On any given weekday, somebody in Northern Kentucky is getting a foreclosure complaint. Whether it arrives by certified mail or whether a sheriff brings it to your door, the feeling is always the same: despair, grief, the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Some people do not want to lose their homes, while others have already given the house up for lost but worry about the mortgage debt following them for the rest of their lives. Many are intimidated by big law firm names like Lerner, Sampson & Rothfuss, or Weltman, Weinberg & Reis. And, most importantly, many people don’t realize how many rights they actually have.

You have the power to save your home, even though you are in arrears on your mortgage. You have the power to wipe out the mortgage debt so you can start fresh in a new home without the shadow of old debts looming over you. All you need to do is decide now, at this moment, to take action. Start being proactive and asserting your rights, instead of waiting for the bank to cut off your mortgage and throw you out of your home.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Can Save Your Home

A foreclosure can be stopped with a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. While any bankruptcy filing can stop a foreclosure lawsuit, only a Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you to stay in your home by restructuring your overdue mortgage payments according to your ability to pay, not the mortgage company’s schedule. A Chapter 13 last for no less than three but no more than five years, and you will have that entire time to repay the mortgage. For that reason, even a large mortgage arrearage can be broken down into manageable chunks for repayment.

Chapter 13 bankruptcies provide immediate relief from foreclosure lawsuits, but they also provide lasting relief. When you set a good faith payment plan at the start of your Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the mortgage company’s attorneys cannot challenge that plan. Even large firms such as Lerner, Sampson & Rothfuss or Javitch Rothbone cannot beat Lawrence & Associates’ clients when a good faith plan for repayment has been set. Sometimes, depending on the amount of debt and a client’s budget, repayment plans for mortgage arrearages can be as low as a hundred dollars a month!

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Gets Rid of Mortgage Debt

Lawrence & Associates can help you erase old mortgage debt by filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Although a Chapter 7 bankruptcy will not allow you to keep your home if you are behind on payments when you file the bankruptcy, it will eliminate any need for you to make additional payments on the debt. Often, since the foreclosure process must be stalled during the bankruptcy and since the foreclosure process last for several months once restarted, our clients can live in their home for months after filing bankruptcy before they need to find a new house or apartment.

Lawrence & Associates can help you stop a foreclosure. We are Working Hard for the Working Class, and we want to work for you! Get a fresh start by calling us first. The sooner you call, the better your chances of righting the ship and sailing into a better financial future. Call Lawrence & Associates today!

The attorneys at Lawrence and Associates have helped many drivers who were hurt in a hit-and-run collision. These claims can be simple – for example, when the hit-and-run driver is found by the police and has alcohol in his or her system – or complex – for example, where the hit-and-run driver is never found at all. In almost every case, our attorneys can recover money from an insurance policy to fairly compensate our clients for their damages. However, in many cases the insurance carrier will initially refuse to compensate the injured driver. Depending on the exact circumstances of each case, there are several ways to get paid for your injury.

What Happens When the Hit-and-Run Driver is Found?

In cases where the hit-and-run driver is found and identified by the police, our attorneys will file a claim for damages with the hit-and-run driver’s policy first. In that situation, the insurance claim is no different from any other car wreck on the road. The injured driver looks to the hit-and-run driver’s policy first, filing a lawsuit in court if necessary. If the hit-and-run driver’s policy has to pay the limits of the policy for the injury (or close to the limits), then Lawrence & Associates helps its injured clients recover money from their own policy. However, there are certain legal requirements that come into play – such as notice requirements to the injured driver’s own insurance carrier – that can cause major problems for anyone that tries to go after insurance money without a lawyer. Injured Northern Kentucky drivers should tread cautiously!

What Happens If the Hit-and-Run Driver is Not Found?

It is tougher – but not impossible! – when the hit-and-run driver is never found, but the wreck caused an injury and property damage. In that scenario, Kentucky law states that the injured driver’s insurance policy has to pay first using the uninsured motorist coverage portion of the policy. However, in doing so the injured driver’s insurance carrier becomes adversarial, meaning the insurance company wants to save its money by not paying for the injury! Insurance companies often delay or deny claims by requiring proof in painstaking detail for each and every dollar the injured driver needs for fair compensation. Often, a different, more hostile adjuster is assigned to the case and the injured driver expecting the customary friendly service from his or her carrier is taken by surprise. In Northern Kentucky, most injured drivers without counsel are never aware that they receive less than full compensation because of these factors.

