University’s New Planned Giving Director

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

There is a new planned giving director at University of Arkansas.  Renee Brida from Little Rock will be holding office in university development and reporting to Jim Harris, the executive director of gift planning and estate.

Prior to joining the development team, Brida spent almost five years as estate planning attorney for Little Rock’s Haught & Wade LLP.  She held a lot of fundraising positions in Little Rock including Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Pulaski Academy, and East Inc.

Through these positions, Brida was the one responsible for providing legal counsel in relation to organizational processes, developing a program for planned giving, planning & executing special events, running a fund campaign annually, and cultivating major gifts.  She holds a Psychology and English bachelor’s degree from University of Texas and earned Juris Doctor from San Antonio’s Mary School of Law.

Harris said, “Renee’s experiences as a development officer and attorney make her an idea candidate in leading the planned giving office.  She understands that working with friends and alumni as well as raising private gift support create plans that would work best in every unique situation.  So I have the highest confidence that she would do a good job of taking the planned giving efforts of the university and building new relationships to the next level.”

Tags: attorney, counsel, director, Estate Planning, Jim Harris, legal, Little Rock, Planned Giving, Renee Brida, University of Arkansas
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Divorce Law and the Military

Monday, May 11th, 2009

A military divorce is different from civilian divorce. It requires a special law knowledge that’s not applicable to an ordinary kind of divorce. For example, certain circumstances entitle active members of the armed forces to get a court-appointed counsel and to delay divorce.

Also, military pensions are the one divisible during military divorce, but still subject to different rules. Child support and alimony have another set of rules as well. Collecting support and calculating income may be a little bit more complicated due to regulations governing retired or active military members.

For example, familiarity with “disposable retirement income” is the key to establish support orders when negotiating with retired military personnel. Furthermore, strategizing and planning will require a good comprehension of the special rules surrounding military divorce.

It goes without saying that hiring a divorce attorney knowledgeable in military law would be best for your case. Make sure that he or she has a copy of the “Military Retirements Benefits in Divorce” book because it’s the only authoritative book explaining this topic.

Also, your attorney should also be familiar with USFSPA (Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act). Aside from division of retirement, there are other vital issues that need to be addressed.

Tags: alimony, child support, counsel, disposable retirement income, Divorce, Military Divorce, Military Retirements Benefits in Divorce, USFSPA
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Prevent DWI Record in Minnesota

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

In Minnesota, a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated - same offense as DUI) charge will remain indefinitely on your record. This may prohibit you from traveling to Canada or other countries. It may also mean vehicle treatment costs or forfeitures, plate impoundments, license revocations, alcohol assessments, fines, or skyrocketing insurance rates (sometimes more than $350 per month).

Therefore, a DWI record has the potential to change your life forever if you don’t make the right decisions now. Fortunately, your DWI case may have a chance to be reduced or dismissed if you’ll hire a Minnesota lawyer. Since DWI is a specialized area of practice, your lawyer can think of unique strategies to defend you.

In fact, there are many DWI defense challenges such as:

· What is the probable cause for the police officer to suspect drunk driving or criminal activity in your vehicle and prompted him or her to make an arrest?

· Did the officer follow the necessary arrest procedures based on the law?

· Were your constitutional rights violated?

· Was the test to measure BAC (blood alcohol level) properly administered?

· Was the machine used for the test properly maintained?

· Were you read a DWI Implied Consent Advisory?

True, fighting DWI can be complicated. But if you can find a lawyer who will help you, then you’ll have a better chance of winning the case. The best counsel can be found in numerous lawyer directories online.

Tags: counsel, dui, dwi, lawyer, lawyer directories, Minnesota, Minnesota lawyer
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