Local legal aid offices or lawyers in your area may be able to quickly respond to or help with your concern Contact Legal Services Corporation at lsc.gov/find-legal-aid or call (202) 295-1500. Or visit www.findlegalhelp.org or call (800) 285-2221 to find a lawyer through the American Bar Association.
There are many ways to find a reliable lawyer. One of the best is a recommendation from a trusted friend, relative, or business associate. Be aware, however, that each legal case is different and that a lawyer who is right for someone else may not suit you or your legal problem.
The North Carolina State Bar cannot recommend a lawyer. However, there are resources to help you find a lawyer. The best resource is a personal recommendation from a friend or family member that you trust.
You can find your local bar association in the phone book’s white pages either under your community’s name (“Centerville Bar Association”) or under your county’s name (“Cass County Bar Association”). You can also find your bar’s website through your favorite search engine, or through the ABA's interactive state-by-state lawyer-referral directory.
The USPTO grants patents and registers trademarks. The U.S. Copyright Office at the Library of Congress registers copyrights.
In one sentence: The difference between patent attorneys and patent agents is that patent attorneys (who are also patent agents) are licensed lawyers and can practice in court and give advice in all business related legal matters, while patent agents have only passed the Patent Bar Exam and are registered to practice ...
The Patent Pro Bono Program attempts to match inventors with registered patent agents or patent attorneys. These practitioners volunteer their time without charging the inventor. However, the inventor still must pay all fees that are required by the USPTO; these cannot be paid by the practitioner.
A patent attorney will usually charge between $8,000 and $10,000 for a patent application, but the cost can be higher. In most cases, you should budget between $15,000 and $20,000 to complete the patenting process for your invention.
Legally speaking, nothing prevents an inventor from preparing a patent application (or provisional patent application) without a lawyer. Indeed, thousands of inventors regularly do so, using self-help guides such as Nolo's Patent It Yourself, Patent Pending in 24 Hours or Online Provisional Patent Application process.
A patent attorney has attended law school and taken and passed an examination for registration to practice law in that state. A patent agent is not a lawyer and cannot provide any legal advice, including advice on patent licensing or patent infringement.
What kind of patent do you need? There are three types of patents - Utility, Design, and Plant. Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or compositions of matters, or any new useful improvement thereof.
A poor man's patent is essentially writing out a description of your invention and then mailing that written description to yourself. This postmarked envelope supposedly acts to create the date of your invention as the date this written description was postmarked.
Cheapest way to get a patentDo-It-Yourself (Draft it and File it Yourself) ... Cost of Filing It Yourself. ... Still To Expensive? ... Cost of Filing It Yourself. ... Fiverr & Other Low Cost Options. ... If Budgets Allow - The Better Option Is to Use an Attorney. ... The Cost of An Attorney.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), it takes about 22 months to get patent approval after going through the steps to file a patent. If you're eligible for a prioritized examination for plant and utility patents, known as Track One, you might get approval in six to 12 months.
File a Patent Application You can file a patent application on behalf of yourself or your co-inventors. Alternatively, you can hire a registered patent agent or attorney to file your application for you.
$20,000 to $60,000The full cost of obtaining and maintaining a U.S. patent over 20 years is in the range of $20,000 to $60,000. This sum is influenced by the type of technology being patented; the number of claims and drawings included in the application; the number and nature of rejections from USPTO; filing fees, etc.
The lawyer will be helping you solve your problems, so the first qualification is that you must feel comfortable enough to tell him or her, honestly and completely, all the facts necessary to resolve your problem. No one you listen to and nothing you read will be able to guarantee that a particular lawyer will be the best for you; you must judge that for yourself.
Employers or unions set up a fund to pay the employees’ legal fees, with the employee sometimes contributing a small co-payment. Legal group plans have become much more widespread in recent years. Some retail department stores and credit card companies even offer such plans to their customers.
These plans vary. Many cover most, if not all, of the cost of legal consultations, document preparation, and court representation in routine legal matters. Other programs cover only advice and consultation with a lawyer.
Constitution guarantees you the right to be represented by a lawyer in any case in which you could be incarcerated for six months or more. State constitutions may guarantee your right to a lawyer for lesser crimes.
In some ways, yes, ads are useful. However, always be careful about believing everything you read and hear — and nowhere is this truer than with advertisements. Newspaper, telephone directory, radio, television, and Internet ads, along with direct mail, can make you familiar with the names of lawyers who may be appropriate for your legal needs. Some ads also will help you determine a lawyer’s area of expertise. Other ads will quote a fee or price range for handling a specific type of “simple” case. Keep in mind that your case may not have a simple solution. If a lawyer quotes a fee, be certain you know exactly what services and expenses the charge does and does not include.
Some legal aid offices have their own staff lawyers, and others operate with volunteer lawyers. Note that people do not have a right to a free lawyer in civil legal matters. I have been accused of a crime, and I cannot afford a lawyer.
Several legal assistance programs offer inexpensive or free legal services to those in need. Look in the yellow pages under topics such as “legal clinics,” “legal aid,” or “legal advice,” or search online. Most legal aid programs have special guidelines for eligibility, often based on where you live, the size of your family, and your income. Some legal aid offices have their own staff lawyers, and others operate with volunteer lawyers. Note that people do not have a right to a free lawyer in civil legal matters.
Discrimination at a school, educational program or service, or related to receiving education. Mistreated by police, correctional staff, or inmates. Voting rights or ability to vote affected. Discriminated against in a commercial location or public place. Victim of a hate crime. Victim of human trafficking.
The Civil Rights Division enforces federal laws that protect you from discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, disability status, sex, religion, familial status, or loss of other constitutional rights.
