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If eyes are watching what is going on regarding immigration in Congress, it is a safe bet that many of them are viewing the progress from California. The Golden State takes great pride in being a very diverse and multicultural community. Many of its citizens are legal immigrants from other countries, but these same people may have family members who are trying to cope with existing laws. How to best deal with what is currently on the books and respond to what may soon be enforceable law can be daunting.

An enormous amount of immigration law has been written over the years, creating a substantial body of law requiring adherence. Legal aliens need to make certain that permanent residence papers are in good order, and many immigrants are trying to help their family members become permanent residents in the United States. Current procedures and legal protocols are difficult enough. Anything that is new may require a bewildering amount of new paperwork and forms to be processed , creating a need for legal help.

Employers look the other way on these issues at their own risk. Any changes in immigration law could affect the company’s workforce and not always in a good way. Employees could have dependents whose status in America might be adversely impacted by any new law, and result in a round of legal filings that are time consuming. Indeed, the employee may have to miss work in order to help out. A worst-case scenario could be deportation hearings, which only add to the emotional burden borne by a productive associate. Prepaid legal services as a benefit offered by the company can definitely help everybody both with existing rules and any possible new ones.

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Pennsylvania is a state of diversity and that is putting it very mildly. It ranges from the urban sophistication of Philadelphia all the way to the deer hunting wilds of Western Pennsylvania. Its people come from all types of backgrounds with families who have roots established hundreds of years ago, to the newest immigrants arriving in the airports. They all share one sizable challenge: providing a legacy for their surviving loved ones.

A Forest of Procedure

Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not levy estate tax, but instead uses an inheritance tax. The Pennsylvania inheritance tax has various bends and curves, and not all family members are exempt from it. This tax is applied to specific beneficiaries of the survivor group. Legal statute in Pennsylvania will exempt spouses and minor children, but siblings and those persons having a parent in common with the deceased by blood or adoption receive no such exemption. There are other provisions, such as exemptions for family farms that can make everything rather complicated. This is in addition to a formal filing of the will with the Register of Wills in the deceased’s county of residence, and all of the process that probate law does require. It can be a very dense thicket of legal activity, and is incredibly time-consuming to say the very least.

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New York and Boston are not the only ports of entry for those seeking a new life in America. Baltimore, Maryland is a major port on the Atlantic seaboard as well as having a major international airport. Thousands of legal immigrants arrive in Maryland annually, and the state has a firmly established immigrant population. Maryland also poses the same challenges to the newcomers as any other state with a large immigrant population.

The Road to Citizenship

Naturalization is a long process but even green cards require a lot of paper processing. There are language barriers that make it difficult for a noncitizen to fully assimilate, or even understand the words on a legal document. Regrettably, these people are trapped in a box of fear and apprehension. Legal help is required to make the road ahead easier to travel.

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It is a silent crime with loud repercussions. Identity theft is a consequence of a society that is increasingly more Internet connected and cashless. Accounts on lines can be hacked into and a bystander at an ATM machine can copy debit card numbers. The average direct material cost to a victim is approximately $5000. That is in addition to some sizable indirect damages.

The Aftermath of Identity Theft

It would be enough of a problem if all that was taken happened to be cash. When a person’s identity has been stolen the information is used by the thief to commit more extensive crimes. There have been numerous cases of stolen identity used to open up bogus credit card accounts that are maxed out almost immediately. The victim is left trying to recover from this and credit rating can suffer immensely. Cleaning up all the damage can take months and even years with a lot of paperwork needed to reestablish a respectable credit rating. It is a serious paper mountain that has to be climbed.

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American history has a record of debtor’s prisons. People were incarcerated for an inability to pay debts, and prisoners included men who signed the Declaration of Independence. New York had them as well but no longer. While it’s a relief that a person in New York will not be sent to a debtor’s prison for failure to sufficiently pay an outstanding obligation, there is the trauma of personal bankruptcy which remains. It could be a very devastating dilemma for anyone and New York unfortunately doesn’t do much to relieve the anxiety.

The Complexity of the Process

What makes bankruptcy in New York unique is that there are four districts: Northern District, Southern District, Eastern District and Western District. The individual filing a bankruptcy petition does so in that district where he or she resides. Each district has its own set of filing schedules. New York bankruptcy law will allow for specific exemptions but the bankruptcy process is a slow grind of filings and processing of papers. There are meetings of creditors and the appointment of a bankruptcy trustee. Hanging over an individual’s head is the legitimacy of a bankruptcy petition being placed in question if either creditors or the court harbor doubts about the filing. It is sufficient to say that a person ought to have legal help in doing all the required paperwork properly.

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26icon.png It would be great if adoptions happened just like in the movies where there was always a happy ending. It is sad, but modern-day adoptions are lengthy struggles with laws and regulations. The amount of paperwork and procedures are enough to make a person think of giving up the process entirely. When that happens the children are the real losers.

