In honor of Presidents Day, we’ll take a look at these three presidents and 22 others who progressed from reading law books to leading a country.

Famous US Lawyer-Presidents

Some of the US presidents who got their start in law are also among the most well-known. Although he never actually attended law school, Abraham Lincoln may well be one of the most famous lawyer-presidents. Lincoln was a self-taught attorney who learned all he needed to successfully practice by reading the law books and legal codes of the times.

Another famous early president, Andrew Jackson, also entered the legal profession as a self-taught lawyer.

Other US lawyer-presidents include Franklin Roosevelt, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton. Barack Obama follows in the footsteps of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president, as the second Harvard law graduate to make his way to the Oval Office. The Wall Street Journal provides a complete list of US presidents who came from a legal background.

How Law and Politics Go Hand-in-Hand

The fact that more than half of the US presidents have been involved in the law prior to taking office brings up the question: Why does legal experience serve as such a strong starting point for those interested in entering politics?

It’s not only future presidents who seem to benefit — many other politicians, from Rudy Giuliani to Hillary Clinton, hold law degrees. In practical terms, a legal career can set the stage for a political career by permitting a person to build a powerful reputation and make the right contacts — people who can help fund political campaigns down the line.

However, successful lawyers also must master certain skills that can be invaluable to the difficult job of US president. Logical thinking and reasoning abilities, the ability to build an effective argument and excellent speaking skills are all necessary traits of a great lawyer — and can all come in handy for a president, too!

Law School Dropouts & Other Paths to the White House

Although a majority of past US presidents — 25 out of 44 — have come from a background in the law, this doesn’t mean that a law degree is a must to become president.

You can even become president if you’re a law school dropout, as Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt prove. Truman studied law at the University of Missouri-Kansas School of Law, then called Kansas City Law School, but never earned a degree, while Roosevelt studied law at Columbia without ever completing his degree.

Many other presidents have come from a background grounded in politics — for example, formerly holding a state office. George W. Bush’s pedigree included a stint as governor of Texas and an MBA. In fact, Bush was the first US president to hold an MBA.

While we may see more future leaders with business degrees, it’s highly likely that many more US presidents will once have been lawyers.

Do you think that having experience as a lawyer helps a US president — or are some traits better left out of politics?

Could you use a little extra cash?

If so, then I’ve got some good news for you: LLS is holding its first ever writing contest, and we’re giving $500.00 to the winner!

Immigration is a hot topic right now — and not just in the United States. Have you made any observations about immigration in the US or abroad? We want to hear your thoughts, opinions and arguments.

Writing Contest Details

Your thoughts about immigration in the United States and/or abroad should be composed as an article 500 to 1,000 words long and written for an audience of legal professionals.

Winning articles will reflect recent developments in the subject of immigration, bring forth new ideas about immigration or introduce a discussion. The articles will be judged on subject matter treatment and analysis.

One lucky winner will receive a cash award of $500.00. Two runners-up will receive $100.00 each, and all three will have their articles posted here on our site. A number of honorable mention articles will be published here as well.

How to Enter the LLS Writing Contest

Got some ideas for an award-winning short article? Good — get writing! But before you submit anything to us, remember these following requirements:

• The article has to be original content written by you.
• The article can’t be published anywhere else.
• You must currently be enrolled in an accredited US law school.

Check out the official rules and regulations for more information.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2011 to submit your entry. Good luck!

While politicians are employing the usual campaign tactics to get votes from the public — flyers, radio and television ads, a social networking presence — many savvy candidates are getting their message out in more than one language.

Recent surveys from the US Census Bureau show that nearly one out of every four people in the United States is an immigrant or the child of an immigrant, and one in every five residents speaks a language other than English in his or her home.

Does a Multi-Language Campaign Make Sense?

Having campaign information available in more than one language is an easy way to appeal to a broad base of potential voters. Non-English speakers who would otherwise feel alienated by candidates who campaign in English alone may be encouraged to support a candidate who includes additional languages in his or her campaign. With many districts predicting close races, this could be the extra push that many candidates need to win.

