Articles Index
New Articles Index – Alphabetical (Punctation included)
Are you looking for an article?
Use the Search Icon to Find an Article (use text or title to find the article)
Rights vs. wearing motorcycle helmets
September 15, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver In a state that requires all motorcycle riders under 25 to wear a helmet, may an employer terminate an employee who refuses, claiming that it is his Constitutional right to ride without one? That was “Kirk’s” question. “I manage a...
Risks in renting a vacation cabin
February 25, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver You and the Law: Risks in renting a vacation cabin Thinking of renting a nice little mountain cabin from the owner? You may be in — or out — for more than you expect, as Hanford resident Kristin Bettencourt...
Safe deposit box nightmare
February 16, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver For anyone who has a safe deposit box at a bank or other financial institution, today’s story could prove to be extremely valuable, and we begin with this question: “How would you feel, how incredibly upset and angry would you...
Saving huge attorney fees on personal injury claims
June 12, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Last week, we told you about a reader whose brother-in-law was killed in a roll-over auto accident caused by a friend from work who apparently fell asleep at the wheel. There is $500,000 of insurance available...
Saying this to collect a debt could land you in jail
August 30, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver “My husband is an excellent dentist but like many physicians and dentists, thinks that he’s an expert in just about everything, including law,” she added. “Since I know his limitations, when he told me of what he was about to say,...
Scam Alert: Bioelectronic Medicine Is Both Promising and Ripe for Fraud
May 27, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, I am the victim of a vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) scam.” Vagus nerve scam? Most of us know about vagus nerves from high school biology — that they are the longest in our bodies, but not much more. However, for the past few...
School-year resolutions to keep our kids on the right track
September 14, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver Ask School Resource Officer Per Westlund of the Hanford Police Department who — not what, but who — in his experience is the greatest risk to a child's success in school, often creating a path to behavioral problems and even...
Sell the business, remain in California or move out of state?
September 3, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “Our family owns a small furniture manufacturing company in Southern California that is very much a happy, living dinosaur. We are a mini United Nations, with about 30 employees, most who have been here for decades, and the...
Sense of humor needed when reading lawyer’s bill
March 29, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver While one of the pre-requisites for becoming a lawyer isn’t having a good sense of humor, if you ask Aaron Shechet and his wife, Leigh Chandler, these Los Angeles based attorneys will tell you that it should be. “Especially,” as...
Serious patient mistakes that occur after a car crash
August 2, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver What should you say? What should you do? And, even more importantly, what should you not say or do if involved in a motor vehicle accident? “Chiropractors, MDs, physical therapists, attorneys, professionals who treat or are involved...
Seven Ways to Be an Absolute Jerk as a Lawyer
December 3, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver “Law is adversarial. Many lawyers have type-A personalities, feeling they just have to win, and some feel they will increase their chances of success by being absolute jerks to opposing counsel. Nothing could be further from the...
Seven website issues that can get you in hot water
January 19, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver An informative, accurate and accessible website has the power to enhance the credibility of a business or professional — or greatly detract from them. However, as Hanford-based website developer Katherine Andes points out, “Many...
Shame on auto maker who won’t address design flaw
April 15, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver Please join me for a walk down memory lane, to 1965 and the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, the frightening book by lawyer and consumer advocate Ralph Nader about just how little auto manufacturers cared about safety. Nader’s...
Shame on California’s unemployment insurance department
June 9, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver If you’ve been denied unemployment insurance benefits because your employer claimed that you were guilty of “misconduct,” then today’s story will be of special interest, for that’s what happened to “Carmen,” the 32-year-old daughter of...
Shame on Volvo! When the Dealership Shuts Down
June 28, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver What are your rights when the dealership that just sold you that new car suddenly loses its franchise and is no longer allowed to perform warranty service or repairs, leaving you forced to drive for hours just to get what you had a...
She donated a piano to her church and now wants it back
December 01, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In memory of dad, a family donates a baby grand piano worth $15,000 to their church and receive a charitable tax deduction. Fours years later, a power struggle develops and some members decide to form their...
