Sacramento Law Firm News & Updates

Each divorce is specific to the person who is going though it and the issues that he or she brings to the matter. Only an experienced and knowledgeable Sacramento divorce lawyer can help you identify the issues in your dissolution of marriage and address them in a way that protects your interests. A small mistake can result in devastating consequences in child custody, in confirmation of separate property, in division of community property, and in tax issues involving child support and spousal support.

At the Sacramento law offices of Bowman & Associates, we confidently handle any type of divorce from straightforward uncomplicated divorces with no children and little property to complex dissolutions involving significant assets and contested child custody issues. Our firm tries to provide clients with a realistic perspective of their case and the potential outcomes. We work diligently to achieve our clients’ goals, within the bounds of professional and ethical representation.

It is important to understand that under California law, the consent of your spouse is not required to obtain a dissolution of marriage. California is a no-fault state; regardless of the reasons for wanting divorce, as long as one spouse files a Petition requesting that the court dissolve the marriage, the court will dissolve the marriage. Typically the most common ground for divorce in California is “irreconcilable differences” leading to the “irremediable breakdown of the marriage.” Read More »

Family Law clients can sometimes be difficult to deal with and it is important at the beginning of the relationship to set forth ground rules that client and lawyer are expected to follow. Customer service minded Divorce Lawyers know it is extremely beneficial to explain the Lawyer ground rules to the client before asking them to follow the client ground rules. This will help get everything off on the right foot.

1. Build Trust – One of the most important guidelines for a successfully executed lawyer to client relationship in family law is to build trust. Having a trusting professional relationship is vital to a successful partnership. Using email as a primary form of communication is not near as effective as having one on one, face to face meetings. Mixing in telephone calls also works much better than email.
2. Respond to Phone Calls, Same Day – Always respond to phone calls the same day if at all possible. If for some reason a lawyer is not able to return a call, have the Legal Associate return the call and ask if they can help, depending on the situation. Never ignore your client. Read More »

Sexual Harassment

Every employer is responsible for ensuring the workplace is free of unlawful harassment in Citrus Heights. Harassment in the workplace, at company-sponsored events, and on company time can lead to financial liability for employers and individual employees. While most companies have anti-harassment policies in their employee handbooks, this is not enough to protect a company from a costly sexual harassment lawsuit.

Both federal law and the California Fair Employment in Housing Act prohibit sexual harassment. In California if a manager engages in sex harassment against an employee under their direct supervision, the company may be held strictly liable. Furthermore, employers cannot retaliate against you because you complain about sexual harassment.

Overtime Wages

California overtime laws protect hourly California workers from abuses by employers with a variety of rules and regulations. Outlined below are important California overtime regulations. Also included are two exceptions to California overtime pay rules. If you feel you may have an overtime claim or other labor law violation, a California labor law attorney will provide a free case review. Read More »

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said today it arrested 3,168 criminal aliens and fugitives in a six-day nationwide sweep in every state including Puerto Rico and The District of Colombia.

The operation dubbed “Cross-Check” included more than 2,834 individuals who had prior criminal convictions. ICE officials noted that 50 gang members and 149 convicted sex offenders were nabbed.

Of the arrests nationwide, 2,834 individuals had prior criminal convictions and at least 1,063 had multiple criminal convictions, including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, terroristic threats, drug trafficking, child abuse, battery on a child, sexual crimes against minors, and aggravated assault.

Of those arrested, 698 were also immigration fugitives who had previously been ordered to leave the country but failed to depart. Additionally, 559 were those who had reentered the country after having been deported. All of the defendants are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. Among those arrested, 204 individuals have had their cases presented to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution on a variety of charges including illegal-re-entry. Read More »

You put in your time but you are not paid for the work that you have performed. Employers sometimes fail or refuse to pay employees the amount of wages that they have rightfully earned. This may occur in the form of unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, delayed payments and the withholding of commission or bonus wages. When this happens, you may have the legal right to recover the money you have earned. Read More »

When going through a divorce in Folsom, you want to ensure that both you and your children have the money you need to continue living comfortably. You also want to ensure that your interests are being properly protected in all legal proceedings and that you are not taking on more than your fair share of the financial burden.

California child support is based on state formulas, with income representing a major factor. The level of child support is determined by guidelines in the statutes. The level is based on the parents’ incomes and the amount of time the child spends with each parent, adjusted for certain costs and other factors.

