In Maricopa County and throughout the nation, drivers under the influence of alcohol pose a threat to themselves, passengers in their vehicle and other drivers on the road. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every three deaths that occur as a consequence of a vehicle accident involves alcohol in some way. The NTSB's new recommendation To reduce the number of fatalities and accidents caused by drunk driving, every state in the U.S. defines driving with a blood alcohol content level at 0.08 or above as a crime with penalties varying ...

According to study findings released earlier this year in the Journal of Patient Safety, medical errors are claimed to be the third leading cause of death in the United States. The type and circumstances of each case can vary greatly but the impact on patients and their families is always indelible. Sonoma County residents should take caution to understand the basics of medical malpractice in California to protect themselves and understand when it may be appropriate to take action. What qualifies as medical malpractice? From a legal standpoint, the lack of providing ...

Under the United States Constitution, evidence seized following an illegal entry into a home is inadmissible and should be suppressed from any criminal proceedings. A search that would otherwise be illegal may still be allowed, though, if the appropriate party consented to the search. However, what if the person providing the consent to search the home is a houseguest? The recent United States Court of Appeals case of U.S. v. Arreguin provides a discussion of this area of the law. A consent to search . . . from a houseguest Nine law enforcement officers, including ...

Most Minnesotans are familiar with workers' compensation: a no-fault system under state law in which employers carry insurance coverage for employee work-related injury. This compensation is the exclusive remedy for work-related harm; normally an employee may not also sue the employer for damages for the same injury. While it sounds straightforward, sometimes the connection between work and an injury is not easily discernible. In those cases, it can be particularly crucial for an injured Minnesota worker to retain an experienced workers' comp attorney to assist with ...

A couple struggling with finances will often also struggle in their marriage. Without enough money to go around it's easy to disagree on which financial burdens take priority. It is, therefore, not surprising that numerous studies point to financial arguments as a leading predictor of divorce. In the current economic climate, many couples have experienced financial hardship. Although the unemployment rate has recently improved, no one views the current situation as an economic boom period. According to a recent article by CNN Money, job growth remained slow in early ...

With news reporting that Self-Driving cars would be road-ready by 2020, it seems like the future is easily here. What has once science fiction and the imaginings of Batman writers is becoming a reality. Besides saving the government money and increasing road safety, the effects of a society that includes driverless vehicles are really hard to imagine. In the world of personal injury, of course, that is a problem. The State of Ohio reported a staggering 287,050 crashes in 2012, with almost 75,000 of them including some form of injury. But all of that might change ...

By now the message is clear, texting while driving is an incredibly dangerous endeavor that leads to distracted driving and causes hundreds of accidents every year, some of which are tragically fatal. This point has been driven home through numerous, and sometimes frightening, stories and ads. In the last few years this tragic phenomenon has been addressed by state legislatures throughout the nation. New Jersey's legislature has specifically outlawed texting while driving, and one New Jersey court has taken this prohibition one step further by imposing liability on an individual ...

Sivakumar Ganesan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Comorin Technologies, was recently named a VIP member of Worldwide Branding. This special distinction honors individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to achieving personal and professional success. Mr. Ganesan has nearly 16 years of experience in various domains of Systems Applications and Products in data processing (SAP), and approximately a decade of experience in SAP logistics and supply chain management. He has implemented SAP inventory management and warehouse management solutions, as well as ...

Associate Professor Lindsay Oades has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in education and research. Dr. Oades holds an MBA and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Wollongong, the college through which he now instructs. He is an associate professor and program director with an expertise for psychology and well-being. In addition to teaching university students, he serves as a senior researcher with both the Sydney Business School and Center for Health Initiative. Dr. Oades draws on a wealth of experience to conduct research ...

Just this month, the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce in Virginia held their annual dinner in Fairfax. Portner & Shure's Chinese Marketing Department head, Serena Chen, attended the celebration. The Chinese American Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that seeks to present a unified voice of local Chinese-American businesses and professions. Here, the vast community of Chinese Americans in the DC Metro area band together to pursue interests that better them as a whole and cultivate positive participation from the community. Ms. Chen was available ...

Werner Schniepper, President of Knabenkantorei Basel, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in music. Knabenkantorei Basel is a boys' choir that appeals to an international market. Besides music, Mr. Schniepper's area of expertise includes finance, HR and management training. Mr. Schniepper has 43 years in music, including four years as president of Knabenkantorei Basel. On a daily basis, he handles long-term orientation, personnel and contacts with authorities. He also maintains communications with cultural institutions, foundations, ...

Theresa J. Barta, Attorney at the Law Offices of Theresa Barta, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in medical law. An attorney with the Law Offices of Theresa Barta, Ms. Barta has particular expertise in representing physicians in actions under California's anti-retaliation statute. She has successfully litigated hundreds of cases against major health insurance companies, HMOs and medical groups, and has a reputation for being dedicated and committed to protecting the interests of her clients. Representing both businesses and individuals ...

