As our schedules become overflowed with depositions, meetings, and appointments, sometimes we forget how easy some tasks can be checked off! Thus, we at EGCR wanted to take the liberty to remind you that you can book a Court Reporter, Videographer, and/or Interpreter online!
Here is a little video to refresh your mind if you are not too sure how book with us online:
In the state of Minnesota, Identity Theft punishment varies on the cost of loss and how many civilians were affected by the criminal activity.
Here are various examples of identity theft crime and punishment scenarios in the state of Minnesota:
If there is only one victim and the cost is $250 or less, the punishment goes as follows: Prison for at least 90 days, a fine up to $700, or both.
If thee one victim has a total damage that ranges from $250 to $700, the punishment goes as follows: Prison for at least 1 year, a fine up to $3,000, or both.
For cases where there are 2-3 victims, and the total damage is a minimum of $500, the punishment goes as follows: Prison up to 5 years, a fine of $10,000 or both.
Lastly, for cases with the criminal victimized 4 or more civilians and the total damage costing up to more than $2,500, the punishment goes as follows: Prison up to 10 years, a fine of $20,000 or both.
Smyrna has become the first city in Georgia that has passed a hands-free driving law. The legislation was a result of weeks of testimony from grieving parents and residents, according to a news report published by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution (AJC). The city ordinance prohibits drivers from having phones in their hands while driving within Smyrna’s city limits. Drivers are allowed one touch while behind the wheel, however, but for actions such as answering the phone or starting instructions from a GPS.
Passing the Ordinance
The city ordinance was brought up last fall in an effort to minimize traffic-related deaths. Results from Georgia’s House Study Committee on Distracted Driving, which was aimed to determine what was necessary to slow down or stop the increase in statewide traffic-related deaths, mirrors the ordinance’s efforts. According to news reports, car accident-related deaths in Georgia increased by one-third from 2014 to 2016. The total number of deaths in 2016 was more than 1,500. One of the first efforts to stop these fatalities was the recommendation of a hands-free driving law despite past legislative efforts being fruitless.
Presently, state law prohibits drivers under the age of 18 who hold a learner’s permit from using wireless devices while behind the wheel. The law also bans adults from texting while driving. The Smyrna ordinance, however, bans actions beyond texting and violators may face a fine of up to $150.00. According to the AJC, the Georgia city law is modeled after the one passed in 2014 by Austin, Texas.
The law will not go into effect until April 2nd of this year, and allows officers to give drivers a 45-day grace period to comply with the ban. Moreover, the new law is only valid for two years, after which legislators will review data to see if the legislation is actually fulfilling its purpose of decreasing traffic-related deaths.
Distracted Driving
Georgia is not alone when it comes to distracted drivers. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), a total of more than 37,000 people were killed in traffic-related accidents in 2016. While this is a decrease from prior years, it is still a staggering number. The NHTSA reports that distracted driving accounted for 3,477 deaths and 391,000 injuries in 2015 alone.
Essentially, distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver’s attention from the road. This can include texting or talking on a cell phone, eating and/or drinking, talking to passengers in your vehicle, or messing with the vehicle’s navigation and/or entertainment system. All of these distractions take away from safe driving.
Legal Help
If you or someone you know has questions about the newly passed Smyrna law, or any other questions regarding the trend of lawmakers passing hands-free driving laws, contact a knowledgeable Georgia attorney today.
A study by Johns Hopkins University examining more than 100 occupations revealed that lawyers are more than three-and-a-half times at risk of depression and anxiety-related issues than other professionals. Furthermore, a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Safety study concluded caucasian male attorneys are more likely to commit suicide than their non lawyer counterparts. A 2014 survey of Yale Law School students, titled Falling Through the Cracks, found that 70% struggled with mental health issues while in law school.
Indeed, mental health disorders deeply affect the daily lives of attorneys and their ability to function. Physical manifestations of these include irritability, difficulty concentrating, feelings of inadequacy, obsessive thoughts, sleep disturbances, heart palpitations, fatigue and muscle tension, sweating, and a sense of worry or impending danger. Some attorneys cope with these overwhelming feelings, thoughts, and emotions by withdrawing from peers or friends and family, or self-medicating with alcohol and drugs, or avoiding responsibility all together.
Negative Perfectionism
According to studies, two character traits common among lawyers — pessimism and perfectionism — make them prone to anxiety. In the Johns Hopkins study, optimism outperformed pessimism except in the legal field. This is likely because attorneys are supposed to think of a preempt everything that is supposed to go wrong. When perfectionism is taken to the extreme, it can result in the feeling that nothing is ever good enough. And, often, looking at risk and potential problems goes outside of the office and becomes a way of life for attorneys.
Avoiding Anxiety
There are proven and healthy coping mechanism that anyone — including attorneys — can use to help reduce anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. One main way to de-stress is to meditate. In fact, meditation is gaining acceptance across the legal industry with even law schools on the east and west coasts offering mindfulness courses to students. Professionals, particularly attorneys, can be resistant to meditation because of common stereotypes associated with the practice. Practicing mindfulness and undergoing other small changes can help lawyers pinpoint their thought patterns and help do away with those stress-inducing thoughts that do not have a basis in reality.
Mental Health Affects Efficiency
Experts on the issue insist that staying present — or practicing mindfulness — is essential for both mental health and law practice because it keeps lawyers efficient. A Yale Law School study revealed that 50% of respondents noted that mental health challenges affected their ability to perform in their academic life. The same effect translates over to the practice of law. Stressed-out attorneys can make bad decisions, leaving them at risk of liability. In fact, mindfulness and its benefits have become a trending topic among legal professional responsibility groups, according the American Bar Association.
If you or someone you know practices law and is having difficulty coping with mental stress factors, make sure to engage in mindfulness and try to seek professional help to keep yourself from burning out or indulging in self-destructive behaviors.
