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Which New York state bar review course should I take?

Salamandrous — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:40:00 -0800

I would like advice on preparing for the New York bar exam. Realistically I'd write it July of next year. I definitely need a review course - I finished law school two years ago and that was Canadian law. I'm working (though a reasonable and flexible schedule) so I'd like a review that's somehow part time, or aimed for working people. I'm living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan. In Montreal the only course they offered was BarBri and that's all I'd heard of. Googling I also see Pieper and Kaplan. I found a weekends course through Pieper but had more difficulty with the Kaplan and BarBri sites.

My job is only 32 hours a week and quite flexible - might it work to do a full-time 6 week course while working 32 hours a week?

Is Pieper good? Is something else better? Is something best? I'd really love to hear any suggestions or experiences.

I know myself that I need structured instruction and deadlines, so even though I know that some people have studied successfully on their own, it's not for me. I'm almost positive I'd do better with a live course and not recorded.

Thank you!

How does Power of Attorney Work in New York?

Caz721 — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:00:46 -0800

Since I am a lawyer (though of course, not your lawyer, and not his lawyer), a family member asked if I could help him with some issues regarding a durable power of attorney (NY State). Unfortunately, I'm not a trusts & estates lawyer, so I need some direction as to what I should look at and consider in order to let him know whether he should consult a lawyer with that expertise. I know you're not my lawyer, and I'm not seeking your legal advice. My cousin's husband, Jay, asked me for advice regarding his situation. Jay's mother recently passed away. Previous to her death, Jay's mother had a durable power of attorney for Jay's cousin, Max, who is developmentally disabled and legally incompetent (I don't know much about the exact details of Max's situation). Max is in some sort of living facility, and Jay's mother took care of administrative needs for Max.

Previous to Jay's mother's death, she arranged for the durable power of attorney to pass to Jay after she died (she was sick for over a year before her death). I haven't seen the paperwork yet so I don't exactly know how this was done, but please assume for the question that Jay now holds a durable power of attorney regarding Max.

A check from the proceeds of another family member's estate recently were sent to Jay's mother's address (after her death). Jay's step-father forwarded the check to Jay. I am unclear as to whether the check is made out to Jay's mother, for the benefit of Max, or simply to Max. Jay expects some other checks in the next few months as well, and wants to know how he should deal with opening the bank account and how he is limited in dealing with the money (apparently there is some investments for the Max's benefit that have recently lost 80% of their value due to the loss in their funds, and he wants to know if he has the right to move them to less risky investments, for example).

Jay is hesitant to contact a lawyer because there really is very little money here (currently under $5000 I believe), and he can't afford to pay very much at all out of his own pocket for a lawyer. He asked me what I thought, as a way of deciding whether he needs a lawyer. My instinct is to convince him to see a lawyer with expertise, but I'd like to be able to understand the situation so that I can point him to some resources or go along with him to consult with the lawyer and know what sorts of questions I should ask.

Thanks for any resources or advice you might have

Good inheritance lawyer in NYC?

korpios — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:51:01 -0800

My maternal great aunt's husband just died; this guy had been lying to my great aunt for years, claiming they were destitute and living off of her while squirreling away all his money. It looks like he's trying to leave everything to his son, and leave her cold; where can my mother find a good inheritance lawyer in New York City? Neither my mother nor her aunt is rich. There are complications, of course:

- My great aunt had been showing signs of dementia for some time now, meaning my mother may have to assume power of attorney.

- *However*, my mother claims that her aunt has been much more lucid since the husband was hospitalized (prior to his death); my mother has suspicions that he had been drugging my great aunt based on this and items found in their home (her favorite wine being re-bottled by him, a jar with a funnel containing some of the wine, etc.). I'm not sure how you call the police on a dead guy based on stuff like this, unless his son was in-the-know.

Does my great aunt have a case here? We're talking around $500k, which is nothing to sneeze at, especially if my great aunt ends up needing a nursing home. I don't argue that her husband didn't have a right to leave *something* to his son, but leaving her with zip, while claiming all along that they were in the poor-house, is pretty cold.

What should my mother (who would be trying to help here) be doing? I'm assuming (as per the question) that it's "find a lawyer", but she doesn't even know where to start; she lives upstate about 90 minutes away, she doesn't have money to be throwing at this, and she doesn't know any lawyers in the NYC area.

NYC LegalFilter exocortical module: help? ^_^

Underage show attendance in NYC

phrontist — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:27:38 -0800

Is there any chance of a 19 year old male getting in to a club in NYC next Friday? I'd really like to see the Kode9 show next Friday, when I'll be in town for HOPE. I've already purchased tickets, and though there was no warning on the website, it looks like it's 21+.

I don't drink, and coming from seeing shows in DC/Europe it's kind of infuriating that the mere presence of alcohol makes it impossible for me to see this show.

I've encountered two legal situations in the US where this is a problem. The first are areas that rule any establishment deriving Y% of their income from alcohol as a bar, and banning anyone underage from entering a "bar". The second is where liquor licenses are so difficult to keep establishments aren't content with the common solution of marking underage individuals hands (as is the case at almost every venue in DC).

Which category does NYC fall under, and if the latter, is there any conceivable way I could convince these people to let me in? Will they check every ID? Is it worth risking my $10, not refunding the tickets, and just trying to walk in (I'm rarely carded except where it's compulsory).

I work for a college radio station and requesting press credentials has worked in the past, but it's in Kentucky and I doubt a request would carry much weight that far away.

Can anyone recommend a NYC criminal defense attorney for a disorderly conduct charge?

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:17:33 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good NYC criminal defense attorney to help me with a disorderly conduct charge? I am facing a disorderly conduct charge in NYC. I'm not going to elaborate on the details of the incident here for all of the obvious reasons. Suffice it to say that no blows were exchanged and that I was never handcuffed or formally arrested -- arrested in the sense of having the Miranda warning read to me or sent to Central Booking for processing.

I know that the charge is bogus and penny-ante, that I could probably resolve it by showing up, pleading guilty and paying a fine. But I don't want even this charge on my record; something that seems penny-ante at this point could become a more major deal down the road, perhaps impeding my ability to find work or travel to some countries. And more importantly, I don't think I was doing anything wrong. So I'm not going to plead out. I intend to fight this charge.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced defense lawyer in New York City who would be good for this? What sorts of rates would they typically charge?

Thanks in advance.

Small corporate law firms in NYC?

MattD — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 07:27:52 -0800

New York MeFites -- do you know (or are you) a lawyer in a small firm, interested in taking on business clients who need modest quantities of good, sophisticated corporate and finance counseling, and who are happy to pay NYC rates for it?

I regularly receive requests for referals to such lawyers but can't satisfy them from my network of big firm lawyers who are bound to firm policies which set $50k to $100k per-matter minimums.

Parking laws in NYC

alkupe — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 14:52:10 -0800

parking meters and nyc. the law says 15 ft but lots of people park closer than that. is there a rule of thumb for this kind of thing? how close is too close? i live in brooklyn if that makes a difference.