The guidelines calculate the amount of child support based in large part on the gross monthly income of the parties and the time-sharing plan. This means that if parenting time is split equally and the parties earnings are comparable, child support may not necessarily be awarded. It is in your best interest to speak with an experienced Folsom child support attorney who can accurately evaluate your situation and give you honest answers. Read More »

Getting a speeding ticket carries with it not only some of the highest fines for a moving violation offense – but it is absolutely the surest way to have your car insurance rates increase; can possibly impact your job; your ability to drive; to get student loans; your ability to stay in this country; your ability to work in certain professions like nursing; and possibly driver’s license suspension.

Our Sacramento speeding ticket attorneys can assist you in dismissing or reducing your traffic tickets to non-moving violations in many cases. Our Northern California traffic ticket lawyers are also able to get you a court date immediately when your license is suspended. This will halt the suspension and quickly put you back on the road. Having excessive points or being a negligent driver could cause your license to be suspended in California. Read More »

Chapter 7 bankruptcy enables individuals to eliminate credit card debt, judgments, medical bills and other types of debt and move forward with their lives without the loss of their exempt assets. It also allows owners of failed businesses to close down their operations quickly and efficiently.

Filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Placerville requires a debtor to place all of his or her debts and assets under the control of the Bankruptcy Estate Trustee, typically a Chapter 7 Trustee. The Trustee’s function is to acquire money from the debtor’s estate for the benefit of unsecured creditors. However, in most cases, the Trustee cannot touch the property which is stipulated as “exempt property” under bankruptcy laws. Exempt property is property a debtor can keep during and after filing bankruptcy. If you resided in California continuously for the last 2 full years, there are two sets of “exemptions” to choose from to protect your property. The exemptions establish the amount of equity in your property that is protected from liquidation by the trustee. After reviewing your case thoroughly, we will identify the set that best protects your property. Read More »

Our web and IT specialists have been telling us about the benefits of embracing cloud based data for a while now and we’ve finally done something about it. Now we are in a new year and why not ring in 2012 with a few new features to boot?

Client Login

In the past, if a client wanted to review and save documents from their case, it took crucial man hours to track down those documents from our secure storage facility, make physical copies of them and prepare for our clients; not to mention substantial costs keep those documents safe. These are costs built into the business model of each law firm and handed down through fees and percentages.

Now the lawyers of Bowman & Associates login to a secure, password protected and easy to use database that allows them to upload client documents and share between our two office locations. Additionally, we can allow access to our clients so they can view, review and print their case documents at their leisure! Check out our new Client Login page.

Make a Payment

Sometimes it isn’t always easy to make it down to our office with a check, or the mail delivery may be too slow. Sometimes our clients need immediate service and having to wait for checks to clear for court filings or other necessities could take days.

As a secure and convenient option to payment, we are now accepting PayPal to begin work on a case or credit your account. The Law Offices of Bowman & Associates is a verified vendor of PayPal and accepting payments from clients across California. Check out our new Make a Payment page.

Making it Easier for You

Two of the core principals of our law firm’s philosophy are to 1) keep you apprised of the progress of your case every step of the way; and 2) provide superior value for your legal investment. By embracing cloud data in a responsible, secure and protected manner, we are able to use technology to reach the goals of our clients in a more timely, convenient and affordable way!

If you have questions regarding the new features Bowman & Associates, feel free to contact our Public Relations Manager Chad Bowman: (916) 985-2600 or by email at Chad@BowmanAndAssoc.com.

In New York, the parents of a 12 year old boy have sued the parents of the boy’s friend for wrongful death when the parents left a loaded firearm in their nightstand and the two boys took the gun and were playing with it. The gun fired and shot and killed the 12 year old.

The University of Michigan Health System reports that “in 1999, 3,385 children and youth ages 0-19 years were killed with a gun [in the United States]. This includes homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries.”

If someone in your family has been injured by the careless acts of another, including accidents in the house, please do not hesitate to call me, Retired Superior Court Commissioner David P. Foos to help you get justice for your losses. I have 30 years experience helping people before the Courts. All consultations are free and if we take your case you pay us nothing unless we win the case for you. Also, we front all costs. Contact me at (916) 923-2800, or dfoos@bowmanandassoc.com, or our skilled Sacramento personal injury attorneys for a free case evaluation.