What Happens If Another Driver Causes the Accident but Never Hits My Car?

The most difficult scenario occurs when hit-and-run driver is avoided, but still causes an accident. For example, Lawrence & Associates has represented drivers who struck a tree or telephone pole when swerving to avoid a negligent driver, only to see the negligent driver flee the scene without stopping to help. Although getting money in this situation is not always impossible, it is extremely difficult to recover when there is no contact between the vehicles and no identification of the other driver. Nevertheless, good legal counsel improves your chances of recovering. At the very least, good legal counsel can give you the finality of knowing that a recovery is not possible.

Can Attorneys at Lawrence & Associates Help Me Get Money?

Lawrence & Associates is Working Hard for the Working Class, and we would be happy to help you. Our lawyers are licensed in Kentucky and Ohio, and have experience in helping all kinds of car accident victims recover fair compensation for their injuries. If you’ve been injured in a hit-and-run accident, let us help you!

A car is a necessity in modern life. We need to go to work, school, and home, and few of us live in walking distance. Therefore, the prospect of a car’s repossession is frightening. Once you finance or lease a car, your car lender has certain rights and remedies that come with the contract you sign. One remedy allows the lender to repossess your car if you default under the terms of your agreement. Your contract will specify what exactly constitutes a default but common examples include failing to make your payments or not having car insurance. Although many car owners assume they have grace period before repossession begins, the contract usually allows for repossession at the time of default.  Some Northern Kentucky car lots, such as Limited Motors, report that they offer at least a three week grace period to car owners in default before repossession begins.  However, often car lots will not guarantee a grace period and choose to exercise their repossession right quickly.

What Steps Should You Take If You Default on Your Loan?

If you are in default on your car loan and cannot make an immediate payment in full, you’ll want to take a few easy steps to avoid finding your car missing one morning. Your car loan lender can usually repossess your car without giving you any notice as long as the repossession does not breach the peace. “Breach the peace” is an important term, and generally means they cannot do anything illegal, including “disturbing the peace” by creating an argument with you or “breaking and entering” by going into your garage to take the vehicle. Repo men generally take cars at night when no one is around so no breach of the peace occurs. If you are in default and know or suspect a repossession is going to occur, considering doing the following:

1. Keeping the car in a garage.

2. Parking the car a distance away from your house and place of work, where it will not easily be found.

3. Parking the car in your backyard, where it cannot be seen from the road.

4. Asking a neighbor or friend to keep the car at their home, under a tarp or other cover.

Under any of these scenarios, you make it less likely that a repossession will occur because you prevent the repo man from finding or accessing the vehicle.

Filing Bankruptcy Ceases All Collection Attempts

A bankruptcy can help you to stop the repossession and even get your car back after repossession. When you file bankruptcy, the automatic stay goes into effect, which forces your creditors to cease all collection attempts against you. This means that your creditors cannot call you, continue with a lawsuit, repossess, sell, or foreclose on your property. With a few exceptions, you are completely protected by the bankruptcy and creditors must seek court permission before continuing their collection efforts.

If you are facing a repossession, you must choose a Chapter 13 bankruptcy in order to save the car. Your best bet is to file bankruptcy before the car is repossessed – if you do so, Lawrence & Associates can print a proof of bankruptcy filing for you that will prevent the repo man from taking your vehicle. Even if the car has been repossessed, you can get the car back if you file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy before the car is sold at auction. However, the timing of the auction is always in flux, so it can sometimes be difficult to get a bankruptcy filed and get notice to the lender before the auction occurs.

Hire Lawrence & Associates and Stop Repossession

Do you think your lender may try to take your car soon and you cannot afford to get caught up on your car payments? A bankruptcy may be your best option to stop repossession. Call Lawrence & Associates today! We’re Working Hard for the Working Class, and we can help you!

Workers compensation in the state of Kentucky is a state-mandated, “no-fault” insurance system that pays benefits to workers injured on the job. It is managed by Kentucky’s Department of Workers’ Claims. Any employer who has at least one employee must acquire this coverage before the employee’s first day of work. In return for carrying a workers’ comp policy, employers receive immunity from civil lawsuits filed by employees over workplace injuries.

There are a few circumstances where employers can be exempt. For example, purely agricultural workers are not covered by Kentucky Workers’ Compensation. However, agricultural activities are narrowly defined – for example, harvesting crops is considered agricultural but repairing the roof on a barn is not. If you are not sure whether you fall into the agricultural exception, the attorneys at Lawrence & Associates can research the issue for you, for free.