Needs and requirements for Connecticut adoptions

Federal, state and local background checks are necessary for prospective adoptive parents as well as fingerprints. Home studies are standard procedure in many states and Connecticut is no exception. Connecticut law does allow single parents and same gender parents to adopt in addition to traditional parent relationships, but the whole process is still the same no matter who wishes to adopt. This includes specific steps to take by prospective parents who are not related by blood, and other requirements for blood relatives and stepparents. It all depends on the relationship to the child being adopted. If the birth parents are alive, there has to be an acknowledgment that parental rights have been terminated and any adoption is irrevocable. The twists and turns that must be made by anyone wishing to adopt can be draining.

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Delaware is typically thought of as an agricultural state with approximately one third of its land mass devoted to farming. The state does have urban areas with people who rent their living space. The rural charm of the Blue Hen State offers a great deal of pleasant ambiance, but it cannot hide areas of dispute that can unsettle relations between tenants and landlords.

Changes in rental situations

The recent downturn in the housing industry has generated a need for a lot of very unique rental situations. These include rent to buy, where part of the rent goes to the down payment on a house, sub leasing, and month to month arrangements. Some of these are quite different from traditional rental agreements, and the statutes governing landlord tenant relationships can be very complex. Someone who isn’t too familiar with real estate law can quickly get tangled in a spider’s web of stipulations Delaware has a Residential Landlord-Tenant Code which specifies the rules and obligations of both sides of the rental agreement. These include various remedies for infractions such as failure to pay rent or when a landlord does not provide essential services. These can be fairly easy to understand in traditional rental situations, but the more complex contracts may require more than just a passing knowledge of Delaware’s real estate statutes. It can be very frustrating for any person to have to wade through the Code to find solutions. This is not something a company can ignore. If an employee has been relocated to Delaware on behalf of the company, that person may be caught in a squabble with a landlord and need help. Companies can come to the aid of relocated employees by offering group legal plans that are voluntary benefits.

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Pando Networks conducted a study in 2011 of those states that have the fastest Internet speeds and download completion rates. The results showed that the mid-Atlantic region had the most number of the fastest states, and Maryland ranked fifth on the list. The Old Line State is definitely computer savvy and its residents make use of the Internet for all kinds of shopping and financial transactions. The convenience is great but so is the risk. There are pirates who are cruising the cyber space and identity theft is something that just cannot be ignored by anyone using a computer. The possible losses are enormous.

Thieves Prey on the Unsuspecting

Hackers have a field day going into people’s online accounts and harvesting confidential information. These thieves cannot only drain an unsuspecting person’s bank accounts, but can also set up fake credit cards and charge thousands of dollars on the phony plastic. The real tragedy is the victim not knowing what has happened until days or weeks later; long after the culprit has gotten away with the goods. Trying to recover both reputation and credit ratings can take hours, and an individual is left feeling vulnerable and frightened.

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It is estimated that about 36% of the population of New York City was born in another country and the entire state is home to foreign born people. They come from all parts of the world and bring individual issues that have to be addressed. Companies may not feel the need to be too concerned but that can be a sizable mistake. Immigrants have families and some members may be corporate employees.

Immigrants encounter mountains of paper

Folks who come to America often look over their shoulder towards home. They try to help family members immigrate to the United States to start a new life. This was done 100 years ago and is still being done today. The difference is the paperwork. The forms and red tape to process legal immigration could wrap around the Statue of Liberty once or twice from head to toe. These immigrants, although legally here and paying taxes, are prohibited from taking advantage of a number of services such as Social Security. Establishing credit can also be quite a challenge. To add to all the other worries there is always the risk of deportation. Immigration services companies are available in New York but they are not always reputable. Uncertainty and the sheer complexity of immigrant issues can weigh heavily on any employee whose family comes in from overseas.

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Economic hard times can hit anyone like a sledgehammer. It isn’t necessarily over the use of credit cards but personal bankruptcy can be the result of losing a job, or a serious and unexpected medical emergency. To escape the demands of creditors a person may be forced to consider personal bankruptcy. That is a way to solve a financial problem but bankruptcy by itself is not an easy matter at all.

The difficulty lies in the various forms of bankruptcy. Each has its own special requirements for the person filing. Chapter 7 permits the individual to pay all or part of the outstanding debt and Chapter 13 permits a payment plan for the debt. That being said, state law has certain rules regarding wage garnishment and Delaware is no exception. The complexity of bankruptcy law is such that it is properly done with the assistance of an attorney.

It is certainly in the interests of any employer that an employee files the right type of bankruptcy if this is the only way to resolve a personal debt crisis. Wage garnishment is a hassle that every company wants to avoid. Delaware does allow for a certain degree of garnishment, and it would be to a company’s advantage that an employee facing bankruptcy files in a way that diminishes corporate involvement. Of course, a major challenge is that bankruptcy law is so complex. Voluntary legal plans can definitely help.

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