Legal Aid Facts

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforce anti-discrimination laws. The federal agency EEOC, has the power to settle claims through inquiry of illegal discrimination.

Filing an EEOC claim:

• Most of the states have individual agency for anti-discrimination issues. Go to the respective state government to determine if a local agency can get you help.
• The time limit for filing complaints with the EEOC is 180 days starting from the act of discrimination. There may be a longer deadline if your state has its own investigating body.
• You can file an EEOC claim in person, by mail or by telephone (1-800-669-4000).
• You must provide your name, contact details (telephone and address), and your employer information also.
• Also give a concise description and the dates for the discriminations done against you.
• Some points about EEOC claims:
• You should furnish the EEOC with sufficient information for making an informed decision as to how to proceed.
• More information is better. Let the EEOC determine which of the events are significant for your claim.
• Provide all documents that strengthens your case.
• Also include the names and addresses of witnesses who may be helpful.
• If you wish to remain anonymous, you may not include your name when filing a complaint with the EEOC. However, it may be impossible for the EEOC to investigate the claim without knowing your identity.

After your claim is filed:

• After the EEOC receives your complaint, it will inquire the claim by contacting your employer, enquiring witnesses, visiting the jobsite, requesting documents, etc.
• Your employer cannot take any action against you for filing a complaint or complying with an EEOC investigation. The terminology called as retaliation, can make your owner liable to additional punitive action.
• If a local agency is present having the right to anti-discriminatory action, the EEOC will not take any action for 60 days in order to give the other agency time to act. In some cases, the time for filing an EEOC claim can be extended to as much as 300 days.

Solving your claim:

• If the EEOC determines the case really pertains to illegal discrimination, it may seek a settlement between the employer and employee, or it may sue the employer in court. (In rare case it happens that owners are sued. The EEOC doesn’t have enough resources to fight by itself in court.)
• A settlement will provide proper compensation to employee. It may include job promotion or reinstatement. Front or back pay, other direct payments like employee fee or indirect payment as accommodation or remedies pay, etc.
• If the EEOC cannot determine if illegal discrimination occurred, or if settlement with the employer is not possible, it will dismiss the claim and issue the employee a “right to sue” letter, to allow employee 90 days in which to bring an action against the employer.

For the best interest, it is suggested to promptly contact the EEOC when discrimination is suspected.

Having been representing discrimination claimants as an experienced Cleveland attorney for several years, please visit our Cleveland attorney website at for more information on this topic.

by Guest Blogger: Suzanna Murdoch

With half of all marriages going bad, couples everywhere are looking for solutions to prevent divorce and keep their marriages going strong. Very often there are common sense solutions that work surprisingly well.

Here are 5 time-honored solutions to prevent divorce and ensure your marriage remains healthy. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you one of the millions of homeowners who are now facing foreclosure?  Unfortunately, the fact that you are not alone is not comforting.  What may be comforting is the professional assistance that is available to you.  In fact, many homeowners facing foreclosure are surprised to see what their options are.  Many are also surprised to learn that help is even out there for them, but it is. Read the rest of this entry »

It is an unfortunate fact that nowadays credit card debt has become somewhat of the norm, instead of the unusual. In the past people used their credit cards to buy luxury items, whereas these days more and more people are finding themselves in a situation where they are using their cards to buy the basic necessities of life. Just a few short years ago you could not use a credit card to purchase groceries at you local food market. You had to pay cash, or use a debit card. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you’re in debt or comfortably well off, there is never a reason to pay more for items than necessary.

And these days, you’ll find that just about everyone is willing to negotiate. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are at a place in your life where the bills are adding up, your credit card is over the top, and you owe money to store cards and car loans, you may want to consider looking into consolidation loans. These are basically loans than incorporate all of your other loans into a single one. There are a few advantages to getting this kind of loan, and it may well be worth the time and effort it takes to get one. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have any questions about debt? Most people do since it has become a household word within the last few years. Nowadays there are more and more people that are having a difficult time meeting their financial obligations, and need to look for help in getting their debt questions answered, and their finances under some kind of control. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding debt, and their answers. Read the rest of this entry »

