never pick the wrong items when picking this Springs must have dresses.
Just a few weeks ago Matches, the boutique store, introduced Matches Editions, a very short run collection with this Summers must have designers including Christian Louboutin and DVF. The collaboration has led to the most amazing trousers being presented and never ever seen before. They are exclusive to Matches, the clothing store, and help to cement Matches position as London’s most exclusive retailer. Keep up to date with all the latest Diane Von Furstenberg fashion styles.
Left Handed? School Financial Aid Can Help with Your Education
Determining help in funding a college education may be challenging and can certainly take time. College scholarships are unlike a normal student loan because they are a grant for education, so it does not have to be repaid. When looking for methods of funding a college instruction, research some of the special alternatives, for instance funding for left handed students. Scholarships for Lefthanders
A left-handed grant may appear a bit crazy, however do consider these facts: Bill Gates is left-handed, so is the president of the USA, Barack Obama. Raphael, Da Vinci, Sting also Charlie Chaplin were also left handed. Statistics suggest up to 11% of the population are southpaws. Regrettably in the past left handers experienced substantial discrimination, nowadays they are frequently considered to be intelligent and more artistic. Stigmatization is now a thing of the past and left-handers are no longer thought of as unusual, in fact they may even be associated with the many great people named above.
Should you be left handed and researching grants for southpaw students, a lot of left handed scholarships are accessible which you could acquire. A Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship for a thousand dollars is currently available at Juniata College in Huntington, PA. Granted to scholars of Juniata College and it was set up in the 1970’s, this unique college scholarship has aided forty plus students in their quest for higher education.
Numerous bursaries do have prerequisites and limitations. This can include grades or financial needs, but not always. Multiple applications may give you a greater chance at backing your university education acquiring a minimal level of debt. Look At community organizations, clubs and groups linked with your hobbies. Southpaw grants aren’t the only case; financial aid is also available if you’re a child of a ex-serviceman or are disabled, for example. Searching out school grants may be time consuming, all the same the advantages will always be worth it. Utilised along with regular lending, they are effective in cutting back the student debt that a college degree can generate. Be sure to enquire into every last opportunity. These scholarships are not the only option - write a list of every alternative you can think of and remember to make use of every accessible resource. If you suppose you may qualify, then apply, you may keep your student debt to a minimum, and you will very likely look forward to improved prospects on leaving college.
Can You Build it Yourself? A Look at Self-Build
Self-build is a term that is getting ever-popular in the housing market. Hold on, what precisely is “self-build”? It’s a property you build yourself. Not quite literally by yourself, but you set yourself in the position as foreman, architect, planner of your house and allow professional workers do the job you order them to do. More people are opting for the “self-build” route - in fact, the army of “self-builders” in the UK outnumbers the amount of properties being developed by any professional developer. The function of self-build is to produce a house to your precise specifications, not a template that the large developers work to.
I know what you’re thinking: “I haven’t a clue about how to build a house”. The pleasant news is that getting involved with a self-build project doesn’t mean you necessarily have to dive in with the actual development (in fact, only around 5% of self-builders in reality take a role in the actual development of the property). Even when it comes to design, quite often this is delegated to a professional designer.. Self-build, more often than not, is about you expressing (in laymen’s terms), what you need to the property designer - who then produces a design dependent on your prerequisites. This design then becomes the draft the builders follow. Now do you see? It’s not required to have any proactive participation in self-build. Having said that, the DIY fantatic can use self-build as a chance to save some cash by contributing toward the tasks of self-build they have experience in - it’s your shout as to how much involvement you want during the build.
Self-build sounds expensive, but in reality it’s generally cheaper than purchasing an already developed house of the same specifications (roughly a third cheaper). That’s not all, self-built houses sell very well too - as much as 25% higher than the development costs, so self-build can be simply an investment, rather than a place to live.
You must ensure the squad of workers you choose are 100% competent and that they can work as a squad. No doubt you will want builders with experience of some rather potentially dangerous machinery used in construction, such as floor saws, wall saws, angle grinders, masonry saws with diamond blades and stihl saws. With a skillful team, you are also raising the safety levels of the build.
This article is only an introduction to self-build, and I hope it will inspire those of you who are disheartened by the thought of running a project of this kind of scale. It needn’t take up all of your time, and you won’t need any specific skills, but you will need to be particular as to who you employ, and you will need to cautiously work out the overall cost of the project.
