Harrisonburg Virginia (VA) Estate Planning Lawyer Clint Sellers: The Government Has Written a Will for You

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Most people do not realize that state law creates wills for people who do not have their own. If people choose not to have a will, the law’s default provisions will determine how their estates are distributed and who inherits. Learn how planning lets you take control of your future and can cost less than not planning. Visit clintsellers.com for free eBooks and seminars for Virginia residents.

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In Virginia, the name for dying without a will is “intestacy“. If someone dies intestate, that does not mean that the government automatically gets their property, but it does mean that the government’s default rules will determine how the property is distributed and many aspects of how their estates are settled. These details are important because in addition to ensuring that your property is distributed in the way you want, having a properly drafted will can also save your family substantial expense and inconvenience.

Take the opportunity to learn more and see how planning for your future is more important than ever during these economic times. Planning gives you options and usually costs less than not doing anything.

Watch a short video from Clint Sellers about Virginia’s estate plan for people who choose not to get a will or whose wills are not written the right way:

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Clint Sellers has experience in business law, risk management, estate planning (including planning for families, wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with business law, risk management, estate planning (including planning for families, wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Harrisonburg, Virginia (VA) Estate Planning Attorney Clint Sellers: Robert Reich Says Forget the Deficit

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Learn how planning lets you take control of your future and can cost less than not planning. Visit clintsellers.com for free eBooks and seminars for Virginia residents.

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Robert Reich, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor, has stated that the government’s focus should be on ending the recession and creating economic growth. In an editorial published today on salon.com, Mr. Reich argues that the greatest challenge to our economy in the deepening recession is to increase demand by injecting (borrowed) money into the system. He further asserts that without sufficient investment in a timely fashion a second stimulus will become necessary with additional stimuli if that does not work. His reminder that politically palatable positions are not equivalent to sound economic policies is one that we have unfortunately heard too infrequently. As he points out, the ratio of debt to our country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is still less than 50% (at the end of World War II, the ratio was 120%), which he interprets to mean that we have the ability to get the economy back on track if our tactics are equal to the economic challenges we face. Read the full editorial here.

Take the opportunity to learn more and see how planning for your future is more important than ever during these economic times. Planning gives you options and usually costs less than not doing anything.

Watch a short video from Nobel prize winner Paul Krugman about the problems with the stimulus and infrastructure projects:

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Clint Sellers has experience in business law, risk management, estate planning (including planning for families, wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with business law, risk management, estate planning (including planning for families, wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Harrisonburg Virginia Estate Planning Attorney: Value Is Not Equal to Billable Hours

The major law firm Jackson Lewis made headlines recently when it entered into a capped fee arrangement with Pfizer Corporation. Nationally, larger firms are beginning to realize what many small and mid-size firms already know: clients need predictable legal fees and a means of encouraging lawyers to resolve legal matters in ways that provide the most value to the client. This is true for estate planning, too, although many lawyers who draft wills and trusts continue to use traditional methods for drafting documents billing.

The New York Times business section recently featured an in-depth article on this topic. See Economy Pinches The Billable Hour at Law Firms for the full article.

For more information about comprehensive estate planning designed to give you the maximum value while addressing your family’s unique needs, visit Virginia attorney Clint Sellers’s web site.

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm, download free eBooks and receive free information about wills and trusts at www.clintsellers.com

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Virginia Estate Planning Lawyer Clint Sellers: Buy Locally to Support Your Community

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm at www.clintsellers.com

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Local & Loving It

One writer’s quest to help her community by celebrating birthdays closer to home

By Natalie Ermann Russell

Natalie Ermann Russell is the editor of a new magazine about eating locally in Central Virginia, Edible Blue Ridge

“In my house, the “New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2007 word of the year, locavore (someone dedicated to buying local foods), was lexicological inspiration: Why not stay local with all the other stuff we buy, too?

There are good reasons for buying local. It reduces the need for shipping, which reduces pollution, and it supports the local community. “A study we did found that for every $100 spent in a chain store, $14 went back into the local economy. For a locally owned business, it was $45,” says Stacy Mitchell, author of “Big-Box Swindle” and researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Locally owned businesses buy a lot of services from other local businesses. So by buying from one local business, you’re not only supporting that business, you’re supporting other local businesses.”

Read more about the importance of buying locally here.

The local food movement is also important to our local economy.  Defined as a “collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies – one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place”, the local food movement is important to our local economy and social structure.

To learn more about buying locally, view an animation here:

Clint Sellers specializes in FamilyAssurance life planning, traditional estate planning, estate administration and business law.  He represents clients throughout Virginia.

Harrisonburg, Virginia Business Law Attorney Clint Sellers: injuryhelper.com – Expertise for Serious Personal Injury Cases

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm at www.clintsellers.com

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Some Personal injury attorneys are very good at what they do. Unfortunately, many personal injury attorneys are not good at understanding the comprehensive aspects of serious injury cases and how the conduct of the case can affect the rest of a client’s life.

The potential financial upside to attorneys in personal injury cases can sometimes tempt lawyers into trying cases they should not. Even if you are fortunate enough to find an attorney who has meaningful experience in your particular kind of case, sometimes those attorneys do not understand how structured settlements must be configured to ensure enough resources are available for the client after the case is finished. It is also rare to find personal injury attorneys who can direct seriously injured clients and their families to non-legal professionals who can effectively assist them with rehabilitation and necessary life skills. Fortunately, there is now a service for seriously injured persons in Virginia that does all these things: www.injuryhelper.com

Robert Keefer, an attorney with over 25 years of experience, founded www.injuryhelper.com to assist those people who suffer serious injuries because of the negligence of others and the challenging issues associated with such injuries. InjuryHelper.com is designed around the principle of forming and managing a team to deal with all the aspects of these cases. Many serious injuries involve what is known as Traumatic Brain Injury (or TBI).