Some news outlets and pundits are predicting a low Latino voter turnout due to many people being discouraged by the government’s recent failure to pass the DREAM Act or to fully address immigration reform. Voters are swayed by the issues they can relate to. This should encourage candidates to reach out to voters by issuing campaign information in more than one language.

Should Campaigns Be Limited to the English Language?

Some candidates have chosen not to campaign in more than one language. What’s more, several candidates are campaigning to make English the official language of the United States.

While immigrants are encouraged to have a working knowledge of English — the US citizenship test does look at an incoming citizen’s English skills — many people prefer to speak in their native languages. A refusal to make English one’s dominant language certainly does not automatically mean someone is in the United States illegally. In addition, to single out non-English speakers is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act, which does not allow discrimination on the basis of national origin.

Is Multilingualism a New Thing?

With the way immigration is being discussed by politicians, one might think that this wave of immigration and multilingualism is a recent development. But the United States of America has always been a nation comprised of immigrants — not just English-speaking ones.

Some of the United States’ earliest leaders were fluent in several languages — Thomas Jefferson spoke six languages, including some Native American dialects. John Quincy Adams spoke eight languages and actually worked as an interpreter before becoming president. Martin Van Buren’s second language was English — he actually grew up speaking Dutch.

Using different languages in a campaign is not a new idea, either. Jacqueline Kennedy supported her husband by giving speeches in French, Italian and Spanish during his campaign. Al Gore, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all appealed to voters in the Spanish language during their campaigns.

How Can Candidates Attract Voters Through Language?

In addition to offering translations of campaign brochures and flyers or running radio and television ads in more than one language, candidates can also make an effort at speaking and learning languages as well.

For example, many Texan voters were surprised to discover that Juilian Castro, the Latino mayor of San Antonio, did not speak Spanish. He is now learning the language in an effort to connect with the people of his city.

Reaching out to voters is crucial, especially for any heated election. Candidates can only benefit from using more than one language to publicize their campaign.

Being prepared for legal document discovery does more than put your mind at ease — it can protect you from legal penalties if a claim arises!

What Is Legal Document Discovery?

Before a trial between two parties, one party can request evidence from the opposing party. “Evidence” is a broad term — it includes any legal documents that may or may not actually be used as evidence in the trial, instead of just strictly relevant documents.

While some legal documents — juvenile records or privileged product information, for example — are not permitted as discoverable, many business records are. If a party refuses to yield to a legal document discovery request, the opposing party will often seek a motion to compel discovery from the court.

Why Preserving Evidence Is Important

Discovery and e-discovery — discovery of electronic documents — continue to be important parts of business-related litigation. Many laws require that businesses retain specific documents for certain periods of time. There are also laws that require electronic backup systems.

If your company receives notice of a claim against it, all written and electronic evidence must be preserved. A failure to retain both electronic and hard-copy evidence can result in legal penalties. If your company has failed to keep evidence or allowed for the destruction of evidence, courts can impose monetary penalties on your company, impose certain sanctions, or even have criminal charges filed.

Steps to Preserve Legal Documents for Discovery

Whether you are sifting through an opposing party’s legal documents or keeping your own company prepared, Legal Language Services can help you catalog, organize and summarize legal discovery documents.

Business records in another language may prove difficult to organize. However, Legal Language can take this  be cataloged and summarized by Legal Language. Certified translations can make your legal documents court-ready.

Your company should be knowledgeable about the documents being retained. Whether they are paper or electronic documents, they should be regularly reviewed to determine what is being stored, where it is being stored and for how long. This will help your company monitor your information and make decisions about whether too much information is being stored or if it is too easily accessible.

Be sure to have an effective retention policy for company documents that all employees should be aware of. Educating your staff on the obligations to preserve any documents for legal discovery will certainly save time and money, especially if done before a claim for evidence arises.

