LWB: The Impact of Children on Lawyer Productivity

   

LWB: The Impact of Children on Lawyer Productivity

 

Having children impacts lawyer productivity in different ways depending on gender, concludes a recent investigation by the British Psychological Society, reported here. After studying the schedules and billing records of 670 lawyers in Alberta, Canada, researchers Jean Wallace and Marisa Young found that when women lawyers have children, their productivity (or at least hours worked) decreases. The decrease occurs because female lawyers with children usually juggle professional and domestic responsibilities. By contrast, male lawyers with children were found to be more productive than their childless male counterparts, which according to the study " is consistent with the dominant cultural view of men as breadwinners, such that those with greater family responsibilities put in more hours to earn more money." At the same time, male lawyers with children were more likely to have a partner who did not work and could assume responsibility for household duties.
The study also examined the impact of "family friendly" work practices on productivity. Interestingly, the researchers concluded that flexible hours negatively impacted the productivity of male staff, but not female staff.


So which category of lawyers is most productive? That would be childless female lawyers, whose productivity exceeds that of their childless male counterparts and male and female lawyers with children.


My biggest gripe with the study is that it uses hours as a proxy for productivity. But as we all know, hours billed don't necessarily correlate to efficiency; indeed, longer hours may signal less productivity, not more. I'd be curious to see, for example, whether women lawyers manage to complete tasks more quickly precisely because they have less time. If that's the case (and I suspect it is), perhaps having children makes them productive, not less.

How to deal with a Burn Injury

 

How to deal with a Burn Injury

A burn injury can, depending on the severity of it, be extremely painful and discomforting. There are many different forms of burns injury that you can suffer from and there are many different aspects that can cause you to suffer the effect of a burn such as; heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, light and radiation or even friction even though it is usually heat that causes the most burn injuries.
It is estimated that around 112,000 people visit Accident and Emergency departments each year as a result of burns and at least another 230,000 people visit their GP surgeries due to the effect of burns. Burns units also see an average of 7800 people come through their doors each year and over 200 people die annually as a result of injuries caused by burns.


The effect that a burn can have varies from person to person in terms of the tissue that is affected as a result of it as well as the severity of the burn and the complications that arise as a result of it. When it comes to what damage can be done from a burn then you are looking at facing damage to your muscles, bones, blood vessels and epidermal tissue. Any of these areas could be damaged with subsequent pain to your nerve endings. Depending on the location affected and the degree of severity, a burn victim may experience a wide number of potentially fatal complications including shock, infection, electrolyte imbalance and respiratory distress. Beyond physical complications, burns can also result in severe psychological and emotional distress due to scarring and deformity.


A burn can happen on any part of your body; the location of a burn by no means makes it better or worse; however a burn can be classified as either first, second third or forth with forth degree burns being the worst. First degree burns are usually limited to redness (erythema) a white plaque and minor pain at the site of injury.

Second degree burns manifest as erythema with superficial blistering of the skin, and can involve more or less pain depending on the level of nerve involvement. Second-degree burns involve the superficial (papillary) dermis and may also involve the deep (reticular) dermis layer.


Third degree burns are more severe and can cause damage to the underlying ligaments, tendons and muscles. If suffering from third degree burns you will most likely exhibit charring of the skin. These types of burns are often considered painless, because nerve endings have been destroyed in the burned area. Hair follicles and sweat glands may also be lost due to complete destruction of the dermis. Third-degree burns result in scarring and may be fatal if the affected area is significantly large. If extensive enough, it can increase the risk of infection, including bacterial, and can result in death.


Forth degree burns are the most serious and can damage bone tissue, which may result in a condition called compartment syndrome, which threatens both the life of the limb and the patient. Forth degree burns are frequently fatal.

How To Get The Best Student Loan Consolidation Rates?

How To Get The Best Student Loan Consolidation Rates?

Do you have lots of different students loans, and are slowly going crazy trying to remember when they're all due and how much you need to pay? If so, then consolidating your student loans into one loan will make your life a lot easier. But before you sign a loan contract, make sure you shop around for the best interest rate you can get.

One of the most important things you can do in order to get a good interest rate is to have good credit. This sounds very simple, but plenty of people go loan shopping without even knowing what their FICO score is. There are plenty of places you can go online to check your FICO score for free, so do a search and find one. Having this information makes it much easier to search for a student consolidation loan that suits your credit profile - and so find the best interest rate.

The federal consolidation loan has a fixed interest rate, based on the weighted average of the interest rates of the student loans being consolidated, excluding Health Education Assistance Loans (HEALs), rounded up to the nearest 0.125% or 8.25%, whichever is less.

 

The weighted-average interest rate calculation is based on the official interest rates for the student loans being consolidated, exclusive of any borrower benefit or other special rate discounts.

 

By law, all lenders are required to use the same interest rate formula for federal consolidation loans. Instead, you should consider customer service, flexible repayment options, online account access and applications, reputation and industry experience when selecting a lender.

