Legal Humor
When Ed Koch was running for mayor in New York city in 1973, he went to a senior citizens center in the Bronx.
The candidate was immediately asked about crime and what he intended to do about it. "Crime is terrible," he replied. "A judge I know was mugged this week and do you know what he did? He called a press conference and said the mugging would in no way affect his judicial decisions in matters of that kind."
An elderly woman stood up and shouted, "Then mug him again!" |
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Watch for Your September Update Arriving Soon in the Mail
Your ProDoc September update CD is scheduled to mail to you today, September 18, from Eagan, MN.
It will arrive in Thomson West packaging so watch for its arrival in a few days. When you install the update on your firm’s computer(s) you will need a KeyCode to complete the installation. The KeyCode will be printed on the outside of the envelope in which the update CD arrives.
If you have questions, call our Tech Support department at 800-759-5418, option 3.
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Updates Review
September
The Florida Legislature recently enacted some major bills which are effective October 1, 2009, and will affect almost every domestic case filed involving children. Here is an overview of the more important features of this update:
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Senate Bill 258 requires that a person filing a petition for a change of name should have fingerprints submitted for a state and national criminal history records check, before the court hears the petition.
Senate Bill 904 made numerous changes to the Florida Statutes affecting family law filings and parenting plans, including the following:
- An address for the purposes of the children's school is now explicitly required.
- The court must now expressly acknowledge if evidence of domestic violence was considered when determining parental responsibility.
- The manner of paying child support was significantly revised – with or without an income deduction order, by direct payment, and/or through the State Disbursement Unit.
- The standard for modifying a parenting plan has been revised – there must now be a "substantial, material, and unanticipated" change in circumstances.
- The procedural requirements concerning the relocation of a parent with the children were extensively revised.
- New provisions for a parenting coordinator were added.
Senate Bill 1722
necessitated that we add the option to request a non-state prison sanction to the Application for Probation or Community Control in the Criminal Defense volume.
Numerous revisions were made to our Family Law volume consistent with the legislative changes for the September release, both (a) to the original ProDoc forms authored by our attorneys, and (b) to the Supreme Court forms, including:
- The three Supreme Court petitions for Change of Name (Adult, Minor Children, and Family) were revised pursuant to SB 258.
- The ProDoc and Supreme Court parenting plans will reflect the new requirements re: school address, payment of child support, and other items.
- Orders and judgments will display the new domestic violence finding, when appropriate.
- The Supplemental Petitions and Judgments will reflect the new standard for modification.
- The forms for relocation were completely redrafted, including: (a) the Agreement to Relocate, (b) the Petition to Relocate, (c) the Response to Petition, (d) the Temporary Order (Permitting or Restraining Location), and (e) the Judgment.
- New forms for the appointment of a Parenting Coordinator were added.
New local parenting plans were also added in the September release for the following circuits:
- First Circuit (Escambia County).
- Eighth Circuit (Alachua County).
- Tenth Circuit (basic, and Models 1, 2 and 3 - non-local).
- Twelfth Circuit (Basic, Long Distance, Safety Focused, and Highly Structured; plus the Notice of Filing Parenting Plan).
- Fourteenth Circuit.
- Eighteenth Circuit (Brevard County).
- Twentieth Circuit (Parenting Plan and Time-Sharing Schedule, for one child or multiple children).
Non-Legislative Volume Enhancements
- We added a Personal Representative's Deed
and we added choices for the payment of creditors in the Petitions for Summary Administration in the Probate volume.
- We updated Civil Cover Sheet and Notice of Related Cases for the 18th Circuit in the Family Law volume.
Other user requests are included in this release, such as:
- Motion for Additional Time to File Answer (new form).
- Motion for Court to Set Trial (new form).
- Certificate of Service (which is being streamlined, and will have more options available)
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View more specific details about this update >> |
December
This update will contain updates to our FLSSI1 Probate and FLSSI1 Guardianship volumes pursuant to Florida Lawyers Support Services, Inc. (FLSSI1) changes effective January 1, 2010. And, we'll update the tax calculator with the 2010 IRS tax charts.
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Customer Questions from the Last WebNotes
The following questions were from ProDoc customers like you in response to last month's ProDoc WebNotes.
Q: Can I test one of the ProDoc modules before deciding to add it to my account permanently?
A: Yes. We can provide you a KeyCode that includes a 30-day free trial of any ProDoc volume. Simply reinstall ProDoc using your most current CD, using that KeyCode, and you will have unrestricted use of the volume for 30 days. It will time out automatically after 30 days. (To try any of our volumes, call us at 800-759-5418, option 0, and request a free trial.)
Q: I wish that in Lipman's Wills & Trusts there was an option to include the "Personal Property" verbiage in Forms 1-1 and 2-1; it would save me opening 1-2 and 2-2 and picking it up from those forms, which I do for all but the most simple of Wills.
A: It's top on the list of enhancements for this volume. Watch for it in the next update.
Submit your ProDoc question(s) >>
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ProDoc Customer Support: Printing ProDoc Worksheets for Client Intake
Many ProDoc volumes contain generic Intake Sheets that you can print using the usual document assembly method. You’ll find them named Client Questionnaire, Client Information Worksheet, Profile, etc.—depending on the volume. They are quick, easy, and generic. So, you can choose to generate one and then edit it to fit your requirements.
Another option is to use the Print Worksheets feature in ProDoc. This feature also generates interview questionnaires for clients in a worksheet format. The advantage of using this method is that you can select from a larger group of potential questions.
Whichever method you choose, you'll find they provide you with a handy question list for your clients and cases.
See how easy it is to print worksheets in ProDoc >>
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Practice Tip: The Illusion of Size (And Other Ways to Compete with the Big Competition)
The author of this ABA Law Practice Today article discusses systems and ideas for small firms to compete with larger firms and potentially even out-perform them. He discusses four simple concepts that, when well executed, will provide small firms a competitive edge.
Read The Illusion of Size (And Other Ways to Compete with the Big Competition) >>
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Tech Tip: Windows® 7 Operating System - Looks Like a Winner and Debuts in October
Microsoft plans to release its Windows 7 operating system in October. Numerous reviews available over the Internet indicate Microsoft may finally have a winner on its hands. Reviewers indicate that it runs faster than Microsoft Vista but with all the eye candy of Vista.
The Windows XP operating system is 8 years old and Microsoft plans to end support for this operating system next year. So, if you soon need to update your computer(s), Windows 7 may be the right choice for you. Generally, jumping into a new Windows operating system is dicey due to the software bugs that invariably appear. However, Windows 7 is basically an upgrade of the Vista product. So it should not trigger the same flurry of service packs rushed out to fix the bugs, as we've seen so often with other Microsoft operating system releases.
Read Gizmodo's review of Windows 7 >>
Read engadget's review of Windows 7 >>
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Tech Tip: Maybe a Docking Station Makes More Sense in Your Office
Do you have a desktop computer for working in the office and a laptop for working at home? Wouldn't it be great to use a single computer for both? A docking station at your office desk for your laptop computer is a small investment and makes that an easy task.
Learn more about docking stations >>
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Tech Tip: Skype for Your iPhone - Low Cost International Calling
If you're one of the millions that uses Skype® for free, or nearly free, international calling; perhaps you've wished you could do the same from your iPhone®. Well, you can. All you need to do is download and install the application to your iPhone, set up your account, and begin calling. We hear that there is a similar application for Blackberry but we have not been able to locate it—perhaps you Blackberry users will have better luck.
Learn more about Skype for iPhone >>
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Vent—Tell Us What's on Your Mind
This is your opportunity to
what's on your mind. Email us your suggestions and other feedback.
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