If your company is on notice of claim, employees should be informed right away. Employees may try to eradicate some files without knowing they may be necessary to the discovery process, and that may inadvertently subject the company to liability.

Additionally, many companies schedule the automatic destruction of electronic or paper information on a regular basis. Does your company do this? Failure to stop those processes could be viewed as willful destruction of evidence, which will not curry favor in court. Effective litigation hold processes can help an employer minimize the burdens of legal document discovery.

While the invalidation of new birth certificates does not affect the US citizenship status of any individuals born in Puerto Rico, having a valid birth certificate is necessary for some important tasks, like applying for passports or various licenses — or completing the Form I-9 employment eligibility verification process.

Puerto Rican Birth Certificates & the I-9 Process

Employees who have already completed the I-9 process but who have since had to obtain new copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates don’t need to worry — they don’t have to go through the entire process again. Employers are not allowed to re-verify the employment eligibility of existing employees who have presented a previously valid Puerto Rican birth certificate.

However, new employees will be affected. Beginning Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010, only certified copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates issued after July 1, 2010, will be acceptable for the I-9 process. (This post was updated on October 5. USCIS stated that they will continue to accept certified copies of Puerto Rico birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010, as long as they are received or postmarked by Oct. 30, 2010.)

Employers must be diligent as well — as of October 31, employers must be sure to double-check the issue dates of any birth certificates from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to make sure they are currently valid. Employment eligibility will not be granted to employees with invalid Puerto Rican birth certificates.

While federal contractors must go though a slightly different I-9 process, the rules apply to them as well: any Puerto Rican birth certificate is valid for employment eligibility verification up until October. As of October 31, only Puerto Rican birth certificates issued after July 1 are valid.

Can Employers Retain Copies of Puerto Rican Birth Certificates?

The law passed by the Puerto Rican government that invalidated all birth certificates also made it illegal for employers to keep original certified copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates.

However, employers are allowed to keep photocopies of birth certificates. Employers who do choose to make photocopies of birth certificates or other documents employees present as part of the I-9 process must make photocopies for all employees, not just selected employees, and not based on citizenship status or national origin.

How Many People Will Be Affected by the Change?

Just under 1.5 million people born in Puerto Rico now live in the United States. While it’s not certain how many will be filling out the Form I-9 in the next few months, it’s important to get the word out — trouble with the I-9 can mean that an individual won’t be able to work until the issues are resolved, which is a problem for employers and employees alike.

If you were born in Puerto Rico and haven’t obtained a new copy of your birth certificate yet, don’t hesitate to do so. While it may not seem like you need one, you never know when you’ll start a new career or need to renew a license — and not having a valid Puerto Rican birth certificate may cause serious delays for your plans.

Puerto Ricans in the United States can get new valid birth certificates by sending in the following to Registro Demográfico, P.O. Box 11854, San Juan, PR 00910:

• A completed replacement application form, available on the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration website
• A copy of a government-issued photo ID
• A self-addressed stamped envelope
• A money order for $5 made out to the Secretary of Treasury of Puerto Rico

More people are putting pet provisions in their wills to make sure that Fluffy or Fido will be taken care of. But is it legal? Are there any restrictions?

Are Pet Provisions in Wills Common?

The practice of including pets in wills isn’t exactly standard yet. If you are drafting a will and want to include your pet, you may want to bring it up with your attorney, since your attorney won’t likely be bringing it up first.

That being said, providing for pets in wills has become a lot more popular in the last decade, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Pet owners are doing everything from specifying who should care for their pets to setting up pet trust funds to leaving entire estates to pets!

Another misconception is that remembering pets in wills is an American practice. The truth is that several countries, most notably England, have allowed provisions to benefit pets and other animals in wills for over a century!

Are Pet Provisions in Wills Legal?

When people think of pets in wills, many people think of Leona Helmsley. When the billionaire baroness of New York hotels and real estate died, she left a whopping $12 million in a trust fund for her pet Maltese, Trouble.

