What is an Advance Directive?
When and why you need an Advance Health Directive If you've ever been admitted to a hospital, you’ve likely been asked the question “Do you have an advance health care directive?” (It’s possible one or two of those words were missing: “advance directive” or “health care directive” are common ways to shorten it). If your first response was...
Can I Talk About a Real Business in My Book?
Use of Trademarks in Writing An editor friend of mine told me she recently had a client who made up a restaurant name for her book. When my friend looked into it, she discovered that there was a restaurant with that exact name a few hours from where she lived. She advised her client to change the name,...
Wills vs. Trusts – What’s the Difference?
This is a source of confusion for a lot of people. I often have clients ask me this question, or the related questions “Which one do I need, or do I need both?” Here’s the breakdown of what each document is, and what purpose it serves in your overall estate plan: The will is the document that states...
Is a Copyright Small Claims Court in America’s Future?
As an attorney, one of the things that hurts my heart the most is a prospect who comes to me with a great case, but no money to pursue that case in court. In many cases, there is no way to stop an infringer short of a court order, and that court order can only come after a...
Do I Need a Waiver to Post Photos or Videos of Other People?
I was recently approached by someone who was starting a literary open mic night at her local Starbucks, to give writers an opportunity to share their works with an audience. She wanted to take pictures, and possibly video, to use in promoting the event. However, she was concerned about the logistics of getting a waiver from everyone in...