Tennessee Supreme Court to the Rescue: “Signed” vs. “Signed Personally” in Tennessee TPR Appeals
Samuel Robinson III In Re Bentley D., No. E2016-02299-SC-RDO-PT (Tenn., 2017) On July 1, 2016, the Tennessee Legislature enacted Tennessee Code Annotated (“T.C.A.”) 36-1-124(d) which changed the way appeals of terminations of parental rights cases (“TPR”) are to be initiated. Contrary to the law prior to 7/1/16, the new code section attempts to require the appellant (as opposed to...
Lawyers and Legal Fees
What is a lawyer?A lawyer is a professional who is an officer of the court authorized to explain and interpret the law for you, to handle legal matters, as well as to appear in court. In addition to other tasks, a lawyer’s work involves counseling, preparing legal documents and handling court proceedings; but, foremost, a lawyer is a representative and...
Landlord and Tenant – Where Tenant Defaults Under A Lease
This assumes the tenant is under a lease and that the lease has not expired, or if it has expired there is a provision that the hold-over becomes a new term. In other words, these instructions would not apply where the tenant occupies the premises under a month to month or week to week tenancy. 1. FAILURE TO PAY RENT...
Court-Martial Trials
Robert Jeffrey Wolford, MAJOR (GA Army National Guard) StevensCourt-Martial Trial Lawyer In the military justice system there are three types of court-martial – General Court-Martial, Special Court-Martial, and Summary Court-Martial. Only General Courts-Martial and Special Courts-Martial are actual federal criminal trials; Summary Courts-Martial are, essentially, enhanced administrative hearings that do not result in a federal criminal conviction because they do...
Service by Publication in Georgia
There are many times each year when we cannot get a Defendant served with the Complaint. Several times each year, we are then asked whether we can have the Defendant served by publication. In order to serve a party by publication, a notice of the filing of the suit is published in the officially-designated paper for publishing legal notices several...
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage – The Basics
Most people understand the importance of automobile insurance, and the need to carry sufficient insurance coverage. If someone brings a claim against you then your insurance company provides for your defense, and if necessary, payment of any judgment or settlement. However, many people don’t realize the importance of Uninsured Motorist (“UM”) coverage, and unwisely decide to not add the coverage....