Many reactions to that story vary from “Was she crazy?!” to “Is that legal?!” A judge reduced the $12 million in Trouble’s trust to just $2 million after declaring that Helmsley was mentally unfit when she amended her will to give a gratuitous sum to her pet.

Leaving money or property to pets directly in wills is actually not legal since courts consider pets themselves to be property. However, setting up a trust for your pet is perfectly valid in over half of US states.

These days, it’s easier than ever to include your pets in your wills. However, if you do decide to set up a trust for your pet, it’s wise to find a lawyer and witnesses who are comfortable with this idea. They will be able to vouch for your mental stability if a relative challenges the trust’s validity after your death.

It’s also a good idea to put someone you trust in charge of the pet trust, as reports of fraud are unfortunately too common. There have been several instances of greedy relatives who euthanize pets and keep the money for themselves or continue raising similar-looking animals after the original pets die just to keep receiving payouts.

Celebrities Who Put Their Pets in Their Wills

Leona Helmsley isn’t the only famous person who decided to make her pet a priority in her will. Here’s a list of other celebrities who remembered to provide for their pets in their wills:

• Singer Dusty Springfield made sure her beloved ragdoll cat Nicholas would be taken care of after her death. Reports say that Nicholas had an indoor cat treehouse with various amenities, including catnip, scratching posts and a bed lined with one of Springfield’s nightgowns. Nicholas was to be fed imported baby food and serenaded with his owner’s songs. Springfield also arranged for Nicholas to “get married” to his new guardian’s pet cat.

• Doris Duke, the tobacco heiress daughter of James Buchanan “Buck” Duke, founder of the American Tobacco Company and North Carolina’s Duke University, left $100 million in a pet trust for Minnie, her dog. Although this outrageous sum was challenged, a judge ruled that the $100 million trust was legal.

• Billionaire talk show host Oprah Winfrey has reportedly set aside plenty of money for the care of her pets.

• Beloved octogenarian actress Betty White has always been an animal lover and has donated generously to animal charities over many decades. Rumor has it that much of her estate will go to her pets as well as various animal support foundations.

Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, you should consider creating a will or trust. When a person dies without a will, an already difficult situation can become a complicated legal mess for the person’s loved ones.

The State Is Involved

When a person dies without a will, it is said that the person died “intestate.” Each state has intestacy laws in place which determine who is entitled to the deceased’s property and assets.

While intestacy laws vary slightly from state to state, they generally follow the same path, especially for smaller estates. If someone dies without a will but owns no property and has assets of less than $100,000, no formal court proceeding is required. Family members can file a Declaration of Small Estate through a bank or even the DMV and are then allowed to collect and split the deceased’s assets.

If property is involved, however, collecting the estate becomes more complicated.

Property & Relationships Are Involved

When a person dies without a will and owns property, the process varies considerably based on the deceased’s relationship status.

If the person who dies without a will is single with or without children, the process is generally easier than if the deceased is married or has a domestic partner.

What If the Person Who Dies Without a Will Is Single?

If a person who is not married dies without a will, the person’s estate goes to his or her child or is split evenly between multiple children.

If the person who dies without a will has no children, then the estate goes to his or her parents. If the parents are deceased, the estate is split among siblings.

What If the Person Who Dies Without a Will Is Married?

State laws vary far more widely if a person dies without a will and leaves behind a spouse or domestic partner, children and other relatives.

If there are children in the relationship, they may inherit up to two-thirds of the estate while the spouse receives the remainder.

If there are no children in the relationship, the surviving spouse may inherit the entire estate — or, depending on the state, as little as one-third of the property and assets, with the rest going to the parents and siblings of the deceased.

Intestacy Laws Around the World

In ancient times, if a person died and left no clear heirs, kings or other rulers would claim the deceased’s estate as their own.

In some ways, that rule is still in effect — if the deceased has no living relatives, his or her property and assets get turned over to the state.