Shopping for a new car?
June 14, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver First, get inside the minds of car dealers. In survey after survey, buying a new car is consistently viewed as a highly unpleasant experience, even with all the information available online. “What car buyers find so frustrating and...
Should Dad get involved?
February 11, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver "Mr. Beaver, I am a retired naval officer living near the Naval Weapons Station at Lemoore with my wife of 35 years. She is from Japan, and our son — who I will call Henry — got her great looks," wrote...
Should I buy a radar detector?
September 03, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver "I was pulled over on California State Route 33 in the Central Valley by a traffic officer using radar," a Hanford reader's email began. "While the posted speed limit there was 65, try to drive at that...
Should I change lawyers?
May 24, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver “I was in a car accident several months ago and hired a personal injury attorney almost immediately. Initially, she was very responsive, returned my calls promptly, keeping me informed of everything. Then, suddenly, silence. I leave...
Should I go back to school and become a lawyer?
March 29, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver Across the country there are 73 law schools accredited by the American Bar Association which offer part-time programs–evening or weekend classes–and normally require four years to complete. In 2018, approximately 12,000 students of...
Should I hire a lawyer to fight my traffic ticket?
October 24, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver If you’ve just received a traffic ticket that you’d like to fight and unsure about representing yourself or hiring a traffic ticket attorney, we’ll give our recommendation in a moment. But first, by the time you read this article,...
Should I report my wife’s thefts?
July 16, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver “My wife works at a food bank near a town where your column is widely read. She is paid $12 an hour, but doing the math, I know she is stealing money donated by generous people in our community," Ted’s email stated. “Finding new,...
Should this guy be in law practice?
June 9, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Every occupation has its rotten apples. Law is no exception, but when you've got a person practicing law who is nothing more than a vampire, clients become the blood bank from which he makes withdrawals. Not far...
Should you buy Feit LED lighting?
January 26, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, for the longest time we wanted to replace all 50 of our light bulbs with LEDs but the retail price of around $12 each was a deal breaker. We have used the little coiled CFLs, which do save energy but are annoying...
Should You Hire a Public Adjuster for Your Insurance Claim?
April 15, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver In recent months, we have all been witness to the wildfires, tornadoes and floods that have torn through cities and rural areas across our country. As so many property owners are learning, time does not heal all wounds, especially...
Should you trust your stockbroker?
January 01, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver When Pirelli of North America closed its Hanford tire plant in 2001, hundreds of employees lost their jobs. Months later, one of the former employees - who I will just call Bob - received a call from the...
Sign this petition or risk losing your job
September 23, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver Fifty more migrants arrived outside Vice President Kamala Harris's residence in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, days after two buses carrying asylum seekers arrived at her Naval Observatory home from Texas earlier this week, sent...
Signs that you’ve got trouble brewing – Part 3
April 12, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Today we're wrapping up our look at the world of contractors. We've examined "surety bonds," which assure little beyond disappointment and headaches, as well as shown how to check out a contractor's past. This...
Silence your neighbor’s barking dogs
March 19, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver The following e-mail was sent from a couple who recently moved from Kingsburg to San Francisco. "We are going insane because of our next door neighbor's four dogs. From the moment they let them out into their...
Six Things Not to Do if You Want to Resolve a Conflict
February 6, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver Conflict is part of life. Just ask any divorce attorney, bankruptcy lawyer or lawyer who represents employees in wrongful termination lawsuits, “What is the common denominator that brings clients to your office?” They will tell you...
Small businesses and auto insurance
January 17, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver Today’s story will be of special interest to: 1. Business owners — or anyone considering going out, where: 2. Their own car or an employee’s vehicle might be used for business purposes. With this in mind, how do you answer this...
Small claims court judge got it so wrong
January 9, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver Today’s story will be of special interest to anyone headed to Small Claims Court, and we begin with this question: “When the judge’s decision is 100 percent wrong — totally and completely wrong on the law — so as to make you wonder...