Jean de Souza Advisors, Managing Director of Incorporated Pte Ltd, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in tax consultancy. Ms. de Souza has 30 years of tax and accounting experience, dedicating the past 10 years as the managing director of Advisors Incorporated Pte Ltd., a tax consultancy company that provides international and cross-border tax services. Skilled in tax and accounting, she oversees all direct operations of the business and interacts with various clients in the Asia Pacific and international regions, advising on their ...

Shirley Fletcher, Director of Fletcher Consultancy Ltd, has been named a Worldwide Branding Professional of the Year in Training & Development. While inclusion in Worldwide Branding is an honor, only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Worldwide Branding membership. For more than 35 years, Ms. Fletcher has been ...

Ronald Chandler, Director of Surgical Services and Leadership Development for The Chandler Group, WRC LLC, has been named a Worldwide Branding Entrepreneur of the Year in Leadership Development & Surgical Services. While inclusion in Worldwide Branding is an honor, only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Worldwide ...

Ruth Roberts, Ph.D., Global Head of Regulatory Safety at AstraZeneca, has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in biopharmaceutical research. With more than 20 years of experience at the interface of science and industry, Dr. Roberts is known for her expertise in innovative approaches to non-clinical drug safety. Daily, she is tasked with overseeing non-clinical toxicology input across the AstraZeneca small molecule portfolio. AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company that provides prescription medicines. A company with science ...

Ceva Logistics IT Director for Mexico and Central America ( CETAM) Juan Carlos Martinez Soto has been recognized for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in information technology. Mr. Soto has garnered a reputation of distinction and prominence for his outstanding achievements over the years, most recently earning the CIO Award in 2013; since receiving the prestigious accolades, he has continued to make strides in his field. He has spent a year as IT Director for Mexico and Central America (CETAM) at Ceva Logistics, where he demonstrates his expertise in information ...

The American justice system was created on the principal that people are innocent until proven guilty. Unfortunately, stemming from an "anti-crime" wave of legislation enacted decades ago, more people in recent years have been incarcerated than ever before. In addition, the court system and prosecutors have carried an increased burden in finances and time, so that often individual scrutiny on some cases is harder to obtain than ever. Not coincidentally, more people have become exonerated of their crime (freed from any criminal charge) than at any time in the nation's ...

Growing old is a privilege but it does come with its challenges. Aches and pains are normal as we age and some people also expect that financial concerns will also appear after they retire or following an illness or injury. This is not always the case, however, even for those with limited resources. It is never too early to establish an estate plan. Although there is no magic bullet, an estate plan can help you and your family avoid certain elder law issues. Estate planning While many people think that a will is sufficient to dispense with their assets, there are ...

Even though we are only a few months in 2014, six separate bills have already been introduced in the Missouri legislature seeking to change the state's texting-while-driving law. Most notably, all of the bills introduced aim to expand Missouri's current texting ban to encompass all drivers, and not just those aged 21-years or younger. While it is obviously still too early to know if any of these bills will come to fruition, the fact that so many have been filed in such a short period of time certainly suggests that lawmakers are taking highway safety seriously. Indeed, ...

The medical marijuana movement is picking up steam in Florida -- but, for now at least, the drug remains illegal under both state and federal law. On January 27, 2014, the Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing a proposed constitutional amendment to appear on the state's November ballot, asking Floridians to weigh in on the issue of medical marijuana. If passed, the amendment to the state constitution would pave the way for medical marijuana to be made available in Florida for the treatment of serious medical conditions like AIDS, cancer and Parkinson's disease. In ...

In Florida, where one in five drivers is age 65 or above, more senior citizens die in traffic accidents than any other state. This problem is likely to become even more pronounced as Florida's population of elderly drivers continues to grow in the coming years. By 2030, government estimates predict that people age 65 and older will account for one in four Florida drivers. Elsewhere in the country, senior driving safety has also been a matter of growing concern in recent years. Nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of ...

In Georgia, one of the most important things to get resolved during any child custody dispute is the establishment of a workable parenting plan. Indeed, it is these plans that dictate when, and where, a child will be in each parent's care. However, while parenting plans can often give parents the security of knowing what to expect in regards to most child custody issues, these plans may not be able to help when quarrels ignite following one parent's attempt to move to another city or state with the child. Child relocation and the modification of Georgia child custody ...

Minnesota provides statutory guidelines for the division of assets. For those couples who cannot agree on how assets are to be divided, the court is asked to make those decisions for them. And, sometimes, those decisions can surprise everyone. In Szarke v. Szarke, a Minnesota couple learned the hard way that a simple disagreement can lead to unpredictable outcomes in court, leaving both spouses out in the cold. Nearby Wright County, Minnesota, residents litigated the division of their marital assets, after being unable to come to an agreement. Both spouses agreed that ...

The Comfort Inn & Conference Center Northeast, a leading north Atlanta hotel near Doraville, GA, offers affordable lodging to fans attending the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament in Atlanta. The tournament will be held March 5-9, 2014 at Gwinnett Center Arena in Duluth, Georgia. The South Carolina Lady Gamecocks come into the tournament with a 26-4 record. The Tennessee Lady Vols are the #2 seed. Tickets books for the tournament are $100. "We are pleased to welcome fans attending the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament," explains April Gipson, the Doraville ...