GSJones Law Group legal assistant Ginger Gruber is off to Boston this weekend to once again participate in the Boston Marathon. Here she is wearing her medal at the finish line of the 2006 Boston Marathon. She ran her first marathon in 2001. This will be her 70thmarathon or longer race. She has done Ultras as long as 12 hour races, winning both of them at 69 miles in 12 hours. Her marathon PR (personal record ) is 3:16:11 at Winthrop Marathon. Continue reading
Sara Humphries was recognized by her peers for her humanitarian work. The Kitsap County Bar Association presented her the 2014 Humanitarian Award “in recognition of sustained achievement in the public interest.”The presentation noted her pro bono work with tenant defense and housing issues and her years of service as a foster parent.” Continue reading
Recently Kitsap County District Court appointed our own Dave Jones Judge Pro Tem. He will serve as a commissioner for settlement conferences. This new responsibility calls on his skills developed over the last 21 years helping people work out their differences and get on with their lives.
He will continue his private practice.
Congratulations, Dave.
Sometimes when I ask if people have uninsured motorist coverage people say they have FULL COVERAGE.
Sometimes what they really have is liability coverage. Meaning they have what is legally required to drive. Liability coverage pays another driver for their losses if you are at fault. It does not cover the damage to your car or your injuries.
There are a lot of people driving around without any insurance at all. What would you do if your car had $2,500 in damage and you had hospital bills of $3,000.00 and the person that caused the accident had no job, no insurance, no license and was just generally unaccountable? Uninsured/underinsured coverage comes to the rescue in this situation.
Bodily injury liability covers other people’s bodily injuries for which you are responsible. Property damage liability covers you if your car damages someone else’s property. These coverages come with maximum limits that you choose at the inception of your policy. Liability coverages don’t protect your car in any way, so that is why you purchase physical damage coverages.
Uninsured property damage covers damage to your own car if the at fault driver has no insurance.
Uninsured motorist coverage steps into the shoes of at at fault party’s coverage if they had no coverage.
Talk to your insurance agent. See if you have the coverage that you need. If you are not sure, ask the agent to explain it in detail. It is really not difficult to incur $5,000.00 in property damage and $5,000.00 in hospital bills. Take steps to protect yourself and make informed decisions.
Do not let someone tell you that you have full coverage without knowing exactly what they mean by the reference.
Collision insurance covers damage to your automobile caused by a collision with another object or by upset. Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your vehicle for damages caused by things other than collisions, such as vandalism, theft, or glass breakage.
Most lienholders require physical damage coverage if you are financing or leasing your vehicle. These coverages each come with a deductible, an amount due before your insurance benefits kick in.
Chalmers Johnson, one of our attorneys, flew to South Carolina a few days ago to once again argue before the State Supreme Court. He has been practicing law in Washington State since relocating in 2008 but, based on his reputation, Chalmers Johnson continues to be consulted on tough appeals in South Carolina. This clip shows the greeting of the Chief Justice which indicates the esteem in which he is held. In the vernacular of South Carolina the Chief Justice says to Chalmers: “You da best.” View the greeting for yourself.
While Chalmers focuses on personal injury and employment law, he has extensive experience in appellate work.
In the last 30 days, four clients were able to settle with the IRS, when it accepted our Offers in Compromise. If you owe back taxes, now is the time to explore this option. An Offer in Compromise allows a taxpayer with IRS debt to offer to pay what he can afford. If the IRS believes the offer is equal to or more than it could collect from the taxpayer, it will settle. These taxes include income taxes (1040), payroll taxes, trust fund penalties, and more.
For example, one of our clients had no equity in their home and their monthly necessary living expenses equaled or exceeded their monthly income. In that case, the amount that the IRS was convinced that they could collect from our clients was zero. The IRS accepted our offer to pay $75.00 to cancel over $30,000 in taxes.
I have been doing offers in compromises for more than 20 years since the program first began. Without a doubt, this is one of the most favorable times to get an offer accepted that I have experienced. If you want to explore this option, give me a call.
by Norm Short, Tax and Business Law Attorney