Student Loan Debt Consolidation: Faster Paying Off the loans!!

Student Loan Debt Consolidation: Faster Paying Off the loans!!

Student Loan Debt Consolidation: Faster Paying Off the loans!!

When in school, numbers of loans are taken to pay for school fees. When out of school, this becomes very hard to pay off these loans. Repayment of these loans becomes a tough task and the person has to face a very difficult time. Borrower of the loans starts thinking about the easy and affordable manner to pay off these numbers of loans. For the convenience of such borrowers the student loan debt consolidation works the best. This is a type of debt management. Paying off the student loans becomes very easy using this method. In this number of loans having huge amount to repay gets converted into monthly payments of low bills. Repayment of the loan is done to a single lender. Now, the hassle related to doing the multiple payments to number of lender gets removed. Thus, student loan debt consolidation is a very popular method adopted to pay bulk of loans in an easy manner.

 

Moreover, the interest rate to these monthly payments is also fixed. Repayment of the loans is flexible. Choosing the

student loan debt consolidation

also reduces the precious time by now and then wasting time on making repayment of the loans. Stress gets reduced when payment is made to one lender instead of number of lenders.

 

There are no charges or the prepayment penalties associated with the student loan debt consolidation. Bundle of loans getting turned into one single loan with low monthly payments allows you to live a tension free life. In order to consolidate your student loans, you should have loans totaling over $7,500. These loans are very helpful and the credit is not checked when the student loans are consolidated.

 

If you are also one facing number of student loans with number of lenders, the best method to reduce your stress will be to consolidate student loans.

How a DWI conviction affects your insurance

 

How a DWI conviction affects your insurance

By Insure.com

Many insurance companies check your motor vehicle record only once every three years or when you're applying for a new policy. Sometimes, accidents, tickets, and drunk-driving convictions can escape your insurer's attention or don't end up on your motor vehicle record. However, if your insurer does find out about a driving while intoxicated (DWI) conviction, you're likely to feel the pinch of higher rates and possibly policy cancellation or nonrenewal.

There are two ways insurance companies generally deal with customers convicted of DWI. First, your insurer will likely raise your insurance premiums and label you a high-risk driver if it finds out you've been convicted of DWI. In this case, you'll likely have to file proof of insurance for three � sometimes five � years with your state's department of motor vehicles. Your insurance company will have to provide the DMV with an SR-22 form, which removes your license suspension by providing the state with proof of insurance. An SR-22 also means your insurance company is required to notify the DMV if it cancels your insurance for any reason.

Most state laws require DWI convicts to get an SR-22 from their insurers, so you can't hide. In addition, your company may cancel your insurance mid-term or terminate the policy at the end of the term because of your DWI conviction, especially if you are currently in a preferred class. Your company will send you a notice stating why you've been canceled, and then you'll have to find another insurer while having a cancellation on your claims history.

Some insurance companies don't offer SR-22 policies, so you may also be nonrenewed or canceled because your company can no longer provide what you need.

Certain states don't allow insurance companies to drop you in the middle of the policy term even for a DWI, so make sure you know the laws in your state.

Insurers can miss DWI convictions

It's possible that your insurance company will never find out about your conviction if you don't have to get an SR-22. A June 2002 study by the Insurance Research Council revealed that as many as one-quarter of driving convictions never end up on motor vehicle records, due to lack of shared information between courts and motor vehicle departments or because a conviction has been erased through alternative means, such as driving school. If you get your charge reduced in a plea bargain, or have a limited license suspension, such as 30 days, it's also very unlikely your insurer will find out about your conviction.

If your insurance company misses the conviction at the time it happens, it has three years, according to most state laws, to cancel your policy or raise your rates because of the DWI.

Rates don't always go up

You may be surprised to know that when your insurer does find out about a DWI conviction it doesn't automatically impose higher premiums. The insurer will look at your history with the company and your claims record, and your fate is in its hands.

For example, State Farm's action depends on which subsidiary you're with. If you have a preferred policy with State Farm Mutual Insurance Co. and receive a DWI, State Farm may move you into State Farm Fire & Casualty, which is the standard-policy company. If you're moved from preferred to a standard status, you'll be paying higher rates already. State Farm will also review your motor vehicle and insurance claims history to determine if it needs to raise your rates further.

Use of SCRAM Units in Austin Texas DWI

 

Use of SCRAM Units in Austin Texas DWIs

First They Make You Take These Tests That Are Designed For You to Fail, and Then They Take Your License Away.

 

And Now You May Be Forced To Wear A SCRAM!

 

You're awaiting trial for your DUI arrest. You've just paid bond. As a condition of your release, you have been ordered to abstain from alcohol. If you drink, your bond will be revoked.

 

You've been released. You're at home, on a date, at dinner, etc. It's midnight. You want a drink. It's just one, you think. How would they know?

 

Enter SCRAM.

 

In past years, courts would have monitored your alcohol intake by one of several different methods. Either by ordering you to come into a court official's office daily for urine analysis, by subjecting you to random alcohol screenings, or by installing breath reading equipment in your home.