Other exceptions to Kentucky’s Workers’ Compensation system, although less common, include solitary domestic workers in private homes, workers in a charitable or religious organization, and workers covered by another Federal Act such as the Jones Act for American seamen.

Am I an Employee?

Generally, if you are drawing a paycheck from an employer, you are either an employee or an independent contractor. Figuring out which category you fall under is more an art than a science.

Kentucky has a case called Ratliff v. Redmon that sets out the following factors to determine who is an employee:

(a) the extent of control which, by the agreement, the master (boss/employer)may exercise over the details of the work;

(b) whether or not the one employed is engaged in a distinct occupation or business (Do they have their own company?);

(c) the kind of occupation, with reference to whether, in the locality, the work is usually done under the direction of the employer or by a specialist without supervision;

(d) the skill required in the particular occupation;

(e) whether the employer of the workman supplies the instrumentalities, tools, and the place of work for the person doing the work;

(f) the length of time for which the person is employed;

(g) the method of payment, whether by the time or by the job;

(h) whether or not the work is a part of the regular business of the employer; and

(i) whether or not the parties believe they are creating the relationship of master and servant.

If you are confused, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Lawrence & Associates has litigated this issue on many occasions, and on each there are arguments for both sides. If you are not sure whether you qualify as an employee, give us a call and we’ll help you work your way through.

What Happens If I Fall Under an Exemption to Workers Compensation?

Although Kentucky’s workers’ compensation laws allow businesses to choose to be exempt from providing workers’ comp insurance, an exempt employer must still provide benefits to an injured worker. These employers also remain exposed to civil lawsuits brought by employees who are injured during work. In addition, employers that fail to carry workers’ compensation insurance can be hit with severe civil penalties and fines.

If you or someone you know has been injured at work, contact Lawrence & Associates today! We’re Working Hard for the Working Class, and we can help!

Lawrence & Associates tried the first civil trial in Boone County court this year and walked away with a complete victory. The case, Webster v. Whalen, involved a motor vehicle accident with injuries and associated workers’ compensation claims. Appeal time is running for the other party, and we don’t know yet whether an appeal is pending.
In this trial, liability was admitted for a fender bender. The person claiming injuries filed for, and received, Workers’ Compensation benefits for a back injury. The Workers’ Compensation employer then filed a claim for subrogation benefits against the driver that rear ended the person claiming injuries.

Causation, meaning the link between the bad driving and the injuries, looked very bad. It was clear that the injured person had worked heavy manual labor for years before the accident, with associated complaints of back pain. Then the employer made him go back to the same heavy duty job, with mandatory overtime, for four months following the accident. Only after all that did the person seek further medical treatment for his back.

Lawrence & Associates represented the man sued by the employer, although we usually represent injured people. We felt that the man being sued did not cause the injuries, and had been sued frivolously. At the end of the trial, the jury agreed with us and returned a verdict against the employer. The injured man still receives his workers’ compensation benefits – after all, it appeared that his years of heavy duty work were the most likely cause for his bad back – but the employer does not get that money back from someone who is not responsible for the injury.

At Lawrence & Associates, we fight to win, and our clients are better off for it. We represent Kentucky and Ohio clients in all forms of automobile collision litigation. We’re Working Hard for the Working Class, and we’d be proud to represent you. Call today!

Firm Founder Focusing on Personal Injury

I’ve been practicing law since October 2005 and I found Lawrence & Associates. I currently oversee all practice areas, including Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, and Bankruptcy. However, my hands-on work is mostly in Personal Injury litigation, particularly for products liability and admiralty cases.

Devoted to Helping People Get Back on Their Feet

I went to law school because I wanted to help people. No one needs help more than someone that’s had a traumatic life event. Whether you’ve been hurt and can’t pay medical bills, or lost your job and can’t pay your mortgage, I take a lot of pride in fact that my firm can help get you back on your feet.

I always wanted to represent people, not businesses. I would have to walk off the job the first time a business wanted me to sue a single mom, or something like that. Also, I worked at Children’s Hospital during law school and knew medical records pretty well. So I focused on an area of practice where I knew I’d be helping people and could put my medical based skills to good use. Lawrence & Associates started off practicing in personal injury and expanded from there.