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Clint Sellers has experience in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, Business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also represents faculty and staff at James Madison University JMU, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University EMU, and Blue Ridge Community College in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law.

Harrisonburg, Virginia Estate Planning Law Attorney Clint Sellers: Will, Power of Attorney and Advance Medical Directive (Living Will) — The Three Estate Planning Documents Everyone Needs

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm and estate planning practice at www.clintsellers.com

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Virginia estate planning attorneys know that nearly 70% of people in the United States do not have a will, yet estate planning documents are an important investment.  If they are carefully drafted by an experienced attorney who knows how to help you structure your assets so the documents work as intended, they will likely last you for a very long time.  Finding a trusted adviser to assist you with estate planning will give you and your family peace of mind.  This planning will also probably cost less than you may think.

Financial expert Gene Dickenson explains why you need a will and provides tips on selecting an attorney:

Although every estate plan must be created based on an individuals unique situation and goals, there are three basic estate planning documents in Virginia that can benefit almost every person. Although other documents may be desirable and are sometimes necessary, three will suffice for many people and if drafted properly, are flexible enough to last for many years. These are the will, power of attorney and advance medical directive (sometimes referred to as a “medical power of attorney”). Together, the documents work during one’s lifetime, through any period(s) of incapacity and after death.

Read more about why you need these Virginia documents.

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Clint Sellers has experience in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also represents faculty and staff at James Madison University JMU, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University EMU, and Blue Ridge Community College in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law.

Harrisonburg, Virginia Collaborative Divorce Attorney Clint Sellers: Resolve Your Differences Without Court

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm at www.clintsellers.com

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Collaborative law is an idea whose time has come. Divorces in court are unreasonably expensive, unpredictable and emotionally costly. They also take far too long. Divorces without any attorney involvement or low “flat fee” divorces (usually plus unspecified ‘filing and service fees’) are also poor choices for most couples with children to care for or assets to divide. By contrast, collaborative law offers access to an attorney’s experience and advice in the framework of a process in which all the participants are committed to staying out of court.

On average a wedding in the United States costs $27,000, according to Conde Nast Bridal Group — twice what it was 15 years ago. The average cost of a divorce is difficult to determine but divorce proceedings range anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Estimates on the average cost of a divorce in the United States are between $14,000 and $29,000.

Why are divorces so expensive?

When people go to court, most of the expense is attributable to lawyers. Domestic law is currently a $27 billion annual industry. Court fees also add substantial costs to divorce bills (even less expensive options, like formal mediation, are costly). If you want to reduce those costs and plan for your future in a meaningful way, you have an alternative.

Collaborative law is a smart and increasingly popular approach to divorce. During collaborative law negotiations, both spouses hire lawyers, but the lawyers are committed to resolving differences without any form of litigation or any court procedure.

Some measure of shared trust is crucial. Collaborative divorce is not without expense — moderately complicated divorces cost on average 60% of traditional court divorce proceedings — but it still has big savings over battling things out in court, where the process and costs can quickly spin out of control.

Divorcing couples should try to stay out of court if at all possible to avoid becoming trapped in an endless litigation cycle which only hurts everyone and wastes money.

View a Today Show interview on some of the benefits of collaborative divorce law here:

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Clint Sellers has experience in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also represents faculty and staff at James Madison University JMU, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University EMU, and Blue Ridge Community College in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law.

Harrisonburg, Virginia Business Law Attorney Clint Sellers: How Businesses Can Protect Personal Information

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm at www.clintsellers.com

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Business law attorneys know that protecting customers‘ personal information has always been a sound practice. Federal Trade Commission red flag rules that take effect this fall will require many Virginia companies to be more careful about the ways in which they handle personal information.

The rules require companies to create and follow plans to prevent and detect identity theft. Identity theft in Virginia is a serious crime that can expose those who carelessly handle personal information to civil liability.

If they aren’t ready by November 1, these companies may face fines. The plans apply mostly to companies who work with Social Security numbers and other personal information. Some businesses, such as Clint Sellers PLLC, are already using protective and cautious measures. His law firm shreds all papers and other media containing personal information before discarding any materials.

To learn more about the FTC rules, view a television interview with Clint Sellers here:

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Clint Sellers has experience in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, Business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also represents faculty and staff at James Madison University JMU, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University EMU, and Blue Ridge Community College in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law.

Harrisonburg, Virginia Collaborative Law Attorney Clint Sellers: 5 Steps to Avoiding Medical Debt

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You can find more information about Clint Sellers’s law firm at www.clintsellers.com

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A report out last month from the Commonwealth Fund found that 28 percent of the population said they were paying off medical debt in 2007, up from 21 percent in 2005.

Of course, it’s best to avoid medical debt in the first place. If you don’t have insurance, take this eligibility quiz to find out whether you qualify for low-cost public health insurance programs. The group Coverage for All also offers a state-by-state guide of health-care choices and has a help line open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Department of Health and Human Services has a guide to low-cost insurance programs especially for children.

Read more about avoiding medical debt here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/08/28/ep.medical.debt/index.html

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Clint Sellers has experience in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law. He represents clients throughout Virginia and in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Page County, Virginia; Luray, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also assists clients with collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law in Broadway, Virginia; Grottoes, Virginia; Elkton, Virginia; Massanutten, Virginia; Timberville, Virginia; Dayton, Virginia; and Mount Crawford, Virginia.

Clint Sellers also represents faculty and staff at James Madison University JMU, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University EMU, and Blue Ridge Community College in collaborative law, collaborative practice, collaborative divorce, domestic cases involving complex equitable distribution, business law, risk management, estate planning (including wills, trusts and business succession planning), contracts, trials and real estate law.