When a business finds itself handling more telephone calls from credit collector than business related calls, you know that the business is in serious trouble. Business debt is a problem for a lot of business owners, as the costs of doing business have skyrocketed in the last few years. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you a homeowner who has been receiving multiple phone calls and letters from your mortgage holder?  If so, are you facing foreclosure?  Many homeowners say that they are surprised to be facing foreclosure.  With that said, the telltale signs are often there.  Most reputable financial lenders, including locally owned and operated banks, will do just about anything to keep borrowers in their homes.  Unfortunately, this is an important point that many either do not know or just do not take into consideration. Read the rest of this entry »

If you owe money to multiple creditors, you know what a pain it is to pay numerous bills every month. You’re also probably seeking to lower the total monthly amount that you pay. Read the rest of this entry »

Repairing your credit entails getting rid of the negative credit report information and catching up on your overdue bills. This could raise your credit score but might not be enough to make you credit worthy again. Read the rest of this entry »

Reducing debt is a goal for many Americans. Society has left the average person wanting more in the way of cars and houses, and a lot of people have fallen into a debt trap. If you are one of them, you are not alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Debt collectors are not your friends. Yes, you need to pay off your debts - but you don’t have to put up with being harassed, threatened, intimidated, and stalked.

So here’s some advice and some words of caution. Read the rest of this entry »

So you’ve found yourself in a financial situation, and you need a personal loan on a right now basis. The panic sets in, and the first thought that crosses your mind is the bank. Are you qualified to get a personal loan through your banking institution? Do they give the best rates? Are there options? Read the rest of this entry »

When you want to lose weight, you go on a diet.

When you need to trim fat from your budget, you need to do the same thing - go on a money diet. Read the rest of this entry »

Having a bad credit score can hurt you in every area of your life - not just in the ability to  take out loans.

Employers in many circumstances can run credit checks, and a bad credit score might be the deciding factor in giving the job you applied for, to an equally well-qualified candidate with a better credit score. Read the rest of this entry »

In such a time of stress when two people are involved in a divorce, the absolute last thing you have on your mind is money. Court costs are high, and going through a divorce could be detrimental to your funds. If you are already struggling for money and cannot foresee another expense like an attorney added to the list of bills, you may be eligible for a legal aid divorce attorney. Read the rest of this entry »

The phone rings again. You know exactly who it is. It is the collection agency, again! The phone never stops ringing and they all want their money now, and you just do not have it. You need to get some sort of debt management system in place before things get so out of hand that there is no way out. You can get a handle on your debt, before it is too late. There are options that you can explore. Read the rest of this entry »

There are certain times in everybody’s life where they may need some help, and having trouble with the amount of debt you have is no exception. It is best to look for help when you need it, instead of avoiding it out of shame and embarrassment. If you look for debt consolidation help at an early stage, before things get too out of hand, you will find that you are in a much better position to get things handled. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting into debt is a problem that many people now face. It has become almost a fact of life for many that they will probably be in debt for the rest of their lives. This does not have to be the case, however, because there are many various ways to eliminate debt from your life and get into a positive cash flow once again. The way to handle it is by being persistent. You must keep hacking away at it on a daily and monthly basis. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you one of those folks that are badly hit by the financial crisis? If you are having some bad times, you mustn’t take the simple way out and file for bankruptcy. Instead of going to the closest bankruptcy court and fill out those forms, you need to discover paths to avoid filing bankruptcy. Yes, it is very annoying to have creditors call you day and night but if you value your credit standing, you should avoid filing bankruptcy. Always recall that it requires a bunch of time to reconstruct your credit scored after you announced yourself broke. In fact, it may take you about 10 years to finally get rid of that ugly mark on your credit report. To make sure that your credit rating scores remain high, you have to duck non-public bankruptcy at all cost.

Getting Out Of The Financial Mess

Getting out of a financial mess is never easy. In this time of cash crisis, getting a second or a third job is rarely easy. In fact, a lot of people have lost their jobs lately and have not found a new one in months. Since getting a second job won’t be the possible reaction to your monetary issues, you wish to be more creative in working with your finance affairs. Stretch out your money as much as you can. The best way to do it is to come up with a daily budget and stick to that budget as much as you can. Forget about wasting your resources on something that you do not really need. If you want to avoid filing bankruptcy, you need to know how to say no to your wants. Stick to the basic things. You can always have your wants once your financial status improves.