The Future For Lawrence & Associates

Lawrence & Associates needs to continue to grow and sometimes it’s tough because there are a lot of cheap, gimmicky lawyers out there.  Most prospective clients have trouble telling the difference between good lawyers and bad. Getting past the static created by those silly commercials is a major challenge to my firm’s ability to represent those in need.

Lawrence & Associates wants to grow to become the premier legal representation for people in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas. We want to expand our ability to help people with personal injury, workers’ compensation and bankruptcy cases, as well as expand into other areas of practice such as estate planning and elder law.

Our Firm Sets Ourselves Apart Through Client Satisfaction

We are simply the best in client satisfaction, hands down. Most of our business comes from referrals, and a lot of those are from prior clients. We communicate well with our clients and get results. All our fees are up front and there are no hidden charges. We know good service leads to more business down the road than campy commercials or tired gimmicks.

Success is Helping Our Clients with Their Problems…And Winning!

I’ve had clients hug me in the courtroom when they realize we’ve accomplished whatever we set out to do. I’ve brought in millions of dollars for my clients, including two multi-million dollar cases so far in 2014. Both are forms of success to my firm and I. My firm and I like winning, and we win a lot.

Keys to my success are empathy, public speaking, persistence, and continual learning. My background working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital gave me a unique perspective into medical treatment that helps benefit my clients. Also, I’m one of very few people who actually enjoys and looks forward to public speaking. This helps a great deal in the courtroom. In regard to education, I’ve spent the last nine years focusing on the personal injury, workers’ compensation, and bankruptcy areas of practice, and I’ve taken hundreds of hours of continuing education in those areas.

Giving Back to the Community

I focus on helping children with disabilities. I’m on the Board of Directors of Redwood and sponsor several of their events. Redwood is a school that helps children and adults with disabilities lead happy, enriching lives that are incorporated into the mainstream community wherever possible. I have also been appointed by the governor to sit on the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Development, which focuses on helping children with disabilities meet their developmental goals from birth to age three.

Favorite Quote

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.” – Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

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About Our Personal Injury Practice

At the firm of Lawrence & Associates in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, we fight for the rights of people who have suffered serious injuries and the families of fatal accident victims. We work tirelessly to help our clients get compensation and deal with the medical, financial and emotional effects of serious accidents. You will have the comfort of knowing that an experienced legal team is doing everything it can to help you deal with the challenges you face. Lawrence & Associates is located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and serves all of Northern Kentucky.

Contact Us (859.371.5997) for a Free Consultation

According to the a Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts Report, Kentucky reported 150,278 car accidents on public roads. Out of those reported accidents, 37,289 drivers and passengers were injured or killed. Either you or someone you know is overwhelmingly likely to be in a car accident at some point in their lives. If you are involved in a personal injury litigation arising from a car accident, you will greatly benefit from consulting a Northern Kentucky personal injury attorney. Although automobile accidents are unfortunate, there are certain things that a person can do immediately after an accident which can either help or hurt their case.

Automobile Accident Tips 

1. Stay at the scene – If you are involved in an accident involving injury, or substantial damage to property, stay at the scene of the accident until the police give you the okay to leave. Leaving the scene of an accident can result in driver’s license sanctions and even criminal charges.
2. Obtain information – If you are involved in an accident, it is always wise to obtain the other driver’s name, address, driver’s license number, insurance information, and license plate number. Moreover, if there are witnesses take down their name, address and telephone number which may prove useful in your case. Obtaining the police officer’s information may also prove useful when obtaining the accident report. Finally, it may be wise to take notes about the accident itself, including the location where the accident occurred, the speed limit, the weather, time of day, how the accident occurred, etc.
3. Give a statement only to police –  It is best not to make statements to anyone at the accident scene, other than the police. You are not required to give a statement to the other person’s insurance policy.
4. Seek medical care if you are injured – Seeking medical care immediately following an accident will help halt arguments by the other driver’s insurance company that you were not actually injured in the accident or that your injuries arose from something that occurred after the accident. In certain circumstances, we get cases where a person is injured in an automobile accident but waits until the pain is unbearable before seeking medical treatment. This not only can hurt the injured person’s case, but it also causes the person to suffer from pain unnecessarily.

Although being involved in an automobile accident may be devastating to both you and your family, there’s good news- you may be entitled to compensation! Contact Northern Kentucky law firm Lawrence & Associates today for a free initial consultation with an experienced automobile accident attorney who can evaluate your case and help determine if you should pursue a personal injury action.

