Free Online Legal Advice

Pros And Cons Of Using A Nominee To Buy A Bali Villa For Business Purposes

Pros And Cons Of Using A Nominee To Buy A Bali Villa For Business Purposes

For anyone considering starting and running a Bali villas business whereby you rent their use of the villa to tourists, there is a huge fly in the ointment which you may not yet be aware of. We say fly, but in truth, it is more like a giant eagle in the ointment such as is the problems it creates. We are talking about Indonesian law, which states that no foreigner can own property in Bali.

When entrepreneurs hoping to start a Bali villas business discover this huge legal roadblock, it is often enough for them to ditch their plans and seek another business model. However, as with any law, there are ways, not to break it, but to swerve it. In the case of owning property in Bali, some entrepreneurs use a nominee to purchase a villa for their business.

A nominee is an Indonesian citizen who agrees to have the property ownership registered in their name, however, it is you that finances the purchase, and then has use of the villa for your holiday rental business. We should point out using a nominee carries huge risks, and so we thought it best to point out some of the pros and cons of buying property in Bali with the help of a nominee.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago

4 Facts About Court Fees And Compensation For Those Found Not Guilty

You have given your evidence in court, you have been cross-examined by the prosecution, and now you sit anxiously in the courtroom as the verdict is about to be read out. You hear the two words that you are longing for, “Not Guilty” and as you feel relieved, a thought might enter your head, “What next?”.

It is a thought many people who have been found not guilty have, because whilst we all know the repercussions of a guilty verdict, few people are aware of what next steps there are when the verdict is not guilty. In most instances, it is not just a case of thanking your criminal lawyer and heading off for a celebration, as there are other considerations.

These are likely to include many of the financial aspects of your criminal trial such as court fees, lawyer’s fees and whether or not you might be entitled to compensation. To give you some guidance on these, here are four facts you should know about compensation and fees following a not guilty verdict.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago

5 Customer Service Principles Everyone In Your Family Lawyers Business Should Adhere To

One aspect of family lawyers that many people do not appreciate is that they are a business in the same way that their local restaurants, car repair centres and retail stores are all businesses. When we say “people” we are referring mainly to those who have never employed a family lawyer. However, and sad to say, we also have to include some family lawyers who, for whatever reason, forget they are running a business.

The consequences of that can range from slight to severe, and by severe we mean that the very existence of their business is put at risk. Some of the specifics can include not having an organised office, failing to ensure the finances of their family lawyers business are sound, and worst of all, not appreciating that each client is a customer who should be offered the best of service at all times

Whole libraries of books have been written about customer service and countless video courses seek to teach the subject. We are sure you treat all your clients well, but also know that anything else which could be included in the service you and your employees provide clients can only enhance their experience. As such here are five customer service principles that you should ensure are applied by all who work in your family lawyers business, including yourself.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
5-Essential-Matters-You-Must-Attend-To-If-You-Are-Preparing-For-Divorce

5 Essential Matters You Must Attend To If You Are Preparing For Divorce

For anyone who has separated from their spouse or partner and is now preparing for divorce, there can be a range of emotions that they go through, including anxiety, anger, sadness, and we dare say in some cases, relief, and maybe even joy. No matter which emotions exist, it is also important to think clearly and make the right practical decisions, and part of that will include seeking advice from a divorce lawyer.

Having a divorce lawyer from Family Law Assist with which you can discuss your divorce, seek advice, and ask them to prepare the necessary legal documents which need to be submitted to the Family Court, can remove a huge burden from the mind of someone going through a divorce.

Nevertheless, although your divorce lawyer can undertake lots of the necessary legal requirements, there are other practical matters which you need to consider, some of which impact your immediate circumstances, and some which will have an impact in the longer term.

We have pinpointed these practical matters under 5 different aspects of separation and divorce, so here they are as a mini-guide to what you need to plan for.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Can Same sex Marriages End In Divorce?

Can Same sex Marriages End In Divorce?

Society has seen many positive changes in recent years with regards to our individual and collective rights and one of the most significant of them is the right for same sex couples to legally marry. However, this begs the question as to how divorce is regarded with respect to same sex marriages and this is often where a lawyer that specialises in family and divorce such as www.acceleratefamilylaw.com.au, is needed to advise or help.

The journey to where same sex couples could legally marry has been a long one, and it may surprise some to read that the right to do so was only legislated for as recently as December 2017. Until then, it was the marriage Act of 1961 that was the primary legislation that applied, and in addition, an amendment in 2004 to that act which stated that marriage was a union between a man and a woman.