 

With the introduction of SCRAM (a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor), the court can now monitor your alcohol intake continuously, without ordering you to come in for testing.�

 

So, what does this new technology mean for you?

 

If the court orders you to wear a SCRAM device, you will be fitted with a tamper-resistant ankle bracelet made up of two boxes. One box will conduct the tests that will compute your BAC. The second box stores the calculations and transmits the data to the correct law enforcement personnel.

 

The SCRAM device will monitor your BAC at least every hour. If the device detects any alcohol in your system, the tests will then be performed every thirty minutes.�

 

When would a court order me to wear a SCRAM device?

 

A court might order you to be fitted with SCRAM while you are out on bond awaiting trial, or as a condition of your probation. Some courts will allow a convicted offender to choose to be fitted with SCRAM in lieu of jail time.

 

Is it expensive?

 

SCRAM can be costly depending on how long you are ordered to wear it. Upon the court's order for you to be fitted with the device, you will be required to pay a refundable $100 deposit, a $75 fitting fee, and approximately $12 per day of use. These fees must all be paid up front.

Can it be tampered with?

 

No. The device has a sensor designed to detect any attempts at tampering. If you attempt to tamper with the device, the computer will store and relay the date and time of the attempted tampering to the law enforcement officials.

 

Is the device ever wrong?

 

The reliability of SCRAM has been called into question. While the producers of the device claim it to be a scientifically valid method for determining blood alcohol content, there are those who have not yet been persuaded.�

 

In December of 2004, a judge in Michigan dismissed a case involving the usage of the SCRAM device by holding that it lacked scientific reliability.�

 

The defendant in the case was out on bond awaiting trial when SCRAM began to send reports with data showing consumption of alcohol over a two-day period. The defendant denied drinking, and underwent a polygraph test. She passed.

 

During the trial, an expert witness explained how the device might render inaccurate results. Apparently, while the method of computing BAC from the skin has been around since the 1930s, the device itself does not allow for certain discrepancies.�

 

If the machine begins to give a false positive, it could be because of food converting to alcohol in the body. Additionally, the technology used by the machine has been shown to be non-specific to beverage alcohol. This means it is difficult to determine whether positive readings came from a drink or from food prepared with alcohol.

 

If I have been ordered to wear a SCRAM device and my bond gets revoked due to a positive result, is there any way to fight it?

 

Like all BAC computations, the SCRAM device is based on technology that assumes certain ratios and percentages based on the "average" individual. Anytime the BAC is calculated by a means other than a blood test, there is a chance for error.

 

SCRAM depends on the assumptions that the average person emits one liter of perspiration per day, and that five percent of everything a person drinks is emitted through the skin in the form of perspiration. This perspiration is emitted primarily unnoticeably.

 

As with urine analysis and breath reading equipment, assumptions based on the average person are not always reliable.

 

If your bond is revoked based upon a positive reading, your attorney can fight the case by highlighting the problems with technology based on average assumptions.

DUI Lawyer Torrance

Being charged with a DUI in Torrance is a frightening experience. You need to know your rights under the California law and act to protect them immediately- before memories fade, DUI evidence is lost, or witnesses disappear. Do not wait to get assistance. The longer your DUI defense attorney has before trial, the stronger your defense can be. That includes having a criminal DUI lawyer that is experienced and dedicated to seeking justice for people who are charged with a crime. Whether you’ve been accused of driving drunk (DUI, DWI), assault, battery, theft, burglary, rape, sexual assault, or any sort of drug crime (possession, intent to distribute, or intent to manufacture of heroin, crystal meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, marijuana, or other controlled substances), or any kind of felony or misdemeanor, you need your criminal defense lawyer at your side.

Why hire a criminal defense lawyer for a DUI? Is there a warrant out for your arrest? Is it an arrest warrant or a bench warrant? Can you get out of jail on bond? How do you get a bail bond? How much does bond have to be? Do you want a jury trial? Should you negotiate a plea bargain? What about your past criminal record? What if you weren’t alone? Does it matter if you are facing criminal charges in state or federal court? How much does a criminal defense lawyer cost? Will you lose your driver’s license (or child or car or gun)? An experienced criminal defense attorney can answer all these questions for you, and help you decide what is best for your case. Choosing The Best DUI Lawyer For Your Case Anyone facing an allegation that they have violated California state or federal DUI law needs a strong and knowledgeable DUI defense attorney they can respect and trust. Money, jailtime, and even someone’s life may be on the line and a DUI lawyer has to be trusted to fight hard for his client’s best interests. The best lawyers you can find have dedicated their lives to helping people who are facing DUI authorities in arrests, allegations, investigations, trials, or appeals. Before deciding on the right criminal defense lawyer for your case, you should talk with the attorney and get a feel for how you will work together. There’s no bond like that between a DUI defense lawyer and his client, and deciding who to hire as your criminal defense attorney may be the most important decision of your life.