Uncategorized07 May 2009 05:31 pm
Collaborative Divorce or Cooperative Divorce?
Introduction
“Collaborative divorce” is the new buzz word in family law practice. Its proponents enthuse about better and less costly settlements, greater client satisfaction, fewer accounts receivable, and less stress in the practice of law, than they can achieve through a conventional approach to family law disputes. How realistic are these claims? What are the down sides of “collaborative divorce”? Does the concept of “collaborative divorce” present ethical pitfalls and possible malpractice minefields for the unwary practitioner?
Lawyers who participate in the “collaborative divorce” movement use methods borrowed from more established alternative dispute resolution procedures to resolve family law disputes without litigation. However, unlike more accepted dispute resolution procedures, in “collaborative divorce” the lawyers and their clients agree that they will not engage in formal discovery, will voluntarily disclose information, and will settle the case without court intervention of any kind . They assume a duty to inform the attorney for the other party of errors they note in opposing counsel’s legal analysis or understanding of the facts. If they are unable to settle the case, both lawyers must withdraw from representing their respective clients and the estranged spouses must start over with new counsel.
Good Lawyers Routinely Practice Cooperatively
Even the most enthusiastic supporters of “collaborative divorce” concede that the concept of settling cases rather than litigating them is hardly novel. Capable family law practitioners have always directed their effort and creativity toward reaching agreement rather than duking it out in court. It isn’t news to anyone that litigation is expensive - sometimes prohibitively so - and that the most satisfactory settlements derive from skilled negotiation between capable counsel rather than a court-imposed resolution of disputed issues. How does the idea of “collaborative divorce” differ from what experienced practitioners do as a matter of course?
Courtesy. The commitment of lawyers and parties to treat each other courteously is not a new one. Capable attorneys consistently endeavor to work cooperatively with opposing counsel to identify and value assets, set and meet scheduling deadlines, and otherwise facilitate resolution of the case. They respect legitimate positions taken by the other party and encourage their clients to be realistic and respectful as well. They are willing and able to compromise, and they are creative in crafting acceptable resolutions of disputed issues. “Collaborative divorce” supporters intimate that their process is unique because lawyers commit that they will not “threaten, insult, intimidate, or demonize” other participants in the divorce process. Good lawyers don’t do that now. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, which historically has provided a model for good practice nationally, has promulgated “Bounds of Advocacy” that set a high standard for professional courtesy and cooperation.
Emotional cost. “Collaborative divorce” proponents say their process is designed for parties who don’t want to go to war and who don’t want “to hate each other for the rest of their lives.” This description fits the vast majority of family law clients, including most of those whose cases end up in court. Clients almost always care about the emotional cost of adversary proceedings, and about the impact of the divorce action on their children and other family members. To suggest that people who really care will give up the protections provided by court oversight is to do a vast disservice to most of our clients.
Financial cost. “Collaborative divorce” supporters want to reduce the costs of the process by streamlining the discovery process. This also is not a new idea. Good lawyers have always sought to keep formal discovery to a minimum, to share costs of appraisals, to stipulate to values, and to cooperate in other ways to keep costs down. Many experienced practitioners routinely utilize mutually agreed upon short-form interrogatories, four-way meetings, joint telephone or in person conferences with experts, and other such collegial arrangements.
As the above analysis indicates, the goals espoused by “collaborative divorce” lawyers do not differ in degree or in kind from the goal of the vast majority of the family law bar. Most lawyers try a cooperative approach first. Most lawyers agree - and most of their clients concur - that resolution of issues by settlement is preferable to litigation. And in most cases, lawyers and their clients resolve disputed issues by agreement and do not resort to the courts.
The Limits of Collaboration
Despite the most concerted efforts of capable counsel, we all know that not all cases settle, and those that do settle sometimes don’t settle easily. All of us have encountered the frustration of the last-minute, courthouse steps agreement, after completion of all the work and stress of trial preparation. Why is it that some cases don’t settle until the very last minute, and some cases don’t settle at all?