The reason this amendment was added was due to couples who had legally married overseas returning to Australia, and the conflict between the legislation that existed with regards to what constituted a legal marriage  and those same sex couples wanting their marriage to be legally recognised in Australia.

A major change that resolved this issue took place in December 2017, which was a further amendment to the Marriage Act, and in particular, a change in the definition of marriage. The new definition states that the union is between ‘two people to the exclusion of all others’, which obviously has no reference to which sex either of those two people is.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
The Responsibilities Of A Company Director

The Responsibilities Of A Company Director

When you are an employee of a company, the responsibilities relating to your role are usually made clear before you begin your employment, most likely by means of a contract of employment which will have been created by, or with the help of, a commercial lawyer at www.rowebristol.com.au. However, one role within a company where the responsibilities are often not as clear and specific is that of a company director.

If you think about it, with many job roles you could likely list several of the duties that they would perform, and for many, there is a clear career path with a clearly identified training and development. A couple of examples would be a company accountant and a sales manager.

Even if you do not anyone who has these jobs, nor done them yourself you could hazard an educated guess that the accountant has passed several accountancy exams and is highly skilled and experienced with regards to finance, business tax systems, and obviously how to produce accurate financial accounts.

For the sales manager, it is almost certain they were at one point a highly successful salesperson and went through plenty of coaching and training and then showed that they were capable of teaching and managing others to do likewise.

The point we are making is if you were to ask 100 people what the career path to becoming, and what were the responsibilities for lots of job roles, most of them could do so to with reasonable accuracy. However, if you were to ask the same 100 people those questions with regards to becoming a company director, we are sure the answers would vary enormously.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers - Part 5 - Website Redesign

Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers – Part 5 – Website Redesign

We are going to assume you already have a website, but the question that must be asked is does that website really project the image of your personal injury legal practice as one that is professional and successful?

First impressions count a lot, especially online, and if the first thing anyone landing on your website sees is an outdated site with low-resolution images, and content that is either sparse or too difficult to read, then they will be clicking away from your website quicker than you can say ‘Case closed’

What would make this even worse is if you had taken the time and spent the investment necessary to successfully implement some of the strategies we have already mentioned to drive traffic to your website, but due it being so poor, none of that traffic converted into paying clients.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers - Part 4 - Social Media

Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers – Part 4 – Social Media

Many business owners particularly those involved with professional services within the legal, medical, or financial sector seem to turn their nose up at the thought of using social media to promote their business, for reasons which defy logic.

Many believe that social media is ‘just for kids’, ignorant of the fact that there are literally hundreds of millions on social media over the age of 35.

The other point they miss is that social media is exactly the place that those who may need these kinds of services go to vent their anger or frustration. For example, someone who has been injured, and think it is the other person’s fault, will happily broadcast to the world about the incident, and their social media friends or followers will offer advice.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers - Part 3 - Search Engine Optimisation

Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers – Part 3 – Search Engine Optimisation

Most people tend not to have a personal injury lawyer’s name and number in their list of contacts, so when they suddenly need one, the first place they are likely to go is Google. They will enter in a search along the lines of “personal injury lawyer in xxxxxx” with ‘xxxxxx’ representing the local area they live in, be that a district, town, or city.

The results which the search engine generates will be websites and pages relating to that search term, and that can realistically run into millions of pages. The person searching is obviously not going to go through them, and in fact, they are normally only going to look at the results which appear on the first page of results.

It follows, therefore, that those personal injury lawyers who have taken action to ensure their website is fully optimised for organic searches with regards to its search engine ranking are the ones who are going to gain the highest number of new clients from online searches.

The most effective way that can be achieved is by employing the services of an SEO agency, who will know exactly how to determine which keywords to target, and then which steps are needed to ensure that the business ranks highly in the search engine results.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers - Part 2 - Email Marketing

Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers – Part 2 – Email Marketing

Ignore the doomsayers who may tell you email marketing is dead. Be in no doubt email marketing is alive and well, as are those businesses that use it as part of their overall marketing strategy.

Done correctly email marketing is one of the most effective ways of building a relationship with potential clients and maintaining one with those who have already used your services.

With potential clients, if the email you send them includes useful information related to the services you offer, then when there comes a time that they may actually need to employ a lawyer, then that relationship you have built with them will go long way in their making their decision to employing you to represent them.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers - Part 1 - Pay Per Click Advertising

Online Marketing Strategies for Personal Injury Lawyers – Part 1 – Pay Per Click Advertising

You might think that the world of personal injury lawyers is all about negotiations, finding evidence of negligence, and trying to get their clients the highest possible compensation.

