Legal Notices

General

1.  This website and the information presented on it are provided by Avenir Law for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  Accessing the information contained on this website or contacting any attorney listed on this website by email or other means does not form or constitute an attorney-client relationship between you and us. 2.  Anyone receiving any part of the information on this website should not act upon the information without seeking professional legal counsel.  The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you hire an attorney, you should request detailed information about that attorney or firm’s qualifications and experience, and discuss the facts and circumstances of the matter with him or her. 3. Since the law is constantly changing and will vary based on different facts and circumstances, statements on this Web site regarding the status of a given law or legal issue may not be current or applicable to your particular situation. You should not take any action based on the information in this Web site.

No Lawyer-Client Relationship Created

This website content is not intended to create, and receipt of it by visitors to this website does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Internet browsers and online readers should not act upon this information without first seeking professional and properly licensed legal counsel.

E-Mail and Other Communications to Our Office

1.  This website permits you to transmit an e-mail message to our office.  However, please do not send information about your matter until you speak with a lawyer and obtain the lawyer’s advance and express written authorization. You are reminded that sending an e-mail message through this website, mailing or faxing a letter to this office, leaving a voice mail message, or even discussing a legal matter with an attorney does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and our firm or any attorney named in this website.  This means that neither we nor any lawyer named in this website or to which you are referred by us has agreed to represent you in any legal matters.  An attorney-client relationship will not exist until we, or the lawyer to which you have been referred, have reviewed the matter directly with you, performed a conflict-of-interest check, expressly agreed to handle the matter, and agreed upon the terms of retention, with a written and signed retention or engagement agreement.  Consequently, you should NOT transmit information to us or any lawyer to which you are referred that you wish to be kept confidential, unless and until specifically requested to do so by one of our attorneys.  Be aware that it is possible that our firm, the lawyer to which you are referred or that lawyer’s firm already represents the person, company, or governmental unit on the other side of your legal issue. E-mail or other communication to our office, or the lawyer to which you are referred, should contain only a question as to whether we or they handle a particular type of matter or case, and should not contain any of the facts of your particular matter or case or any documents until you are specifically requested to do so by one of our attorneys or an attorney to which you have been referred.  When you sign and send us or an attorney to which you have been referred an unsolicited e-mail, mail or facsimile, you are agreeing that you will not use our their receipt of any information you send us to disqualify us from representing any other party. 2.  Please be advised that any e-mail message, telephone message, or mailed or faxed communication may go unread due to a variety of reasons.  Since deadlines are critical in most legal matters, you should never assume that any matter described in any e-mail message, telephone message or other communication to our office will be handled by us before we have expressly agreed in writing to act as your attorney.  Therefore, if we do not immediately respond and agree to act as your attorney, you must immediately secure another attorney to represent you. 3.  Whether you are a client of this firm or not, this firm will never send you an e-mail requesting such sensitive information as social security or bank account numbers, or purporting to direct you to an area of our website so that you may supply this information electronically.  Do not respond to such e-mail requests.  Any legitimate requests for this information will be communicated to you by other means. 4. You should be aware that any information transmitted electronically may not be secure.

Areas of Practice

1.  Avenir Law lists and describes certain expertise and areas of practice solely for the purpose of informing you of those fields of law where we have experience and where we focus our practice. 2.  Some of the areas of practice referred to in this website describe representative matters which our lawyers have handled.  These matters are presented solely for the purpose of informing you of our experience in a certain field of law.  They should not be considered as an indication or prediction of results in any other seemingly similar or dissimilar matter, since each case has its own unique facts and applicable law.

Limitations of Practice

1.  Our attorneys are licensed to practice only in those state and federal courts listed on each attorney’s separate biographical page. 2.  While some portions of this website indicate that we have represented our clients on certain matters in states or countries where none of our attorneys are admitted to practice, this should not be taken to mean that we regularly practice in such states or countries, and in fact we do not.  Our appearance in those matters was with the specific permission of the court or our engagement did not require such permission, and in many instances we engaged local counsel. 3.  Avenir Law does not intend to regularly practice law in any court in which none of our attorneys is licensed to practice; please do not contact us regarding a legal matter in any court unless at least one of our attorneys is licensed to practice in that court.

Compliance with State Ethical and Legal Requirements

We do not accept any representation that comes to us through our site, if our site does not comply with the legal or ethical requirements of the state or country in which the client or prospective client is located. Our attorneys do not seek to practice law in states, territories and foreign countries where we are not properly authorized to do so. This publication, or parts of it, may be considered advertising material under professional rules applicable to lawyers in some states in which we practice.

Links to Other Sites

Avenir Law assumes no responsibility for computer viruses resulting from use of our website. Avenir Law, at its discretion, may choose from time to time to link to third-party websites. Such links do not constitute an endorsement of such third-party website. Avenir Law is not responsible for any viruses, content or disputes resulting from your access to this website or such third-party sites.

Designated Office and Contact

As required by some of the jurisdictions in which we are licensed to practice, the principal office of Avenir Law is 39 Hollenbeck Avenue, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230 USA.  The designated attorney responsible for the content of this website is Jonathan Baum, 39 Hollenbeck Avenue, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230 USA. By accessing this website, you agree with Avenir Law that any disputes or matters arising out of or related to your viewing or use of this website shall be governed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without regard to the conflict of laws.

Privacy

Please see our Privacy Policy, located through a link in our lower navigation bar.

Ownership of Our Site Content

All content on our website is copyrighted. © 2010-2014 Avenir Law. All rights reserved. Reproduction or modification of any portion of this Web site for use without the express permission of Avenir Law is strictly prohibited.

 

New York Statement Of Client’s Rights

  1. You are entitled to be treated with courtesy and consideration at all times by your lawyer and the other lawyers and nonlawyer personnel in your lawyer’s office.

 

  1. You are entitled to have your attorney handle your legal matter competently and diligently, in accordance with the highest standards of the profession. If you are not satisfied with how your matter is being handled, you have the right to discharge your attorney and terminate the attorney-client relationship at any time. (Court approval may be required in some matters, and your attorney may have a claim against you for the value of services rendered to you up to the point of discharge.)

 

  1. You are entitled to your lawyer’s independent professional judgment and undivided loyalty uncompromised by conflicts of interest.

 

  1. You are entitled to be charged reasonable fees and expenses and to have your lawyer explain before or within a reasonable time after commencement of the representation how the fees and expenses will be computed and the manner and frequency of billing. You are entitled to request and receive a written itemized bill from your attorney at reasonable intervals. You may refuse to enter into any arrangement for fees and expenses that you find unsatisfactory. In the event of a fee dispute, you may have the right to seek arbitration; your attorney will provide you with the necessary information regarding arbitration in the event of a fee dispute, or upon your request.

 

  1. You are entitled to have your questions and concerns addressed promptly and to receive a prompt reply to your letters, telephone calls, emails, faxes, and other communications.

 

  1. You are entitled to be kept reasonably informed as to the status of your matter and are entitled to have your attorney promptly comply with your reasonable requests for information, including your requests for copies of papers relevant to the matter. You are entitled to sufficient information to allow you to participate meaningfully in the development of your matter and make informed decisions regarding the representation.

 

  1. You are entitled to have your legitimate objectives respected by your attorney. In particular, the decision of whether to settle your matter is yours and not your lawyer’s. (Court approval of a settlement is required in some matters.)

 

  1. You have the right to privacy in your communications with your lawyer and to have your confidential information preserved by your lawyer to the extent required by law.

 

  1. You are entitled to have your attorney conduct himself or herself ethically in accordance with the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.

 

  1. You may not be refused representation on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.