The second thing that you can do to avoid filing bankruptcy is to stay fresh on your obligations payments. If you are so hard up that you can not pay your loans on time, let your banks know about your present position and tell them when you will be prepared to pay. Giving your lenders a timeline as to when you intend to pay your debts will make things simpler for you and for your lender. In case things truly get so bad and you have difficulty making the monthly amortization of your loans, try and ask your creditors for debt refinancing. Debt refinancing can extend your payment period and may lower your monthly amortization. When handled correctly, debt refinancing will help you avoid filing bankruptcy.

There are many more reviews about debt free in three, a powerful debt free system, that you can check out. Also check out on information on the avoid bankruptcy that you must know and remember.

5.It all seems so hopeless. What can I do?
Take a moment and realize that while it all seems so overwhelming, there is hope. By confronting your debt, and making some sort of future plan, you can get out of debt and back on your feet. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are in debt and concerned about paying it off, you’re probably aware that too much debt, late payments, or worse, missed payments, can negatively effect your credit score.

But what is a credit score? And how can you find out what yours is? Read the rest of this entry »

Here are beginner ideas on hiring a capable lawyer:

- Choose A Professional. The worst mistake you can make is picking a lawyer you cannot trust. There are umpteen attorneys on the web. It’s necessary to discover one you may count on. You want a good deal but it’s important you’re selecting one with a good reputation. Ask your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours for their opinions.

- Shop Around. Get quotes from three or four pros. You may be able to save yourself thousands in fees. Don’t employ a professional just because they have the lowest rates. Consider the overall, long term fees and how important the case is to you.

- Contingency Fee. When pursuing damages, try to choose a lawyer who’ll take on your case on a contingency-fee basis; he will not get paid until you get paid. Make sure you clearly understand the payment structure before you commit to the retainer agreement. He will get his fees out of the money you get in your settlement; about one-third of your final settlement _after_ expenses are taken off the top!

- Ask If The Lawyer Intends To Really Handle Your Case Himself. Many firms simply pass the job to the ‘real’ specialist and receive part of the fees in exchange. This may not be in your best interests.

- Some Questions You Should Ask: How many years have you been in practice? How quickly can I expect my lawsuit to be finished? When can we meet? How long have you been with your current firm? Are you a partner or an associate? Time and accessibility. How much will the total fees be, approximately? How do you charge for your services? Will you give a detailed, written statement of cost? Is the initial consultation free? Do you communicate via mobile phone, telephone, fax or email?

- Complete Disclosure. Be completely truthful when discussing your case with an attorney. He can only win your case if he’s aware of all the relevant details; if you keep something back it may trip you (and him) up further on. Tell him everything you know. Try to remember every relevant detail. Any associated photos and documents you’ve got will be very useful to him in evaluating your case.

- Find The Right Lawyer. Most people find lawyers by these methods: 1) In the US, you can contact state bar associations. 2) Lawyer referral services will connect you with a lawyer who specialises in your problem, for a fee. These services can be discovered in the yellow pages. 3) Recommendations from co-workers, friends and family who have used an attorney recently. 4) Advertisements. ‘Free’ and ‘no charge’ are warning signs. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Many worthwhile attorneys don’t advertise. Avoid hiring one who solicits at your door unannounced. ‘Ambulance chasing’, known technically as barratry, is often forbidden by local bar associations. If he’s breaking or bending rules to win clients, how probable is it he’ll follow them to win your case in a legal trial?

- Are You Getting The Best Deal from a lively, capable person, or a fly-by-night ambulance chaser, who, when you need them the most, will not call you back? Trust your instincts over your reason.

I hope these few handy ideas will help you in employing a good lawyer.

About the author: Nicky Svengali is an author for lawyer and personal loans web sites in London.

If you are having a hard time meeting the payments on your credit cards, then you may be interested in knowing more about consolidating credit card debt. When you consolidate, you take your debts and put them all together as one and then take out a loan on that. It makes things easier in the long run because you have only one monthly payment to make instead of multiple ones, and clearing up this debt confusion can restore some stability and piece of mind for you. You will find that getting things organized in this manner will give you more insight into your actual financial situation and make it easier to deal with. Read the rest of this entry »