WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T
DO INVOLVING REAL ESTATE & BUSINESS LAW
THE DOs
DO read all of the provisions of a real estate contract and business contract.
DO pay particular attention to your obligations and the payment terms under the contract, the termination provisions, and the remedies for default.
DO be sure you understand all aspects of the transaction.
THE DON'Ts
DON'T accept verbal promises and representations. These must be in writing.
DON'T be afraid to ask questions. There are no dumb questions. It is your money.
DON'T wait to contact professional assistance if you are unfamiliar with the transaction. It is less expensive to seek legal advice for consultations than it is to become involved in litigation or lose your investment.
ACCIDENTS
WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T
DO INVOLVING ACCIDENTS
THE DOs
DO purchase uninsured, underinsured and medical payments coverage. Many insurance companies try to persuade you that this insurance is unnecessary, because the premiums for it are relatively low. By law, you must have liability insurance which protects others if you injure them. These coverages are for your protection in the event you are injured by someone with no or inadequate insurance.
DO report any accident in which you are involved to your insurance company and the Department of Motor Vehicles as soon after the accident as is practicable.
DO make sure you obtain the name, address and insurance information about any person with whom you are involved in an accident before leaving the scene whether or not you feel you are injured. Many times injuries – especially soft tissue injuries – are not apparent until several hours or days after an accident.
DO seek medical attention for any injury as soon as you are aware of it. Many people believe that time will heal all their aches and pains and ignore them only to find several weeks later that they have become worse and chronic. Additionally, insurance companies become far more skeptical that the injury was the result of the accident if no treatment is sought for a long period of time.
THE DON'Ts
DON'T agree to accept a settlement offer for your injury with the other party's insurance adjustor unless you are absolutely certain it is fair and you have recovered from your injury. If you sign an insurance release believing you will shortly get better, the release remains valid even if your symptoms persist for the rest of your life.
DON'T try and build up your claim by seeking medical treatment that is not reasonably necessary. Juries do not take kindly to people they believe are malingering.
DON'T believe everything an insurance adjustor may tell you. Their job is not to protect your interests. Their job is to resolve claims as quickly and cheaply as possible.
DON'T wait until it is too late to seek legal representation. If the statute of limitations for bringing an action expires, any claim you might have had, no matter how valid, will be barred by the passage of time. The statute of limitations is not the same in all cases depending on who causes your injury (for instance, a government agency as opposed to an individual) and/or where the injury may have occurred (for instance, while on the job as opposed to at a time when you are off from work).