Smoke alarms – What you might not know
July 20, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver It is pretty much common sense — and the law — that we must have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in our homes, condos and apartments, which provide lifesaving warning time to get out. But things get far more serious when...
Snail Mail vs Email Fail: How E-Billing Has Led to Missed Payments and Fraud Risks (What Can You Do?)
Email-only billing has created problems for some customers as bills land in spam folders and payment disputes ensue, not to mention heightened fraud risks. March 16, 2026 • By Dennis Beaver Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, e-mailed invoices became common,...
So, You Want to Start a Foundation – Great!
June 21, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver For some business owners, “The American Dream” is more than the freedom to achieve prosperity. To these entrepreneurs, it is the ability to have a real impact on individuals in meaningful ways. Often, they accomplish these goals by...
Soaked by an umbrella; can you get your money back?
November 12, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver Is there such a thing as a “windproof” umbrella? That’s what Los Angeles readers, the Harrisons, thought they had purchased before flying from LAX to Seattle on Oct. 13 for a class reunion. The 13th would validate its bad-luck...
Some ‘spam likely’ calls are legit – know how to handle them
October 13, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver “Several months ago on a Sunday afternoon, our home landline and cell phones rang, one after the other, many more times than normal. Also, our caller ID displayed Spam Likely. From prior experience, the caller claims to be from any...
Some of the worst things you can do to your career
September 10, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, my husband, 'Jamie' thinks that he is the victim of racial discrimination at work and is speaking to lawyers about a possible lawsuit. He has not been promoted and feels somewhat shunned, “Angela’s” email began. “We...
Some Section 8 tenants looking gift horse in the mouth
March 2, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver Recently, this column was contacted by a number of Section 8 tenants in the California Central Valley complaining about a company that manages an apartment house where they live. If you have never heard of Section 8, then it’s...
Sometimes, trouble just finds you
December 28, 2004 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver On Nov. 10 of last year, Vicki McCarty and her husband were shopping at the Hanford Wal-Mart at about 10 in the evening. "I had just finished paying, while my husband was looking at a display of guitars on...
Son-in-law destroying business
April 27, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver “I am writing you on behalf of several of us who are long-time employees at a family-owned furniture and appliance store in a small Southern California community. We are worried about the future, about this business surviving....
Sound advice to enhance employee health and office productivity.
December 10, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “I am CEO of a logistics company that works with shippers to streamline delivery of goods to retail businesses all across America. Our office is a beehive of activity, especially now. We need all hands on deck at all times. “Last...
Spotting an embezzler
September 3, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver “I would never have believed it! She didn’t look like an embezzler!” With those few words — often heard by police officers, private investigators and insurance adjusters — a Central California dentist who we will call “Roger” began...
Spying landlord? What not to say when trying to get out of a lease
April 27, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver Last week, we told you about Ron, a naval officer based at NAS Lemoore who rents an apartment in Kingsburg from a landlord You and the Law has tangled with over the past few years. He deserves an Academy Award in the category “Crooked...
Starting a charity is no simple task
December 7, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver “Nicky” (not her real name) is a television reporter in the Southern San Joaquin Valley with a heart of gold. Brilliant at her craft as a journalist, you just stay glued to her news stories as she finds that human touch few others...
Starting or changing the mission statement of a charity?
October 29, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver We recently hired “Roger,” who is a partner in a large law firm, to handle our small, educational foundation. His firm’s website and LinkedIn states that he has a Master’s in Taxation and represents charities and tax exempt...
Starting your own business answer this question
March 08, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver If you, or someone you know is seriously considering starting a new business, today's column is intended to be the kind of sudden awakening that only a splash of cold water or the sound a fire alarm at midnight can produce. As you...
Staying away from time share presentations
March 21, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver If you are about to attend a vacation time share sales presentation and have difficulty in saying “No!,” then our story today could easily save you thousands of dollars, and we begin with this question: Let’s say that you plan to...