Unsettled Legal Issues. Legitimate reasons to resort to litigation are not always evident at the beginning of a case. Much appellate work involves issues the existence of which - or at least the seriousness of which - did not surface until significant discovery and negotiation had occurred. Where the law is unsettled or where counsel genuinely disagree about the appropriate interpretation and application of the law to the facts of their case, it is not only reasonable but necessary to ask the judge to intervene. Cooperative counsel can reduce the complexity and expense of litigation by limiting contested issues, stipulating facts where possible, agreeing in advance to the admission of exhibits, declining to engage in delaying tactics, and other behavior that is both practical and considerate. Lawyers can commit themselves to conduct the proceedings without animosity and can counsel their clients to be courteous to the other side. But the court has the last word on interpreting and applying the law.
Reality Testing. All clients say they want a “fair” result and many of them genuinely mean it. But they may have a very self-absorbed definition of “fair.” Many years ago Leonard Loeb, whose wisdom and example have greatly influenced the development of a civilized standard of practice for family law attorneys, pointed out an important truth: “Sometimes the hardest negotiation you have to engage in is the one with your own client.” A client who simply cannot see the broader picture despite counsel’s best efforts may require the reality therapy of a temporary order hearing, or a pretrial with the judge, or a deadline for responding to formal discovery, in order to be capable of backing down from an unreasonable stance so settlement negotiations can proceed.
Scheduling Orders. We have all represented a left-behind spouse who does everything possible to avoid or at least delay the divorce, or a party who is preoccupied with business affairs or other family problems and just can’t get around to dealing with the work and decision-making implicit in the divorce process. If one party would prefer that the marriage continue, or if completing the action is not a priority, the court may need to facilitate progress in the case by issuing a scheduling order and setting deadlines. Counsel can cooperate by being reasonable and courteous in setting initial deadlines and in agreeing to extensions where necessary. The process need not be - and usually is not - antagonistic.
Financial Disclosure. A client may, deliberately or inadvertently, fail to disclose assets without the rigorous attention to financial detail that formal discovery entails. Surely we have all had the experience of finding forgotten assets when a client produces the records necessary to back up his or her interrogatory answers. In other circumstances, the client and/or counsel may need the assurance of due diligence in discovery in order to be comfortable with a proposed settlement, especially where the estate is complex or the assets are substantial.
Stability. Then there is the personal factor: divorce presents a significant life crisis for most of our clients, and we see them at their most vulnerable and most needy. The commencement of a divorce action is often accompanied by anxiety, guilt, an danger, and may throw a family into chaos. If one party’s antagonism toward the other is so overreaching that he or she is unable to proceed rationally and courteously, interim court orders may be the only way to achieve a level of stability that permits collaborative discussion of the long-term issues presented by the case.
In each of the above situations, the legal system provides structure and finality, and often sets the stage for the ultimate negotiated resolution of the matter. Court processes, rather than being an impediment to settlement, often facilitate it.
The Effectiveness of a “Collaborative Divorce” Approach
Do “collaborative divorce” techniques provide an effective response to the above limitations? Unfortunately, they do not.
Reality Testing. A client whose sense of “fair” is out of kilter with that of the other party and the lawyers will defeat the collaborative process, and both sides will have to incur the expense and delay of starting over with new counsel. Reality testing through a temporary order hearing or a pretrial with the judge is not an option in “collaborative divorce.” The lawyer representing a difficult client must either advocate for the client’s unreasonable position or take a public position adverse to the client’s view. An attorney cannot ethically make either of these choices, The first is at least arguably frivolous; the second violates the requirement that we advocate diligently for our clients. Proponents of “collaborative divorce” have not provided a solution to this ethical dilemma.
Delay, Expense, and New Counsel. A client who wants to stall progress in a “collaborative divorce” can do so indefinitely, until the court threatens to dismiss the action and the party wishing to proceed must then retain new counsel to request a pretrial. Again, both sides incur the expense and delay of bringing a new attorney up to speed. The attorneys who know the facts and have established rapport with their clients cannot continue to be involved. How can this result benefit anyone?
Diligence. Lack of due diligence in discovery may subject the attorney to a malpractice claim [see Helmbrecht v. St. Paul Ins. Co., 122 Wis.2d 94, 362 N.W. 2d 118 (1985)], may violate the ethical requirement of diligent representation, and may make the client uneasy about signing on the dotted line. In complex cases and cases in which there is a disparity in the spouses’ respective familiarity with or involvement in financial affairs, the security of formal discovery is not available to help resolve “collaborative divorces.”
Timely and Efficient Court Intervention. If there is sufficient antagonism that experienced counsel are unable to negotiate an agreement, or if one party refuses to comply with an agreement, court intervention is necessary. Under the “collaborative divorce” approach, both lawyers must withdraw just at the time that an attorney who knows the case is most effective.
