The danger of overly broad laws

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” –Ronald Reagan So why on earth would the President of the United States speak against government help? I don’t know his  →

If you hate your neighbor’s calf, don’t set it free; kill it.

There are some interesting criminal statutes on the books.  Today I’m thinking about two Utah criminal statutes in particular: Utah Code 76-6-111 Wanton destruction of livestock – Penalties – Seizure and disposition of property and Utah Code 76-6-413 Release of  →

Does having a lawyer really make my situation better?

This is an easy one. No!  It doesn’t help.  Whatever your situation or circumstance, having a lawyer will actually hurt your situation, with only one exception: When your lawyer actually knows how to deal with your situation. Most lawyers don’t  →

Why won’t the bank let me modify my loan?

(This post is written in a particularly cynical tone.  If you don’t like it, be glad that I’m not giving you something much, much worse.) In today’s loan market, legitimate borrowers who deserve a loan modification are finding it harder and harder  →

Foreclosure Stress

As a paralegal, it is really hard to work with people that are way too emotionally involved. It is hard to explain things to them, to keep them calm, and to not raise their stress levels and have them freak  →

How should I present myself to the judge?

In any courtroom situation you should present yourself in the best light.  This means appearing in front of a judge and jury so that they will be most favorable to you. There are no guarantees in the law (except death  →

HAMP 2.0 – What’s that about?

HAMP (HAMP 2.0), the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (not to be confused with HEMP), is a program designed to encourage refinancing and help borrowers reduce mortgage payments and move into more affordable mortgages. HAMP originally included the following requirements  →

Can someone be arrested for armed robbery with a banana?

Seems absurd, doesn’t it?  But it has happened before, and it could happen again. I’m just going to quote the whole article from the BBC News, because it’s worth it. John Szwalla entered the shop with a banana concealed under his  →

What if you have a bankruptcy discharge, but your creditors won’t leave you alone?

Once a bankruptcy is filed, it creates an automatic stay of collections. Basically, debt collectors are supposed to back off while the person who filed for bankruptcy works things out. (There are exceptions, but that is the general idea.) Once  →