What to Look Out for When Entering into a Lease Agreement
At Wakefield Law, we have lots of landlord and tenant clients. The questions of what makes up a lease, what provisions must be in a lease, and what to make sure is not in a lease are ones we examine every day. To be frank, most landlords just Google a lease agreement and present it to their prospective tenants for signature after filling in a few basic details. This is an excellent way to get into trouble in the leasing realm. It’s really important to review all the provisions in a lease for both the landlord and the tenant. Further, it’s necessary to review new and relevant law to make sure if additional documents or considerations need to be included in a new or renewed lease. These questions should be reviewed with an attorney – every lease and every situation is different, but the purpose of this article is just to point out frequently raised issues we face with clients. This is by no means a comprehensive list of what must be in a lease!
Read More
Don’t let estate planning scare you!!!
The estate planning process is a seldom taught subject. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or anxious when it comes to Wills, Trusts, and the like. However, this Halloween season, don’t get spooked when it comes to getting the documents you need set up. Every day, we’re working with clients to set up succession, inheritance, and emergency plans in place to make sure that if something happens, the right people are going to step up at the right time.
Read More
Who Needs an Estate Plan?
Nobody teaches you about estate planning. It’s an area like taxes, contracts, and other legal issues that people generally just try to figure out for themselves as they go through life. When many people think about “estate planning,” they think about it in terms of age or accumulated assets. Estate planning is often associated with high net worth planning, retirement, prolonged illness, or preparing for passing. For that reason, it’s not something that is talked about in all generational demographics. However, estate planning is crucial no matter where you are in life.
Read More
Personal Injury Claims – Protect Yourself and Your Family’s Rights
At Wakefield Law, we have been practicing personal injury law in Northern Virginia for over thirty years. We’ve seen a lot and worked with many clients, and there are a few persistent misconceptions about the practice of personal injury law that we want to clear up.
Read More
Contingency Fees vs. Hourly Rates
Many of you have had experiences with attorneys. Often, these experiences are not remembered fondly, and we understand why! Getting an attorney involved with a legal matter can often be extremely stressful because you do not know if they can be trusted, and even worse – how much the whole thing is going to cost you. When our clients are faced with breaches of contract that often lead to non-payment of money and a debt collection legal matter, they don’t worry at all! That’s because we do a vast majority of our contract litigation and debt collection cases on a contingency fee basis. Keep reading to figure out why that can be a terrific option for getting an attorney involved.
Read More
Estate Planning – More than just a plan for your money
Often, the estate planning conversation is all about money. We talk about transferring money and property from one generation to the next and how to save as much as possible. While all that money stuff is still true, there is an even more immediate aspect of estate planning that we have to talk about: what happens before you die, if you are injured, ill, or otherwise incapacitated?
Read More
Five Provisions Any Contract MUST Contain
We also help clients every day with enforcement of their contracts. This can mean lawsuits, negotiation, and other forms of conflict. Since we are constantly handling disputes like these, we have deep knowledge as to what provisions must be in any contract that we see. When we see these provisions in our clients’ contracts, we breathe a deep sigh of relief because they allow us to advocate more efficiently and effectively for our clients’ interests.
Read More
Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples
There are all kinds of reasons why a committed couple may decide not to get married. Maybe you have been married before, and it’s not a ritual you are eager to repeat. Maybe you and your partner have been together for years, and it’s just something that hasn’t happened yet. Maybe you like keeping things like assets, debts, and the “business side” of couplehood separate. Whatever the reason, choosing to remain unmarried does not mean that you are any less committed to your partner. And it doesn’t make you any less interested in providing for them in the future.
Read More
