July 13th, 2009 at 02:57am
Under Consumer Law
Lemon Laws were established in 1978 as a way to ensure consumers have a voice if their car is not repaired properly or if the vehicle they have purchased is in constant need of repairs. Lemon laws protect the rights of the individual to drive a car that is safe and in good working condition.
Before any lemon law existed, consumers were left in the dark if their vehicle didn’t work properly or was always breaking down. Basically, you were at the mercy of the manufacturer or auto repair shop and had no real power to fight back. Oftentimes car owners were forced to continually pay for expensive repairs out of their own pocket – not something everyone could easily afford to do. Lemon laws, however, have changed all that.
In addition, constant repairs also meant missing work, or being forced to find other means of transportation while the car was in the shop. But lemon laws do more than just help the consumer. Lemon laws also make life easier for the manufacturer because it allows companies to learn from their mistakes, improve customer service, and have knowledge of any problems customers may be having with their cars. The lemon law can actually make the manufacturer aware of problems beforehand, in order to avoid a lawsuit.
The lemon law allows the consumer to contact the manufacturer if something is wrong with the vehicle so that the situation is remedied before things spiral out of control. The lemon law then allows the company to find out what the problem is and gives them a chance to make corrections. Once the consumer has allowed for such a resolution to occur, if the problem still isn’t solved, the lemon law makes it possible to seek legal recourse.
But an automobile lemon law is not necessarily straightforward. You can claim a vehicle only if it fits under certain requirements of the automobile lemon law. For instance, a basic requirement is that the dealer and manufacturer have been given a certain amount of time to make amends. However, to ensure everything is properly documented for the automobile lemon law, make sure you keep copies of all repairs and work orders. With an automobile lemon law, it’s always best to keep records. This is the only way to ensure you have the automobile lemon law working for you.
What about used cars? Is there a used car lemon law? The short answer is, “yes,” there is a used car lemon law put in place to protect the purchase of a used car, which can be infinitely more complicated. Of course, used cars can run into more problems than new vehicles, which is why the used car lemon law covers different issues. Purchasing from a used car dealer is not necessarily easy for the consumer, which is why the used car lemon law is so important. The used car lemon law protects you when you need it most.
It’s important to note that lemon laws can change from state to state. Laws in Texas, California, New York, and Florida may differ. Before you make any claims, do some research on the lemon laws in your state. The requirements for a claim in Texas may vary widely from those in California, New York, or Florida. The best thing you can do is become an informed consumer, and you will be protected.
By Law Article
July 12th, 2009 at 04:10am
Under Employment Law
Seeking the advice of an employment law professional is a good idea if you are an employer in the UK. Employment law solicitors and advisors can help you to understand the ever changing laws in the UK, which could, in turn, help keep you out of costly lawsuits and other legal trouble that may arise.
Employers are legally responsible for their employee’s welfare and must abide by the sometimes complex employment laws of the UK. Invariably these laws change throughout the course of the year and keeping up to date should be a priority. Employment Law specialists can help to interpret the laws for you and apply them to your particular business. They can also provide regular training if you have a department within your company responsible for your employees.
There are many different laws governing personal leave, vacations, minimum wages, sick time, benefits, the grievance process, discrimination, harassment, and other workplace concerns that you need to be familiar with and of course abide by. It can be difficult for busy employers to keep track of all the regulations and requirements as well as run their business.
You could find your business in trouble if you do not abide by all of these laws, even if the infraction is unintentional. Such an occurrence can ruin the reputation of your business as well as cost large sums in legal fees, fines, and settlements. This is where UK employment law advice from an employment solicitor is particularly indispensable; to keep your business protected by keeping you up to date and in compliance with the law.
With over one hundred employment laws introduced every year for the last four years in the UK, keeping track of all your responsibilities as an employer can be challenging. More than 100,000 people took their employer to court last year alone over various violations of these laws. With one third of employment disputes resulting in dismissal and compensation limits currently over £60,000, businesses stand to loose a substantial amount from these disputes. Added to the fact that 98% of employers who win their cases are unable to recover their legal fees, being incompliant with employment laws can be costly and even devastating to a business.
UK employment law solicitors can help you to stay abreast of revisions to employment laws and new ones that will affect your business. They can help you to compile your employment handbooks, training materials, and workplace policies and ensure that they follow the laws. If you want to protect yourself as an employer and your business, consider a specialist employment law solicitor to help you make sense of it all.
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By Law Article
July 11th, 2009 at 02:55pm
Under Construction Law
In today’s economy, more people have found it beneficial to do much of their own building when it comes to their house. Even when they aren’t doing their own building, however, it’s still often preferable to oversee the work being done on a daily basis.
This is especially true when it concerns the legal side of things, and when this is true, it may be time to get a construction lawyer. This article will touch upon a few of the more common instances in which having a construction lawyer will benefit you greatly.
First, any form of construction that you will do, including digging of plumbing and foundations, will fall under the civil aegis of construction law. This law is very specific as to how low you can dig and how high you can build, for instance.
This too is determined by the area that the building will take place. Zoning laws are very different in commercial, residential, and semi-commercial (mixed) zones, as well as in different city and county. Due to the complexity of this fundamental issue, a construction lawyer is highly recommended.
The reason for this is that a construction lawyer will know all of the proper and most expedient channels to getting permits and gaining the time of an on-site inspector, to name but a few sticky bureaucratic instances. This last subject, inspectors, is very important as there are a limited number of inspectors for each county or municipality and until they arrive to do their inspection and certify you for the next phase of building, all construction must stop.
Further, let’s say that you’ve hired contractors to do your building for you. There are numerous clauses that you may not think to include in your contract, and others that the construction lawyer of the contractors will include, and which may prove to be pitfalls for you if unaware of them. (This can include clauses detailing allowance for the contractors to make certain lengthy -and costly for you, delays; of unfair overtime charges; and of the contractors not being responsible for certain types of mistakes that they might make -all of which will be legal catastrophe for you.)
An even more serious problem would be if the contractor or sub-contractor sues you, for whatever reason. This is common amongst an unprincipled minority of contractors who will sue you if they themselves anticipate being sued, in hopes that they can scare you away from forcing any legal indemnity upon them. To make things worse, for a job which they have botched, and which you refuse to pay for, they can actually place a lien on your home. However, just having a construction lawyer will dissuade most dishonest contractors from even considering such shady actions.
As you can see, there are many pitfalls involved in building, whether from the ground up, in upkeep, or in remodeling. Notwithstanding this, there is no reason to fear or defer such building plans. Simply put, fear-based decisions will get you nowhere, whereas having a construction lawyer will put your house on the map.
By Law Article