Malpractice Issues
In collaborative divorce, the parties and their respective lawyers sign a single contract, at least arguably creating obligations of each lawyer to the other attorney as well as to both clients. The collaborative law contract puts each lawyer in privity with both parties and with opposing counsel, creating a basis for contract claims to which an attorney is not exposed in standard practice. Moreover, the collaborative divorce contract assumes, though it does not specifically state, that each client completely waives his/her attorney’s obligations to maintain client confidentiality and not to inform the other party or lawyer of his/her legal, factual, or strategic errors. Yet, the contractual commitments required for “collaborative divorce” eliminate these obligations and substitute in their place obligations to disclose and to inform that are at least theoretically actionable either as contract claims or negligence (malpractice) claims.
Assume that Attorneys A and B and their clients have agreed to proceed with a “collaborative divorce.” Attorney A makes a mistake that disadvantages client A and benefits client B. If Attorney B fails (deliberately or negligently) to correct the error, can client A sue Attorney B for malpractice? If Attorney B corrects the error, to his/her own client’s detriment, can Client B sue Attorney B for malpractice? Does the existence of a “collaborative divorce” contract provide a defense to malpractice? Does it increase malpractice exposure by permitting each party to sue both lawyers?
If, unknown to Attorney A, Client A fails to provide full financial disclosure and thus disadvantages Client B, can Client B sue Attorney A for malpractice? Can Client B sue Attorney B for failing to take steps to discover the omission? Can Client A sue either or both of the attorneys for malpractice if the nondisclosure was inadvertent and would have been discovered through standard formal discovery, and if the effect of the error is that the judgment is vacated and litigated with new counsel with Client A held liable for Client B’s additional costs?
If Attorney A fails to spot an issue that would likely be resolved in Client A’s favor, does Attorney B have a duty to raise the issue? If Attorney B fails to do so, can Client A sue Attorney B for malpractice? If Attorney B raises the issue, can Client B sue Attorney B for malpractice?
Have you notified your insurance carrier? How will you pay for breach of contract litigation and possible judgments against you that your malpractice insurance does not cover?
“Collaborative Divorce” May Increase the Cost of Divorce
“Collaborative divorce” is marketed as a cost-saver for clients, but is it really? We all know that settlement is less costly than litigation. The issue is not whether “collaborative divorce” is less expensive than litigation, but whether it permits participants to spend less than they would if they employed more conventional settlement approaches. Most lawyers try informal discovery first and proceed to interrogatories or requests for document production or depositions only where informal attempts have failed or where the information provided is suspect. Most lawyers schedule contested trials only after repeated attempts to arrive at negotiated settlements. Most lawyers genuinely believe that better and more creative settlements can be achieved through negotiation and creative planning rather than through a court-imposed resolution. Virtually no good lawyer chooses litigation as the first and best option.
In a conventional divorce, the lawyer who has worked up the case, who knows the client and the facts, and who understands the interpersonal dynamics of the case, can use this knowledge base to proceed if necessary to a litigated conclusion. In “collaborative divorce,” if negotiations fail the clients have to begin again with new counsel and pay a new lawyer to learn the complexities of the case. If the clients have a relatively simple financial situation, they probably can’t afford to pay twice. If they have a complex situation, the time and expense necessary to duplicate or recreate the financial analysis and valuations will likely be outrageously high. In some cases, clients may save some money, though there is no evidence that “collaborative divorce” is less costly or less time-consuming than any cooperative settlement approach. In other cases, however, overall costs will skyrocket, and the time it takes to complete the process will be significantly extended because of the duplication of effort entailed by substitution of counsel. And while “collaborative divorce” proponents suggest that its practitioners will have fewer uncollected accounts, one may reasonably question whether clients who are forced to change lawyers will fully pay both sets of counsel.
Is “Collaborative Divorce” a Better Process?