Staying married to a police officer
December 20, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver “I am getting married to a police officer and want to stay married, aware that law enforcement has a high divorce rate. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks, Cindy.” To answer Cindy’s question, You and the Law spoke with law...
Stood Up by a Radio Show: But Was It a Breach of Contract?
June 10, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver Most of us have had the experience of being stood up for a date or some other social interaction, possibly a meeting with a potential employer or customer. In a dating context, according to psychologists, we may never forget the pain...
Story awakes non-communicative lawyers
May 10, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver The most frequent complaint that all state bar associations receive from the public is a refusal, unwillingness or absolute failure by their lawyers to communicate - specifically, to return phone calls. A recent story was an interview...
Structured Settlement Annuity vs Lump-Sum Payout: Which Is Better?
November 19, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver “Our son sustained a horrible injury during birth that will require life-long medical care. There will be a large malpractice settlement. Our lawyer strongly recommends a structured settlement annuity, but my financial adviser says...
Structured Settlement Are Still Valid for Personal Injury Settlements
November 15, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver “Three of my employees were involved in a very serious auto accident which will result in a large settlement to provide for future care, loss of income and general compensation. “They are out of a job and will have trouble...
Structured settlements remain excellent for accident victims
September 18, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver Regular readers of this column will recall that I strongly support structured settlement annuities for accident victims. But as you will see, while extremely rare, at times it is not all smooth sailing. If the term “structured...
Study your lawyer’s office
June 10, 2006 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In a recent article I wrote about Mark, who hired a Bakersfield attorney for representation in a divorce case. Even though he has only been in private practice a few years, his hourly rate was almost $300, and...
Stung by his lawyer’s bill
August 25, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, I just got my lawyer’s first bill and can’t believe it! If you gave me a choice between being stung by killer bees or this bill, I’d take the bees in a New York minute,” Sacramento reader Daniel’s email read. Attached...
Success requires a four-letter word ending in “T”
August 21, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver I am not a fan of self-help books for a variety of reasons, one of which is that most just take common sense principles and dress them up as a new discovery. For example, “Want to be thought of as being a responsible person? Show up...
Succession issues, religion, face family business
December 16, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver The HBO comedy-drama Succession has been a powerful impetus for family-owned businesses across America to consider who will take over upon the death or retirement of the owner. That issue is the basis of today’s story, which began...
Summer law clerk discovers improper billing
July 25, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver For a law student driven to succeed, summer is no time to kick back. Instead, you want a job as law clerk which, for most is a real eye opener. Working with lawyers, meeting clients — and discovering the enormous time demands — quickly...
Summer law clerk makes chilling discovery
October 18, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver There are few occupations where reputation is so powerful as in the law. If you need to retain a lawyer, you want someone with a reputation for being competent, who deals with clients ethically, honestly and not merely as a cash...
Supermarkets Have Become a Pickpockets’ Paradise: How to Avoid Falling Victim
October 20, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver Our September 5 article, The Unsung Hero of Aisle 5: A Tale of Forgotten Change and Compassion at the Supermarket, led to many comments from readers across the country, including this email from "Wyatt," a grocery store manager in...
Take the wrong case and run up a huge bill
June 16, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Look in the attorneys section of most any Yellow Pages — or the Internet — and you’ll find full-page ads for lawyers who specialize in personal injury cases, describing millions of dollars “won” for clients and...
Taking it out in trade
December 22, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver How should a client react if their attorney states, “I really feel close to you and believe that we could have a wonderful physical relationship. What do you think?” But what if it isn’t a request, instead, a condition of...
Target’s problem with returns could end up targeting you
September 15, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver On Sunday, Aug. 21 at 10 a.m., readers Laura Salinas and her fiancee Jeff Guardiola purchased a 15.6 inch, Windows 10, Acer Aspire E15 laptop computer from the East Hills Target store in Bakersfield. They drove home, plugged it in...
Teacher who cried wolf may get school sued
January 3, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver “Dennis, spend a day in the shoes of a high school human relations manager and you’ll be amazed at the immaturity and outright deception shown, not by students, but the teachers. Given the bickering, pettiness, unbelievable lack of...
