State Street Redevelopment, West Lafayette

Tonight--tonight!--you have a chance to see government in action in West Lafayette, and acquire some off-campus engagement points while you're at it. You need not be a resident of West Lafayette. Governmental meetings (the vast majority of them, anyway) are open to the public, and this is no exception.

An informational meeting regarding the State Street Redevelopment Project

will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4 at Happy Hollow Elementary

School, 1200 N. Salisbury St.

 

The event, which is open to the public, is designed to further inform the public on the highlights and timeline of the collaborative project to transform State Street into a more desirable destination for the local community and visitors

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For more information about the State Street Redevelopment Project and to view project documents, visit www.statestreetwl.com.

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Tax Season Announcement

As a former VITA volunteer (while I was in law school), I can vouch for the quality of this program. If you need any help with your taxes, this is an excellent resource.

Ivy Tech students provide free tax filing assistance under IRS volunteer program.

LAFAYETTE (February 4, 2016) — IRS-certified Ivy Tech accounting students and faculty will provide free tax help to qualified income tax filers. Tax assistance will be available on the second floor of Ivy Hall in Room 2331, located on the Ivy Tech campus at 3101 S. Creasy Lane in Lafayette. Tax filers must make an appointment by calling 765-269-5848. No appointments will be made during the college’s spring break held March 13-20.

Last year, Ivy Tech students helped over 4000 families receive $740,000 in net federal and state refunds and helped local taxpayers save an estimated $89,000 in tax preparation fees. Filing federal and state tax returns now will also help students meet the March 10 FAFSA filing deadline for financial aid.

Both students and volunteers have been trained and certified under the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The program offers free assistance to filers with household incomes under $50,000 who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Volunteer students will also help filers with any special credits such as Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly.

Returns will be electronically submitted to the IRS at no cost. To electronically file a joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms. Tax filers can expect to receive any tax refunds within 7 to 14 days in most cases.

Taxpayers should bring a government-issued photo identification, Social Security cards and birth dates for all persons listed on the tax return, income and tax forms (W-2, 1099, pension, Social Security), information on property taxes or any rent paid, any IRS notices, a copy of last year’s tax return, amount paid for child care and child care provider’s tax ID number, any college tuition statement or college bookstore receipts, and a blank or cancelled check if direct deposit is desired.

The IRS provides the computer software used to prepare the tax returns. Volunteers complete an IRS training and certification course in income tax return preparation. Training includes how to set up a tax preparation office, interact with clients, and prepare individual returns. Special training is provided to help older Americans with the proper method of reporting pension and Social Security income. Students are also enrolled in an independent study accounting course and receive college credits.

Each return is reviewed. Students must complete a verification checklist before submitting the return electronically. At the end of the program, the students will evaluate their efforts and make recommendations for future programs.

Dog Lawyers?

(Not to be confused with the dogs on the Supreme Court thing.)

How can I not post this? From today's ABA Journal:

Dog lawyer also advocates for parakeet

Posted Feb 02, 2016 05:00 pm CST

By Martha Neil

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Boston Dog Lawyers specializes in the defense of canines deemed to be recalcitrant.
That can be a tough gig: At least once, attorney Jeremy Cohen told the Boston Herald, a client bit him.
“It’s kind of hard to advocate for a dog in a dog-biting case when he bites you,” Cohen said, “but I don’t have to disclose it. Attorney-client privilege.”
However, owners can be very attached to their pets, treating them as family members, so such legal representation is much-needed.
And it isn’t only dogs who benefit from his services: The owner of a parakeet sought his help in recouping some $5,000 in veterinary bills that resulted from claimed malpractice.
Due to improper restraint of the bird during treatment, he essentially bit off its own toe, Cohen says, which is a significant problem because the parakeet needs to sleep while perched.
“The woman said to me, ‘I don’t have any children. This is my baby.’ ” Cohen recounted. “So it’s serious to her.”

Paralegal Society Minutes from January 28

Date: 01/28/2016

Location: Conference Room 1130

Time: 6:00 pm – 6:20pm

Attendance:

Ashley Jones               Catherine Trent            Mirranda Knotts          Emily Clarke

Alex DeLong              Tricia Jenkins              Christy Whitley           Annie Hegarty

Dave Stanton               (Linda Kampe)           

Agenda:

1.      Officers

a.       President – Alex DeLong

b.      Vice President -  Ashley Jones

c.       Secretary/ Treasurer – Elisha Hollandbeck

2.      Dues

a.       President Alex stated there are no dues this semester

b.      Everyone present verbally understood and was excited

3.      Appeals on Wheels

a.       February 16, 2016 @ 1:00pm

                                                              i.      Open to the public

b.      Paralegal Society invited to lunch with the judges

                                                              i.      Location will be held in the Lilly Rooms

1.      Members to wear professional wear. (wear to a job interview)

a.       NO FLIP FLOPS!!!