Advocates of “collaborative divorce” say that clients are motivated to learn problem-solving strategies because there are no “court threats.” In some cases that may be true. Experienced attorneys know, however, that with many clients it is precisely the ability to schedule court dates and set deadlines that provides the impetus for settlement. Cases often settle only when delay is no longer possible and the time for gamesmanship is over. We’ve all had the experience - probably on both sides - of dealing with a client or opposing party who stubbornly sticks to a position until trial is imminent. Clients who employ more efficient problem-solving strategies do so in most cases because they understand that they will get the best results that way, and a contested trial date need not be scheduled in order to negotiate a settlement. There are no “court threats” because they are able to resolve their differences without the looming specter of a contested divorce. Moreover, where the bargaining positions of the respective clients are unequal - one is more financially experienced, or more legally knowledgeable, or simply more intimidating - the reality of “what the judge will likely do if we go to court” may be crucial to a fair settlement.
“Collaborative divorce” supporters also claim that clients are “more satisfied” with the results achieved with the collaborative approach. It’s not news that clients are more amenable to and more willing to comply with the terms of an agreed settlement than one that is court imposed. But what is the evidence that clients are “more satisfied” with a collaborative settlement than with a settlement reached through conventional cooperation and negotiation?
“Collaborative divorce” proponents contend that the process offers a way to practice law that is “more positive, more challenging, more rewarding, and more fun” than conventional practice. This is simply not the case for those of us who have historically settled most of our cases creatively, without having to give up the option to litigate if negotiations break down, or to dodge ethical issues, or to assume additional malpractice exposure..
Cooperative Divorce
The attorneys who are spearheading the “collaborative divorce” movement have adopted this idea with the best of intentions. They are looking in good faith for a more humane and less stressful way to deal with the sturm und drang of marital dissolution. They are legitimately frustrated with the waste of time and duplication of effort that goes into simultaneous settlement negotiations and trial preparation. They want to make a hard time easier for their clients and for themselves.
We can work toward these goals without running afoul of ethical rules, increasing malpractice exposure, and refusing to use the available resources of the court system appropriately to facilitate negotiated settlements wherever possible. Let’s call it “cooperative divorce.”
The “cooperative divorce” practitioner would:
Respect all parties and counsel and treat all participants courteously.
Respond promptly and in a straight-forward way to requests - both formal and informal - for information. (No paper bags full of unsorted documents, receipts, and junk mail in response to a request for production of documents; if you need an extension of time, explain why and ask for it rather than leave the opposing attorney to guess when he or she will hear from you, etc.)
Cooperate with rescheduling requests, requests for extensions, and the like as a matter of common courtesy. Everybody needs a break sometime.
Tailor information requests to the information needed for each specific case, rather than sending blanket, form discovery documents or routinely scheduling depositions without a specific purpose.
Educate his or her client about the other party’s rights and perspective, rather than simply supporting the client’s position regardless of its merits or the realities of the case.
Encourage the client to take a broad view and consider relationship issues. Help the client focus on the issues that can be resolved within the legal system and discourage justification of the client’s bad behavior on the basis of the estranged spouse’s total lack of redeeming qualities.
Prepare seriously for settlement negotiations; do the homework that is necessary to conclude the case. Run after-tax cash flow schedules and marital balance sheets; put together comprehensive parenting plans, update financial statements - as if the case were going to trial instead of a negotiation session. Too often we contribute to delays by being unprepared to negotiate effectively.
Keep his or her word. If a cooperative lawyer commits to provide information or a document draft by a certain date, he or she does so or makes a courtesy call to explain an unavoidable delay. If a cooperative lawyer makes a proposal in negotiation, he or she does not renege on the proposal on the table and retreat to a more favorable position for his or her client.
Use the legal system as a resource to help settle the case if appropriate.
Understand the rich menu of alternative dispute resolution resources and recommend their use as appropriate.
Maintain a civil and courteous approach. If litigation is necessary, stipulate where possible, cooperate with the admission of exhibits, accommodate the other side’s expert witnesses, and advocate for his or her client without becoming antagonistic.
Most good lawyers do most of these things most of the time. But we all slip up on occasion. Committing to “cooperative divorce” avoids the problems of “collaborative divorce” and improves the practice of family law.
Thanks to Gary Young, Allan Koritzinsky, Linda Balisle, and Margo Melli for their input and support of the “cooperative divorce” concept.
This articles provides general information only and is not intended as a substitute for legal advice. Nor does this article imply any attorney client relationship. This article is for informative purposes only and may not apply in your state, please consult an attorney in your area.
Linda Roberson
Shareholder of Balisle & Roberson S.C.