Ted rented a car and got a lot more than a good rate
August 9, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver When you rent a car, it’s reasonable to ask for a non-smoking vehicle, and that’s exactly what Lemoore readers, Ted Knecht and his wife told the staff at the Enterprise car rental office in Hanford. They needed a rental as their...
Telling the stinky truth slowly
July 28, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver My paralegal, Anne, buzzed me: “You have Mike on the line who just got fired from his job as an auto mechanic and adamantly claims that he did nothing wrong. He is very upset.” – Put him through. “So, Mike, what happened?” "Well, Mr....
Test your smoke alarm knowledge
December 10, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver No doubt you’ve got a smoke alarm somewhere in your house or apartment, but do you know where they need to be placed or how many you should have? Try this test of your smoke alarm knowledge: 1. By 1975, most states required one...
Thank you. You’re welcome!
July 21, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver It is so interesting how a sentence or two in an article has the power to open the flood gates of reader comments. And that’s what happened after "Why pressuring employees (with regard to charitable giving) can backfire" ran June 27....
The affair that never happened
September 29, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver Ever considered having an affair? Today’s story will be of special interest to anyone – especially in a long term marriage – who has thought about having an affair. While the names have been changed, the events and location...
The attorney fees I charge you are non-refundable (The Tooth Fairy told me it’s legal)
March 15, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver “There probably isn't a lawyer who hasn't heard the famous Greed is Good speech recited by actor Michael Douglas, playing corporate raider Gordon Gekko in the 1987 film Wall Street,” observes Los Angeles-based attorney Aaron...
The bank removed money without notifying me
April 7, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver The bank took money from my account with no permission! Just how secure is your checking account? Without notice to you or permission, could a bank empty your account, causing you to bounce checks and incur fees from the bank for bad...
The bar exam is still relevant and important
August 23, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver Ask any lawyer what one exam gave them nightmares years after graduating law school you will almost always hear, “the bar examination.” It is generally viewed as the most difficult exam a law graduate will ever take. Pass it, and you...
The best college class
April 6, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver For anyone attending college, there is one class, regardless of your major or intended occupation, which will have the single most important money and hassle-saving influence on your life of any course, anywhere. Care to guess what...
The best way to exit your timeshare – never buy one
October 14, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver If you own a timeshare or, God forbid, are considering buying one, I have one word of advice that has made the timeshare industry mad at me following my April 2021 article quoting Salem, Oregon, attorney Eric Olsen. Replying to my...
The bill collector might be your best friend
June 04, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Last week we began our look into a situation most of us would rather avoid, and that's getting a call from a bill collector concerning a very old account - so old, in fact, that you have no idea if it was paid,...
The business of getting you into law school
June 07, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Getting into a good law school isn't easy. Competition for a limited number of places, in our current bad economy, means that at the top schools it's harder than ever to be admitted. This increased competition...
The case of the accidental landlord
April 21, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Every day, all across America, hundreds of families who never planned on, wanted to or were asked, suddenly find themselves responsible for running a business, far too often lacking the skills or experience to...
The case of the blinds seller blind to laws that apply to her business
March 4, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver “Be it a mom and pop neighborhood store or a Fortune 500 corporation, the surest way of getting into legal hot water is operating on an assumption that you understand the law as it applies to your business, failing to seek legal...
The case of the contractor who made a big mistake
May 29, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver “Danny” purchased an older home from a couple who fell in love with the game of shuffleboard from the many cruises they took over the years. In fact, they were so enthusiastic about shuffleboard that they had a court built in their...
The case of the distracted barber
June 17, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver “It’s a real problem,” I heard repeatedly from teachers at barber and beauty colleges across the country. They were referring to barbers and cosmetologists “becoming distracted by videos, TV news, loud music, and conversations that...
The case of the dripping bathtub faucet
December 29, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver If a plumber is hired to fix a leaky bathtub faucet but is unable to completely stop the leak without very significant expense to the homeowner, does he still have the right to be paid for his time and effort in trying? That was...
