Matthew Maddox Latest 912-2-16

Five Ways to Limit the Chance Your Legal Team Will Err in Court: Advice from a Lawyer

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The Internet, every newspaper and every media outlet is screaming and laughing about the big mix-up at the Oscars this year when “Moonlight” won best picture, not “La La Land.”

I thought “what a fantastic and truly embarrassing error on such an extraordinarily huge stage.”  Then I began to wonder “How did this happen?” followed by “Thank God it’s only the Oscars.”

Mistakes happen.   All the time. Here are five ways to limit the risk of mistakes when everything is at stake — in court:

#1)  Make sure that your lawyer is authentically invested, personally and professionally, in  your cause.  If you’re only another case and just another fee to your lawyer, important things about you, your goals and the methods to attain those goals will definitely be overlooked. #2)  Be clear about everyone’s role in your case.  Understand what your role is and what you are expected to contribute to the building of your case.  Understand what your law firm expects from you and understand what the roles may be of support personnel such as paralegals. #3)  Map out a course for yourself with the assistance of your personally and professionally invested lawyer.  Your lawyer should be able to explain procedures and the law as they apply to your case and the likely direction that you will have to travel in order to conclude your case in the best possible way. #4)  Be prepared to change course.  Things change in litigation; all the time.  Your law firm needs to grasp this essential concept and be resilient enough to re-chart your direction at any time.  Headlong commitment to a single strategy despite changing evidence or players is a recipe for disaster.

Matthew Maddox Latest 912-2-16

Five Things College Students and Parents Need to Know About CT’s ‘Affirmative Consent’ Law: Advice from a Lawyer

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All Connecticut school campuses, of any kind, are subject to Connecticut’s law entitled “Affirmative Consent”.  This is a law that states that every stage of a romantic or sexual contact between two students must be marked by an out-loud, unambiguous “yes”. Since the law doesn’t differentiate, we must assume that it applies to everything from hand-holding and up. Whether you are a Connecticut student or a Connecticut student’s parent, here are five things that you must understand about Connecticut’s Affirmative Consent Law:

1. “No means no” no longer holds sway. In the event of a dispute in which a student complains of a sexual assault, the accused will have to demonstrate that the complainant uttered an unequivocal “yes” to absolutely everything that may have occurred between them.

Matthew Maddox Latest 912-2-16

How Do I Get Out of Jury Service? Advice from a Lawyer

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There are a few ways to increase your odds of being excused from jury service.  People ask me about this all the time.  Because they’re terribly busy and they have very demanding jobs and a massive list of obligations and responsibilities. You’re all over-scheduled, over-booked, hard-working, lots-of-stuff-to-do kind of people. But everything changes when you’re sitting next to your lawyer and picking a jury for your trial.

Matthew Maddox Latest 912-2-16

What’s in YOUR Urine? Advice from a Lawyer

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Have you ever wondered if you took a drug test what song your urine would sing about you?  Are you appalled by the question?  Are you thinking, “I don’t do drugs”, so the song would be a short one and talking about urine songs is kind of disgusting? Maybe. Then, let me ask you this, are you taking any opiate prescriptions such as Oxycodone, Oxycontin or Vicodin?

Matthew Maddox Latest 912-2-16

Medical Marijuana’s Showdown with Federal Law: Advice from a Lawyer

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Federal law is about to face off against Connecticut medical marijuana law.  But it’s not the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that’s going to lead the fight. Here’s the story.  Jeffrey Rigoletti was supposed to start work at an Amazon fulfillment center in Windsor, Connecticut on October 24, 2016, but according to his complaint filed in Hartford late last year, after Mr. Rigoletti attended orientation, Amazon had second thoughts. Mr. Rigoletti alleges that he informed Amazon that he takes marijuana, in compliance with Connecticut law, for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Matthew Maddox Latest 912-2-16

On a CT Campus, You Need the Word ‘Yes’ to Plant Your Kiss: Advice from a Lawyer

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If you’re a student on any Connecticut campus and you want to kiss another student, before you lean in further, you’d better have heard an unequivocal “yes” from the lips where you hope to land your kiss. On July 1, 2016, Connecticut became an Affirmative Consent State. This means that on every campus throughout our state, “no” or some interpretation of “no” isn’t enough. It’s “yes” or nothing. We’re not talking about what seems like a “yes”, either.