Practicing Family Law Statewide in Wisconsin
http://www.b-rlaw.com
Uncategorized06 May 2009 03:14 pm
Newsletter Content And Considerations For Your Optin Email Marketing List
Publishing a newsletter for your optin email marketing list provides many benefits in terms of driving traffic to your site as well as boosting the sales and profits of your site and company. This is a marketing ploy that will not put a huge dent in your marketing budget and will also not require many man-hours in developing this project.
With a newsletter, you can inform the public about your company and products as well as services. You can keep them posted and updated about whats going on with your company as well as many of your promotions and offerings. With these, you keep on reminding your optin email marketing list that you are still there and willing to offer them good deals and services.
Newsletters also allow you to impress your optin email marketing list. It can show your expertise and knowledge about the topic at hand, and the many benefits you can offer them. When you impress people, they will become potential customers and another great thing is that they can recommend you to their friends, colleagues and family. All of them could very well be customers in the future.
If you do not have a newsletter or publish one for your site, then you may want to consider about researching, and becoming well informed on how to publish one. It is not as easy as it seems but if and when you get the right idea and process, it will be smooth sailing from there on. Try to take the time to learn what you need to, and get that newsletter good and ready to attract subscribers to your newsletter as well as traffic to your site.
In the next few paragraphs, I will provide you with some things to reflect on when you decide to start your own newsletter for your site. Here are five things to consider when publishing a newsletter.
1. Make sure that the content of your newsletter closely relates to your business or the theme of your site. Do not dwell too far on what could be regarded as your field of expertise. You have started a site and your theme for your site will always be something you are knowledgeable about. For example; if you have a site that sells auto car parts, your newsletter must contain articles or content like photos that pertain to cars, auto parts and such. You may also include content about your company and your staff.
Remember that visitors of a certain site are there because they are interested in what that site has to offer. If they sign up for an opt-in list or for a newsletter this means that they want to be updated for that certain theme or subject. Be sure that when you publish your newsletter, you are providing for the need of the subscriber as well as their interests.
2. Ensure that you have well written, information riddled and content rich articles. Your articles will be the body of your newsletter and they should be able to excite your readers as well as provide information. Articles should be well written and checked for errors such as spelling and grammatical errors, for it to look professional and believable. The trust of your client in you and your newsletter is at stake here.
3. Fact: check your articles. Make sure that you provide true facts and figures, so that your reputation as an expert, and your knowledge in that field is not questioned. If you lose the trust of your optin email marketing list, any questionable facts and figures you provide, may persuade them to unsubscribe to your newsletter. You will lose many potential sales this way.
4. Provide fresh and new articles that can provide new information to your optin email marketing list. If you publish stale and old news in your newsletter, there is a tendency that people or your optin email marketing list may already have read and known about them. This will lose their interest in your newsletter and they will not get to read what is most important, your ads. They may not open or read any of your newsletters, thus ruining your purpose in writing and publishing newsletters, which is to get them to visit your site and make a purchase.
5. Never use copyrighted materials such as photos and articles, unless you have the writers permission. This is outright plagiarism, and you may get into a lot of trouble for this. You can lose your business and get sued over copyright infringement. If you do not have the time to write your own articles, there are many willing and able professional article writers that can do it for you for a reasonable fee. All your investment in writing and publishing articles will be well worth it when you see your list build up and your traffic increasing.
David Barnard works mainly in the areas of list building with a Free Email List Builder System at www.emaillistbuilder.com
Uncategorized06 May 2009 03:41 am
How to Structure an Email Follow Up Series
Marketers the world over use follow up autoresponders to
increase sales. But, many struggle to write a compelling
message series. Don’t let that keep you from your share of
the profits! Print and follow these instructions; you’ll
soon be following up with finesse.
(Examples in this article use the fictional product “Green
Garden Lawn Fertilizer”. Any similarity to actual products
is unintended and coincidental.)
Message 1 - Big Benefits:
Many of the sales resulting from your follow up series will
come after the very first message. Keep this message short.
Just take 500 or so words to flesh out a handful of your
biggest benefits. For example, part of the Green Garden Lawn
Fertilizer company’s first message might read:
“A Lush Lawn: Green Garden Fertilizer will give you a
lush lawn in just 2 weeks! Density will increase up to 50%…”
“No More Brown: Watch your lawn become 3-5 shades
greener with regular treatments”
Message 2 - Establish a Need:
Use your second message to explain why your product is necessary.
First, lay out the situation leading to a need for your product.