The case of the free computer
October 1, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “Jake,” a civil engineer, ordered a specialty laptop directly from the manufacturer's sales department along with two pre-installed software programs that were essential for his work. He was given one assurance after another of...
The case of the leaking hot water heater that wasn’t
November 22, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver One of the great things about air-conditioning is an increase in comfort due to reduced temperature and humidity as refrigeration extracts moisture from the air through condensation. That water must go somewhere, as the Jennings...
The case of the miserly husband
March 22, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver "I have made one of the worst mistakes of my life. I am 48, and lost my husband due to cancer four years ago. We had a great marriage and I care for our teenage sons. We are a farming family which has been...
The case of the missing safe deposit box
October 25, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver If you or someone in your family has a safe deposit box at a bank or other financial institution, then today’s story will be of particular relevance, and we begin with this question: When was the last time that you signed in and...
The case of the nasty carpet cleaner
June 3, 2006 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver This past August, Gracie and Cecil Bailey wanted to have their carpets cleaned. "There are two carpet cleaning companies in town that use the Chem-Dry method, and we had been very satisfied with one particular...
The case of the nosy grandparents
December 15, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver Why are some kids – and even adults — picky eaters while others will eat anything? Often, there is an actual, physical explanation for it that most of us have never heard of. In a moment, we’ll tell you what it is, but first,...
The Case of the Petite Woman with a Bad Temper and her Understanding Employer
March 13, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver This is the story about how a lawyer, prosecutor, and judge worked together to teach a volatile woman respect for authority, and also, of an employer who saw great promise in an employee who very likely would have lost her job if she...
The case of the revoked summer internship offer
May 19, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver Every spring American businesses start their search for talent – potential new hires – by offering students summer internships. Some are unpaid and observational. Others, hybrid - at first observational and if everyone agrees, it...
The case of the rotten landlord
November 18, 2006 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver If you are a landlord or tenant, today's story will be of special interest, as it is an example of what gives landlords and some property managers a bad name. A real bad name. Our story begins in Hanford,...
The case of the unrepairable KitchenAid fridge
November 2, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver For anyone shopping for a major appliance –dishwasher, refrigerator or a washer/dryer –how would you answer these questions? What should you expect from an appliance dealer when its service department has had multiple, failed...
The case of the washed-up washing machine manufacturer
January 13, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver It’s no secret that the lifespan of major household appliances has shrunk dramatically. At one time, you bought a washer and dryer combo and it would last well over 20 years. Today, you would be lucky to see those essential home...
The consequences of failing to say no to your kids
December 15, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver Lawyers are often witness to the very best, and worst, behaviors of clients and their children. “Mitch,” an attorney in Louisville, Kentucky, had a request: “Dennis, I would like you to address the legal consequences — and advice...
The Coronavirus at Work – What Lawyers are Saying
March 27, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver The Coronavirus has become a sneak attack in slow motion on the American workforce. Fear has become the operative word, not only of falling ill, but the impact this virus is having on our economy, on jobs. Employment law attorneys are...
The cost of divorce
May 21, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver Once upon a time in a small Northern California town that reminds you of “Back to the Future,” lived two high school sweethearts, Ali and Mike. After graduation they married, promptly had two children, now grown and starting families of...
The dangers of representing friends, family
February 10, 2007 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In Law school, third year students are cautioned about the dangers of representing friends or family. "If they have a weak case, or are clearly in the wrong, it will be difficult for you to tell them the...
The do’s and don’ts of visiting an inmate
June 6, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver “Visiting someone in prison is one of the most important things that family and friends can do and it is also one of the most challenging, testing all our skills in human relations,” observes Sacramento-based Prisoner Rights attorney...
The doctor took away my husband’s hope and I want to sue
September 17, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “Caleb,” non-vaccinated, was in the ER and in very bad shape, his wife, “Linda” standing next to his bed. Based on a video that I have seen -- secretly made by Linda, “Because we do not trust them” -- the following exchange took...