The beginning of a new year is a good time to take a look at your estate plan to make sure it is up to date. Less than half of people actually have any estate planning documents in place and many of those people may have outdated documents. Documents that were created when your children were born may need updating 20, 30, or 40 years later, after your family and financial situation have changed entirely. 1. The Durable Power of Attorney The most important estate planning instrument for taking [...]

If you are ever injured in an accident, you may have to commence a lawsuit to recover compensation for such damages as lost wages, medical expenses, physical therapy expenses, pain, suffering and perhaps the costs to have future medical treatment or surgery. Having an experienced personal injury lawyer is critical to your best interests, because the process of recovering for personal injuries suffered in accidents can be complicated, time-consuming and contentious. Insurance companies are [...]

New York state has paid $1.6 million to a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was injured after being struck by a state trooper's vehicle while riding her bicycle in Whitney Point. The trooper's car struck retired Maj. Mary-Margaret Smith, from Virginia, at 9:42 a.m. on July 5, 2010, while riding in the area of Liberty and Collins streets, according to police. She suffered head and facial injuries. On Feb. 25, the state paid to resolve Smith's personal injury claim stemming from the accident and a [...]

The sad truth is that motorcycle riders are more frequently injured and more seriously injured than other drivers. [ DMV Statistics ] Despite the efforts of motorcycle organizations to publicize the problem and promote awareness, we hear the same refrain time after time: “I didn’t see him”. Every motorcyclist has experienced cars turning in front of them as if they were not there. Too often even the most attentive rider cannot avoid contact with a car or escape a serious [...]

To recover damages for pain and suffering under New York's No-Fault Insurance Law, an individual injured in a car accident must establish that he or she has suffered a "serious injury." There are nine (9) categories of "serious" injuries: (1) death; (2) loss of a fetus; (3) dismemberment; (4) fracture; (5) significant disfigurement; (6) permanent loss of use of an organ, member, system, or function; (7) permanent consequential limitation of use of an organ or member; (8) significant limitation [...]