2.      Members to arrive at 11:00am to help guide court staff to correct locations. If cannot be here by 11am, please be here by 11:30-11:45 for lunch.

                                                            ii.      We will need a head count. Email Linda Kampe by February 12^th to RSVP

1.      Lunch will be served at 12:00pm

c.       Letters for Appeals on Wheels

                                                              i.      Catherine (Katie) volunteered to take letters to the Tipp. Court House in place in the lawyer’s boxes.

                                                            ii.      Annie volunteered to make a PowerPoint/ Poster with relevant information. She will be emailing the final project to Linda Kampe.

4.      Student Life

a.       Need to be represented at the meetings

b.      Meet every 4^th Wednesday

c.       Next Student Life meeting is February 24, 2016 @ 4:30pm in the conference room

d.      Ashley volunteered to attend this meeting

5.      Meeting Times

a.       Everyone agreed that Thursday’s at 6:00pm worked best

6.      Next Meeting

a.       February 18, 2016 @ 6:00pm Conference Room

What Should I Take Next Fall?

I know it's early, but Ivy Tech is making me submit my proposed fall schedule today, so I wanted to let you all in on my recommendations.

1. If you have taken Civ Pro (PARA 103), then plan to take Litigation (PARA 202--now LEGS 202) in the fall. There will be a day section and (by popular demand) a night section. Litigation really is a fun class--regardless of what you may have heard from your predecessors. In Litigation, you spend the semester preparing for trial--you prepare the complaint, the answer, discovery, motions, letters to your client, etc. For the grand finale, we hold a mock trial. There is no book. There is no final.

2. If you have taken Intro (PARA 101), then plan to take the new Legal Writing I (PARA 204) in the fall (unless you and I agree that you should just take the new Legal Writing II (PARA 224)). Legal Writing I will cover the basics of writing--grammar, spelling, punctuation--with the degree of exactitude that I and your future employers will demand. The Paralegal Studies program chairs statewide unanimously agreed that the old Legal Writing class frustrated students and instructors alike. Many students were still struggling with the precision punctuation and grammar that lawyers demand, and classes were unable to move into the complex legal documents that we had originally envisioned. SO ... Legal Writing I: a good time to polish up all those dusty rules of grammar without having to worry so much about making complex arguments as well. We'll also spend some time on legal terminology. Not to worry. It'll be fun. I promise. And the extra time spent on grammar and legal terms should make the rest of your classes easier. I am absurdly excited about teaching this class. Two morning sections, one evening section. Take it this fall. No excuses.

(In case you're curious, Legal Writing II will be the same as the current Legal Writing class. The current Legal Writing class will be offered for the last time this summer. Legal Writing II will make its appearance next spring.)

This fall, you'll notice that some paralegal classes will have the new Legal Studies prefix (LEGS). LEGS is our new transfer degree program. LEGS and PARA students will be taking many of the same classes, so some have been designated as LEGS and some retain their PARA designation. If you have questions about any of your classes, please ask!

Bubba the Love Sponge--the Last Word?

Several of us have been following Bubba the Love Sponge's defamation case, which was less interesting for whatever may have gone on in trial (I have no earthly idea) than for what was going on behind the scenes. If you've forgotten, the defense attorneys in the defamation case got their paralegal to flirt with opposing counsel (Bubba's attorney) and persuade him to buy her several drinks. When he went out to move her car for her, she alerted a waiting police officer, who arrested Bubba's attorney for OWI. It's hard to believe, but this stellar plan backfired. The attorneys and paralegal have all lost their jobs, and now it appears that the attorneys will also be losing their licenses.

From Friday's ABA Journal:

Florida lawyer is permanently disbarred for DUI setup

Posted Jan 29, 2016 09:28 am CST

By Debra Cassens Weiss

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Florida lawyer Stephen Diaco has been permanently disbarred for his role in setting up an opposing lawyer for a drunken driving arrest during a 2013 trial.
The Florida Supreme Court permanently disbarred (PDF) Diaco on Thursday after he dropped appeals in the ethics case, report the Tampa Tribune and the Tampa Bay Times.
The Florida Bar had accused Diaco and two other lawyers of sending a paralegal to a Tampa steakhouse where the opposing lawyer was having drinks. The flirtatious paralegal seated herself next to the opposing lawyer and later tricked him into moving her car, resulting in his arrest by a waiting police officer, according to the ethics complaint.
The court previously suspended Diaco and two other lawyers accused in the setup in sua sponte orders on Jan. 15. An ethics referee recommended permanent disbarment for the trio in August.