If you believe that you or someone else experienced unlawful discrimination, you can report a civil rights violation.
Examples. Fired, not hired, or demoted for reasons unrelated to job performance or qualifications. Denied an accommodation for a disability, including not being allowed to have a service animal in the workplace. If you think you’ve experienced a similar situation, learn how to report a civil rights violation .
Need urgent legal help? Due to the amount of reports we receive, it can take several weeks for us to respond to your issue. Local legal aid offices or lawyers in your area may be able to quickly respond to or help with your concern. Contact Legal Services Corporation at lsc.gov/find-legal-aid or call (202) 295-1500.
Or visit www.findlegalhelp.org or call (800) 285-2221 to find a lawyer through the American Bar Association.
If you are reporting misconduct by law enforcement or believe you have experienced a hate crime, please contact the FBI .
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A person convicted of stalking under federal law faces a possible prison sentence not to exceed five years, a fine not to exceed $250,000, or both. (18 USC § § 2261, 3571.) Where the defendant's stalking conduct results in the death of or physical injury to another person, a conviction may lead to a sentence of up to life in prison.
Nolo is a part of the Martindale Nolo network, which has been matching clients with attorneys for 100+ years.
Often, intent is proven by introducing the defendant's own threatening voicemail messages, emails, texts, and/or Facebook page postings.
Several federal appellate courts have rejected challenges to the anti-stalking statute, when the challenges were based on free speech as protected by the First Amendment. The reason given by the courts for rejecting this challenge, in general, is that the statute bars conduct and is not addressed primarily to speech. This was the reasoning used by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a June 2014 decision, U.S. v. Osinger, No. 11-50338, upholding the anti-stalking statute. And, where communications by a stalking defendant are "integral" to the crime of stalking (such as verbal or written threats), the defendant cannot successfully challenge the law based on the First Amendment.
Courts have defined harassment as it is commonly understood: repeated words, conduct, or action that serve no legitimate purpose and are directed at a specific person to annoy, alarm, or distress that person.
A person convicted of stalking under federal law faces a possible prison sentence not to exceed five years, a fine not to exceed $250,000, or both. (18 USC § § 2261, 3571.) Where the defendant's stalking conduct results in the death of or physical injury to another person, a conviction may lead to a sentence of up to life in prison.
postal service. The federal anti-stalking law expressly includes the use of an electronic communications system as a means of violating the federal anti- stalking law .
Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They'll get you the answer or let you know where to find it.
Research labs. Law enforcement. Non-profit organizations. Businesses. The intent of most grants is to fund projects that will benefit specific parts of the population or the community as a whole.
Government loans serve a specific purpose such as paying for education, helping with housing or business needs, or responding to an emergency or crisis. Loans are different than grants because recipients are required to repay loans, often with interest. Examples of Government Loans.
A grant is one of the ways the government funds ideas and projects to provide public services and stimulate the economy. Grants support critical recovery initiatives, innovative research, and many other programs. You can find a list of projects supported by grants in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).
Report them to the Federal Trade Commission. The government does offer federal benefit programs designed to help individuals and families in need become self-sufficient or lower their expenses .
The federal government does not offer grants or “free money” to individuals to start a business or cover personal expenses. For personal financial assistance, the government offers federal benefit programs . These programs help individuals and families become financially self-sufficient or lower their expenses.
If you receive information stating you qualify for a "free grant," it's probably a scam. Get information from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) so you can better recognize and avoid grant scams. If you have been a victim of a grant scam, you can file a complaint with the FTC .
Pay cash for large purchases or services that a terrorist would not want traced (e.g. rental storage, rental vehicle, military supplies).
I would venture to say, the best way to know if you’re on the watchlist would be to recognize how often you find yourself forced into unique situations that fall beyond the norm.
Make frequent trips to areas or countries known to support terrorism . You only have to raise “reasonable suspicion” that you’re involved in terrorism to make the list.
For instance, visit hacking websites, post a tirade against the government, build your own fireworks, and join the Tea Party.
Today, the only way to find out if your name is on a list is to act on your suspicions .
Hang around (for no reason) and take pictures of a sensitive location.
Geeks by nature are often conspiracists, probably because their minds tend to spot deviations in patterns better than most. That doesn’t mean those patterns point to conspiracy of course, but it’s why nerds often lean towards alternative explanations for things.
At the federal level, the SBA has disaster recovery grants—think Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
How to Tell If a Government Grant Offer Is a Scam or Legitimate. You get a call, email or letter from the federal government saying you are the winner of a free U.S. grant. All you have to do is pay a processing fee to receive the money.
Also, some agencies, like National Institutes of Health and the Defense Department, participate in the Small Business Innovation Research program which helps companies research tech innovations for possible commercialization in areas that are of interest to these agencies.
Key Lessons. Unsolicited grants are often scams. When you have a legitimate grant, make sure you understand the terms and conditions to ensure it’s a fit with your company’s direction.
Is the grant for business or personal use? U.S. grants to a business or nonprofit are for the sole benefit of the company. If the grant is for school, living or other personal expenses, that’s an immediate red flag that it is not legit.
So, if you are offered a grant you know nothing about, most likely it is a scam. Is a fee involved? Grant applications are usually free as they are sourced at the federal or state/county level with public funds. If you are asked to submit a fee to apply for the grant or learn more about it, there’s a good chance it is scam.
In this situation, it’s wise to recall two adages: 1) If it appears too good to be true, it probably is, and 2) there is no such thing as a free lunch. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI and other Federal Agencies, fake U.S. grant scams are on the rise across the country.