13 Legal Stages of Completing a House or Flat Purchase/Sale

Property purchase or sale can be divided into three major stages. There is the initial agreement here both parties have the option to walk away from their agreement. The exchange stage which commits both parties to the agreement and formalise the deal. The last stage; in any deal, is the completion of the transaction. Below is a detailed list of the entire process which has been broken into 13 individual sub-processes:- 1. The whole process starts with a verbal agreement between a buyer and a... Read more »

A Background Check Will Help You Keep Your Business and Your Family Safe

A background check is the best way to protect your business and your family especially if you own a small business. According to the government a small business is anyone who employs fewer than 500 people. If you are one of those businesses this can mean that your funds are limited as to what human resources you can use to protect yourself. If you dont know what this means you need to consult someone about getting a background check. It used to be that any business or homeowner could take someone... Read more »

Background Checks Can Be A Necessary Part Of The Business World

You never know who you may be hiring to work for you and that is why you should always be on the look out for the people you hire. Sometimes, the place you work could have some sensitive material that you need trust worthy people working with. You can not just hire any one to work with these materials. You may end up with someone that could compromise your work. Not only could it harm your work place to have someone unfit working for you, but it could also be dangerous if you are looking for... Read more »

ERISA Violations - Protecting Employees From Corporate Corruption

For the past five years, lawsuits against ERISA violators have been given wide coverage by the press. Some of these alleged big violators are… - AIG - AON - Enron - Marsh & McLennan Companies - Merck & Co. Inc. ERISA allows beneficiaries or participants to recover benefits if the company that employs a participant is plagued by corporate fraud. When corporate execs commit fraud, company stock values take a nosedive. An employee counting on receiving benefits and/or pension may be... Read more »

Bid Rigging - Conspiring to Fix a Bid Price

Bid rigging refers to the felony crime of conspiring with other competitors to raise purchase prices set for local, state, or federal government bids The US government often accepts bids for the procurement of goods and services. When competitors commit the crime of bid rigging, they agree among themselves in advance which competitor will put forward the winning bid on the government contract. By conspiring, bid riggers keep prices up and ensure that each competitor gets his crack at a government... Read more »

Bank Fraud - Attacks From Inside and Out…

According to US federal law, bank fraud is knowingly committing or trying to commit some deceitful scheme to… 1. Defraud a financial institution; or 2. Obtain funds, assets, credits, etc., under the control or custody of a bank or financial institution through fraud, misrepresentation, or false promises. The maximum penalty for bank fraud is $1 million. The maximum punishment is 30 years. The court may mete out one or the other or both. Not Necessarily a Bank Although the crime is called “bank... Read more »

Cloning - Genetic Carbon Copy Controversies

Dolly the Sheep became an instant celebrity in 1996 when UK scientists (quite literally) created the world’s first clone of a mammal using an adult cell. As controversial as Dolly’s creation was her early death in 2003. The international press was abuzz: Does cloning violate scientific ethics? Is it right to produce a genetic copy that is evidently inferior till you hit the right one? Dolly’s stuffed remains may have been relegated to the Royal Museum at Edinburgh, but the debates... Read more »

Criminal Negligence - Ignorance Is No Defense

Criminal negligence indicates the lowest level of responsibility or guilt, criminal intention being the highest. Gross negligence and criminal recklessness share the same intermediate level. What pushes an act over the line from criminal to gross negligence is the fact that the offender COULD foresee the prohibited or criminal consequences of his actions. Criminal recklessness, on the other hand, indicates the offender knew that he was exposing another person or entity to potential injury. Guilt... Read more »

Animal Abuse - What Constitutes Cruelty?

Animal abuse or animal cruelty refers to ill treatment or substandard care that result in needless harm, distress, or suffering. Standards of animal abuse laws, implementation, and tolerance vary across the US. So conditions that constitute abuse are decided on a case-to-case basis. For example, at least five issues have caused divided opinions among the American public. 1. Fur Farming 2. Factory Farming 3. Animal testing of cosmetic products 4. Medical research using animal subjects 5. Using animals... Read more »

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: The Surrogate Father and Child Support Under Illinois Law

Imagine the following: a woman you have known for many years, perhaps since childhood, considers you a dear friend, a man of character and intelligence. She is approaching her late thirties and wishes to have a baby, but no longer wishes to be burdened by a marriage in order to have the child. She comes to you and asks to donate your sperm so that she might be able to have a baby. Needless to say, this request is done out of great respect for you and in consideration of her complete trust and... Read more »