The Missouri Bar

Spears' Conservatorship Remains through '08

A Los Angeles Superior Court today ruled that Britney Spears’ father will retain control of her finances. Spears’ father will remain the conservator for the pop star’s estate through this year. It is the second time the court extended the conservatorship. The judge will revisit the issue in October. (Read more)

The Law in Your Life details how conservatorships work in this interview with attorney Lois Zerrer.

Are You Hurting Your Credit Rating

Good Morning America this week tackled things consumers do to hurt their credit.

What if you find something on your credit report that is wrong? How can you change it? How does this misinformation impact your rating? What can you do to improve your rating? Law in Your Life host Angela Wilson finds out from attorney Blair Drazic in this podcast.

EOIR Requires 9-Digit Alien Registration Numbers

Immigrants filing paperwork with the Executive Office for Immigration Review must now use a special 9-digit number to access all paperwork. The new rule went into effect on July 21. Here are the details from the Department of Justice:

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced today that, effective July 21, 2008, documents filed with EOIR’s immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) should indicate 9-digit alien registration numbers (A numbers).  For cases with a 9-digit A number, all digits must be provided.  For cases with an    8-digit A number, a zero (0) must be inserted before the 8 digits.  For example, A##-###-### should be provided as A0##-###-###.  No document filings will be rejected in the foreseeable future for mistakenly failing to do so.

Also, 9-digit A numbers will be required to access immigration case status information through EOIR’s automated telephone system, which can be reached by dialing (703) 305-1662 or 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free).   The system will direct callers to enter a zero (0) before the 8 digits of an 8-digit A number.

EOIR is implementing this requirement to be consistent with the Department of Homeland Security, which is currently issuing 9-digit A numbers.

Post-Dispatch Tackles Missouri Foreclosures

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes readers through the foreclosure process from the perspective of bankers, lawyers, auctioneers and investors in this article.

The Law in Your Life offers several podcasts on this topic, including Friday's cast on how bankruptcy can impact foreclosure proceedings. You can also find out more in The Missouri Bar's Consumers and the Law Resource Guide.

Law in Your Life #45: Foreclosures and Bankruptcy

This week, lawmakers approved a plan to bail out lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two top companies in danger of losing billions as a result of the subprime mortgage mess. The U.S. government will give the nation's two top home lenders access to funds to make a turn around.  The plan could save the homes of nearly 400,000 Americans. (Read more)

This news means everything to the few whose homes will be saved, but the bailout won't save everyone from foreclosure. Some may consider bankruptcy to stall the process, or to start over with a clean credit record. In a special podcast this week, host Angela Wilson delves into the process of foreclosure and what impact bankruptcy has on the process with St. Louis attorney Ed Karfeld. (Internet Explorer users click twice.)

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Download audio to your computer. (MP3, approx 14.4 meg)
Note: in some browsers, the file may not begin playing until full file is downloaded.

New Laws Require Changes to Pool Drains

A 6-year old boy drowned in a Connecticut pool that did not have a property drain cover. His death lead authorities to charge Shoreline Pools President David Lionetti with manslaughter. (Read more)

New federal laws state that pools must have drain covers that prevent accidents and drowning. The law was passed after the granddaughter of former Secretary of State Jim Baker died when she became trapped by a drain. Find out the details about this law at Stamford.com.

News Anchor Spies on Collegue

a CBS news anchor in Philadelphia faces up to six months in jail for hacking into a collegue's email. 51-year old Larry Mendte's actions led to the firing of his coanchor. When officials discovered Mendte had spied on her, he, too, was terminated. (Read more)

Just how much privacy do you have at work? And when does spying cross the legal line? Attorney Bill Martucci explains in this Law in Your Life podcast.

The Debt Trap: NY Times Tackles American Debt Woes

The New York Times is tackled astronomical American debt in this enlightening new series. Featured in this article is a 47-year old woman with $280,000 in debt. At least $20,000 of her $48,000 income before taxes went to pay interest on her debt. A medical emergency, lost job and big bills have pushed her into foreclosure.  Read the story

The Law in Your Life offers these podcasts as resources for foreclosure and bill pay. And coming up this Friday, a special podcast about how bankruptcy can impact foreclosure proceedings.

Legal Myths

Foreclosures

Spears to Pay Child Support

Pop star Britney Spears was ordered today to pay $20,000 per month in child support to ex Kevin Federline. Spears' former backup dancer got custody of the couple's two children after the singer had a break down in front of the world. Under the agreement, K-Fed keeps custody of the boys, ages one and two, while Spears has visitation.

Missouri's child custody laws recently changed. The revised law means some will pay more in child support. Find out more in this Law in Your Life podcast.

Law in Your Life #44: Legal Myths

If you pay just a little on a bill - even if it isn't the minimum payment, you can't get sued. If you tell collection agencies to stop calling, they can't call you anymore. You can ignore a court order and the case will just go away. The world is filled with myths about the judicial system. What is truth and what is an old wives' tale? Host Angela Wilson gets the facts from Columbia attorney Michael McCrary. (Internet Explorer users click twice.)

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