Then, show that your product will meet that need. For instance:
“Lawns across the country are looking dull. Homeowners water
and mow to no avail. But, not those who use Green Garden
Fertilizer! They’ve created lush, beautiful lawns”
Message 3 - Tool Talk:
In your third message, show the lead how he will go about
actually using your product. Detail any tools or supporting
material that you offer. In the case of our fictional Green
Garden Fertilizer, part of this message might read:
“This treatment is a cinch: Simply attach the included
diffuser to the end of your garden hose, creating a
sprinkler. Run the sprinkler for 15 minutes each week.
You will see an improvement after just one treatment!”
Message 4 - The Wildcard:
Message 5 - Questions? Comments?:
Your lead may be waiting to purchase until you explain one
particular thing. By asking outright, you can speed the
sales cycle to a close.
Start the fifth message by asking your prospect if he has
any questions. Give him several ways to reach you, and
include your hours of operation and time zone.
Take the rest of the fifth message to answer some of the
questions your prospects ask most often. For instance:
“Are you excited about the lush lawn you’ll have with Green
Garden Fertilizer? I hope so! Let me go over some questions
our customers have asked in the past”
Message 6 - Testimonials:
With your sixth message, show off your satisfied customers.
Choose several of your best testimonials, and list them here.
Look for quotes from customers who are obviously excited about
your product, but that still sound believable. For instance,
choose:
“I’m thrilled with my Green Garden Fertilizer! Just two weeks,
and my lawn looks better than it has in years.”
Instead of:
“Green Garden Fertilizer is miraculous! It turned my back lot
into a rolling meadow in days - and that lot is PAVED!”
(The testimonials in this article are made up examples. All of
your testimonials, however, must be real. Fabricating
testimonials is illegal.)
Message 7 - Last Chance:
Your final message serves as one last reminder of your product.
Briefly reiterate its most impressive features. Then, throw in a few
testimonials or a very short case study. Round out this message
with your contact information. Our example product’s final
message might read:
“Over the past several weeks, you’ve heard about how Green
Garden Fertilizer can turn your lawn around. Customer Dusty
Dan tried it, and he says, ‘My lawn has never looked better…’”
Follow Up With Finesse
Automation means that good follow up doesn’t have
to be time consuming. Now, creating a message series is just
as easy!
Beka Ruse is the Business Development Manager at AWeber Communications. Experience the acclaimed customer support and reliability of AWeber autoresponders. http://www.aweber.com/lfs.htm
Uncategorized04 May 2009 04:55 am
Write Emails Marketing Messages That Capture Your Audience
The contents of the email marketing messages can keep your readers focused if they are written and presented well. Since readers like to scan through emails instead of reading them entirely, they understand more when less is explained. So the content should be convincing and well written without any grammatical or spelling mistakes to gain the trust of the potential shoppers.
Be consistent throughout your email message. In other words, mention only a couple key issues surrounding the site page you are leading people to click on. Don’t cloud the email body with other sites, products and services. Keep the flow steady and tight, well focused.
Use good navigation on the website and test it BEFORE you send your email. Make sure you can click on the link. And make sure whatever you ask people to do there - be it sign up for an eZine, a report or purchase a new eBook or package - that this process can be done as directed.
6 Tips For Writing Emails For Your audience
1. Subjects given to the emails should impress & invite
2. Focus on keywords to get the attention of your readers.
3. Bulleted or numbered lists make the subject easier to understand.
4, Use plain layman language to present your ideas. Use less words, smaller words and words which that are simple to comprehend.
5. Avoid using puns or metaphors. They tend to leave the reader confused.
6. Try to grab your readers with the conclusion, then sum up at the end.
By giving your readers a well prepared targeted Email message you are writing for them see how they will reward you in return.
About The Author:
Chet Holcomb of Internet Promotions Marketing Tools is a successful marketing expert providing advice for web marketers and webmasters on how to promote your website, or product using marketing tools that work. His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.
You may reprint this article freely if the content is not altered and the authors resource box is displayed.
Uncategorized02 May 2009 09:02 am
Introduction to Autoresponders
If you’ve reached the point of exhaustion trying to keep up with answering the mountain of emails that threatens to bury you alive every single day, you’re ready to learn about autoresponders.
The bad news is that people expect prompt replies to their email inquiries. However, unless you can figure out how to work continual twenty-four hour shifts, or hire enough people to constantly monitor incoming emails (while they’re eating up your revenue), you have a problem. The good news is an autoresponder is an inexpensive - or even free - method of quickly responding to emails. What these programs do is automatically respond to incoming emails as soon as they are received.