Contact Us (859.371.5997) for a Free Consultation

In most states, the parent of a child who has been injured and received a settlement as reparation for those injuries cannot generally access his or her child’s settlement funds.  The reason for this is to protect the child from parents who might use the money to benefit themselves, instead of the child.

“Blocked” Bank Accounts

A court will usually place a child’s settlement money in a “blocked” bank account until the child turns 18. A court will sometimes allow withdrawals from blocked accounts if the funds are needed for the child’s care and well being, and the court is satisfied that the funds are to be used for the benefit of the minor.

In Kentucky

Kentucky courts will generally follow the same rule, although there are certain instances where the courts will grant the parent of a minor access to the full settlement. For example, under the Kentucky Revised Statute 387.280, the custodian of a minor is able to petition to receive the minor’s settlement so long as that settlement is $10,000 or less.

If you or someone you know is dealing with an accident related injury involving a minor child, please contact an experienced Northern Kentucky personal injury lawyer at Lawrence & Associates!

Contact Us (859.371.5997) for a Free Consultation

Because Lawrence & Associates is located along I-75 and conveniently close to Cincinnati, OH, we often help injured workers who live outside the state. It is very common for injured workers to work at a factory or warehouse – such as the Amazon warehouse in Boone County, Kentucky – but live in Ohio or Indiana. If you are injured while working in Kentucky, then you will be covered by Workers’ Compensation in Kentucky! Companies located within the state are not required to have Workers’ Comp insurance in the state where you live.

Kentucky’s law says that your employer has to provide Kentucky Workers’ Compensation to you if any of the following are true…

1. You mostly work in Kentucky.
2. You work all over, but were hired in Kentucky. This would be true for a lot of truck drivers who drive all over the country, but report back to a depot in Kentucky and were hired out of that depot.
3. You work in a state where your employer doesn’t have Workers’ Comp insurance, but were hired in Kentucky. This is true for a lot of people that live in Cincinnati and work out of their homes in Cincinnati, but have been hired by a company in Northern Kentucky.
4. You work outside the country, but were hired in Kentucky.

The Bottom-line

Basically, if you were injured while working in Kentucky or were hired in Kentucky and got injured elsewhere, you should consider talking to a Kentucky Workers’ Compensation attorney.  At Lawrence & Associates, we have helped many people just like you receive full and fair compensation for your injuries.

If you or someone you know has a Workers’ Comp issue, please contact a Northern Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Attorney today. Melissa Doss and Lawrence & Associates can help!

Contact Us (859.371.5997) for a Free Consultation

Declaring bankruptcy is a decision that affects not only your finances but also may affect your credit score. In fact, one of the biggest concerns that people have when considering bankruptcy is how it will affect their credit score. While filing bankruptcy may decrease your credit score short term, it may not affect your credit score as much as you may believe. If you are considering filing for bankruptcy, it is likely that your credit is already low because of maxed out credit cards, late payments and mounting debt.

Credit Scores and Bankruptcy

Your credit score may also be affected by multiple factors including your payment history, outstanding debts, how long you have been using credit and by the types of credit that you use. It is important that you understand what happens when you file a bankruptcy. A bankruptcy can remain on your credit report for up to 10 years, and there is a good chance your FICO score will be low until you have started rebuilding your credit.

Ways to Improve Your Credit Score After Financial Hardship…

1. Review your credit report – The first thing you should do is obtain a copy of your credit reports and make sure there are no errors or inconsistencies.
2. Pay bills on time – Your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score. One of the easiest ways to improve your score is to make sure you pay bills on time.
3. Apply for credit, but make sure you pay the bill off in full each month – You don’t have to carry balances on your credit cards in order to build good credit.
4. Beware of credit repair services – You may receive offers from credit repair services promising to help repair your credit. Beware that the fees are high and it’s best to rebuild your credit on your own at no cost.
5. Know your limits on your credit cards – Once you begin re-establishing credit, it is crucial to know the limits on your credit cards and to keep your balances well below them. Use your cards sparingly and continue paying the bill on time.
6. Do not close accounts – It’s best to keep the credit lines open, however, if you’re tempted to spend over the credit limit, cut up the cards.

The most important lesson to learn is to be patient. The road to bankruptcy did not happen overnight and neither will the road to improving your credit. By following the guidelines above, you can move toward a better financial future and improved credit score.

If you are a Kentucky resident that is interested in filing bankruptcy, call Lawrence & Associates today. We can help!

Contact Us (859.371.5997) for a Free Consultation