Whilst all of that plays a big part, you should also know that it is an extremely competitive industry, with the fight to gain new clients every bit as fierce as it is to get those compensation cheques.

There are many ways a personal injury lawyer’s business can attract new clients, but one of the most effective is to ensure that their website is near the top of the search engine rankings whenever someone in their catchment area searches for a personal injury lawyer with their town or city as part of that search term.

Another way to generate traffic is to use paid advertising which can bring quick results, albeit at a cost. Email marketing often gets a bad press, but it is one of the most effective ways of turning potential clients into paid ones.

Social media is another way of generating clients that is often overlooked and also ensuring that their business’s website is up to date and giving a great first impression is extremely important.

Each of these five ways for personal injury lawyers to market themselves online with a view to creating paid clients requires a further explanation so please read on and we will do exactly that.

Pay Per Click Advertising

If you want instant results in terms of traffic coming to your website within the hour, and you have the budget available, then using pay per click advertising is the means to do so. Following some keyword research, you can create your ad, fix the price you are prepared to bid per click, set your daily budget, and click for the ad to go live.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Double Jeopardy Law

Does Double Jeopardy Law Exist In Australia?

One of the oldest principles in law, not just in Australia, but around the world, is double jeopardy, but as Perth Criminal Lawyers will tell you, despite it being around for so long, there remains lots of confusion regarding what it means.

In the simplest terms, double jeopardy is the legal principle that means once someone has been found not guilty in court for a crime, they cannot be retried for the same offence.

One of the primary reasons it was introduced in many jurisdictions was to prevent the crown, or the state, retrying the same person repeated times in the hope that eventually they would find a jury that was prepared to convict via a guilty verdict.

The issue of someone’s human rights being overridden by a determined prosecution convinced of that person’s guilt deliberately charging them again and again with the same offence was another reason double jeopardy laws were created.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Apply for a Restraining Order

Five Reasons You Should Apply for a Restraining Order

As unpleasant as the thought may be, a huge percentage of people across Australia have to deal with domestic and family violence. These are never acceptable, but fortunately, there are numerous actions you can take to protect yourself.

One thing you could do is apply for a restraining order for the person who has been violent against you. In short, a restraining order prevents the specified person from coming within a certain distance of you and anyone else named in it, providing a level of protection for you.

Below, we’ve outlined five reasons why you should consider applying for a restraining order if you’re suffering through family or domestic violence.

  1. Nobody Should Have to Deal With Violence

If you have a partner, ex-partner, or someone else who is violent against you, applying for a restraining order could be a very good idea. Nobody should ever put up with violence, and we’d highly recommend speaking with family lawyers about restraining orders ASAP if you’re in a violent situation.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Legally Binding Contract

Does A Legally Binding Contract Need To Be In Writing

You may have heard or read the term ‘legally binding contract’, and it may well be that you have sought the advice of your commercial lawyer before previously entering into such a contract in relation to your business.

What the general assumption would seem to be amongst many people, including a lot of business owners, is that in order for a contract to be enforceable that it has to have been written. In other words, their belief is that verbal contracts carry no legal weight, and obligations given verbally are not binding on either party.

That may be the case in other countries around the world, but in Australia, a contract does not have to be in writing for it to be legally binding on all parties. Now, before we go any further, we have to point out that, as with all aspects of the law, especially commercial law, there are exceptions and caveats to what we have just said.

For a start, for any contract to be valid, there are certain elements that must be satisfied. These are:

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago
Weighing Up Whether A Prenuptial Agreement Would Benefit You

Weighing Up Whether A Prenuptial Agreement Would Benefit You

One of the most important aspects of work that the experts at Family Lawyers Joondalup are often asked to do for clients who are planning to marry is to draw up and formalise a prenuptial agreement. Often spoken of whenever a high-profile celebrity marriage is ending, a prenuptial agreement is a document, that basically states how any property and finances will be divided should the couple divorce.

To many people, the idea of a creating prenuptial agreement before marriage seems a very negative and even cynical action. They would claim that it effectively says the couple does not trust each other enough to not want to share property fairly if the marriage ends.

Another argument against prenuptial agreements is that they are basically saying that the couple does not have enough faith in their relationship, and the marriage to follow, and obviously do not believe that it will last ‘until death us do part’.

(more…)

By Goodsell Law Marketing, ago