Emails are essential to your business for many different reasons. Most importantly, these invisible email voices give you their feedback about your website - for free! However, if you spend all your working hours answering
these emails, how are you supposed to run your business? The answer is simple: use autoresponders. Autoresponders are programs that automatically respond to your emails without you so much as having to click on your mouse.
There are a number of good reasons why you need an autoresponder besides just answering your email. For example, autoresponders can be used if you need a way to send information about your services or products, price lists, or if there are repeated questions asked across large numbers of emails. Maybe you want to offer your site visitors a special bonus of some kind, such as advice or relevant articles. All of this can be handled by an autoresponder. Additionally, you can advertise your business and then build stable relationships with your customers by using autoresponders.
Autoresponder programs vary from software that runs with your email program to a specialized script that runs on your web hosting company’s server. This kind of script may use a web page form or simply operate with your email account. This kind of script is programmed to send out a
standardized message whenever an email is received. The message is sent to a particular script or email address.
Some autoresponders can do more than simply send out standardized messages. They can send out an unlimited number of follow-up messages sent at predetermined interval of time. For example, you can set your autoresponder to send out a new message every day for as long a period as you desire.
There are numerous companies who offer autoresponders free of charge. Your website hosting company often provides autoresponders as a free service. If this is not the case with your web hosting company, there are numerous companies who offer this service for a small fee, or free of charge, providing you attach an advertisement for their company to
your emails.
To personalize your autoresponder messages, you can attach a signature. Signatures in this case are much like business cards. You can include your name, company, all your contact numbers and addresses, and a brief message.
It’s a good idea to attach a signature to every email that is sent out. This works as a repeated reminder of your business identity every time a customer sees it. The more they look at your signature, the more likely your company will spring to mind when your particular service or product
is needed.
You can create a standardized signature that every employee in your business uses, or you can go wild, and let every staff member create their own personal signature. Of course, like everything in life, there are some rules and guidelines to creating a personal signature.
Keep the length of your signature between four to six lines of text, with no more than 70 characters in a single line. Make sure that your email program does not cut off your text! The content should include your name, your company name, your email address, fax number, and any other contact
details, such as 800 numbers. Lastly, always include a short personal message about your company. It should be a subtle sell of your services or your products, and possibly your company’s reliability and longevity.
Another specialized use of autoresponders is to create courses that you can then offer your site visitors for free. You must choose a topic in which you are an expert and that precisely targets your potential customers.
Once you have carefully chosen your subject, divide it into a number of different sub-topics. Then offer your site visitor a free 10 or 15 day course, each day offering a different sub-topic. The first topic should always be a
welcome message to your site visitor and an explanation about what is to follow. Your explanation should be enticing, getting the point across that you are offering free, quality information that your target audience will
find of great value.
With every lesson, include the number of the lesson, the topic title, information about your company and its services or products. At the end, include a few blurbs about the next lesson to entice the subscriber to continue on.
Make sure each topic is packed with essential and valuable information, and leaves the visitor lusting to know more. Otherwise, you may lose them in the very beginning.
Of course, you have to write up your course before you can offer it. Once you have done this, and gone over the material carefully, employing a professional writer or editor if necessary, you must transfer your text to your
autoresponder.
There are a number of free autoresponders you can use.Try http:/www.getresponse.com, or http://www.fastfacts.net. Or go onto Google and you will find a long list of free autoresponder companies. Then sign-up for your chosen autoresponder. Once you do, you will receive instructions as to how to set it up and transfer your text.
Email is an excellent marketing tool; it is inexpensive and it is fast. Use it to advertise your business by choosing your email address carefully. Your website should contain different email addresses for different contact requests. For example, use info@yourdomain.com for information requests, or sales@yourdomain.com for questions about sales. It’s a good idea to set up one for the owner, such as president@yourdomain.com. This presents your company in a personal, approachable light and insures that direct
contact is provided.
Autoresponders are an effective and powerful marketing tool, allowing you to make contact with thousands of potential customers. This is an invaluable asset considering how many potential customers you usually have contact with before you make an actual sale. Essentially, an autoresponser allows you to automate part of your marketing campaign.
Article Supplied By Web Auto Pilot
Submitted with Article Distributor.
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