Many countries around the world have intestacy laws similar to those of the United States, including Canada, England, Wales and Ireland. Other countries do not have explicit intestacy laws, but many family members of people who die without wills can successfully claim ownership of their deceased relatives’ estates.

But is there really any way to avoid jury duty? Is shirking your civic responsibility punishable by law?

Deferring Jury Duty

Instead of flat-out ignoring a summons, some potential jurors opt to avoid jury duty on a specific date by deferring.

The instructions for deferring jury duty may be included right on the summons, or it may simply have a phone number to the court. It is becoming common in many states to be able to fill out a jury duty deferral request online as well.

The common practice for requesting a jury duty deferral involves contacting the court, stating your valid reason for not being able to attend on the date you are summoned, and providing an alternate date or time period when you will be available to fulfill your civic duty.

If the court officials determine that you have a legitimate reason to avoid jury duty on a particular day, they will let you off the hook — but they will almost certainly reschedule your summons at your earliest convenience.

Penalties for Avoiding Jury Duty

It may be tempting to just toss the juror summons and pretend it got lost in the mail — not the worst excuse, as it is estimated that up to 20 percent of juror summons in some areas are not delivered due to inaccurate or outdated address information.

Some people do avoid jury duty by skipping it altogether — but this is certainly not advisable. Jury duty is a legal obligation, and judges have several options to enforce this obligation.

Judges in cities big and small across the United States have fined people who attempted to avoid jury duty. The fines ranged from $250 to $1,000 for first-time jury dodgers — repeat offenders were fined up to $2,000!

Fines aren’t the only way judges enforce jury duty requirements. In some areas, bench warrants are issued for the arrest of people who avoid jury duty. This means that if you avoid jury duty and are later pulled over for a minor traffic violation, you could end up going to jail!

Don’t think it will happen to you? Hundreds of people serve jail sentences when they avoid jury duty. A few years ago, Jermaine Dupri, a prominent producer and co-owner of the So So Def Recordings label, served a three-day jail sentence for skipping out on jury duty almost a decade earlier.

Grin & Bear It

If you receive a juror summons, the best thing to do is simply show up when you’re asked to. There is a lot of sitting around and waiting while a jury is selected, so bring a book or laptop — but it may not be the best idea to bring your cell phone.

There’s a fairly good chance that you’ll end up avoiding jury duty anyway — many people do not get chosen for the jury when they report. If you do get chosen, you may have an interesting trial on your hands, and then you’ll wonder why you tried to avoid jury duty in the first place!

Though the law to make current Puerto Rican birth certificates invalid was passed last December, the move was not highly publicized and only began to gain attention this past March.

Why Will Puerto Rican Birth Certificates Become Invalid?

Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth, so Puerto Ricans are US citizens at birth. Since Puerto Rican birth certificates were notoriously easy to obtain and alter, they were sold for up to $10,000 on the black market and were used as tickets to the US by drug traffickers, criminals and people looking to avoid the US immigration process.

After July 1, the Puerto Rican government will issue new birth certificates to citizens who apply for them. The new documents will have improved security features and will be a lot more difficult to alter or reproduce, and hopefully the levels of identity theft and immigration fraud will go down considerably.

How Many Will Be Affected by Invalid Puerto Rican Birth Certificates?

The population of Puerto Rico is close to 4 million people. However, there are many people with Puerto Rican birth certificates who now live abroad — mainly in the United States — and are concerned about having valid birth certificates for travel or identification purposes. Birth certificates are also necessary for obtaining documents like driver’s licenses, passports and marriage licenses — even the Form I-9 employment eligibility process will be affected by invalid Puerto Rican birth certificates.

It is estimated that 1.4 million people born in Puerto Rico now live in the US. Though nearly all have US citizenship, there are many important situations when a valid birth certificate is required, and there is concern as to whether all Puerto Rican-born residents know about the change.

Of the 1.4 million Puerto Ricans living in the United States, approximately 47 percent live in Florida and another 29 percent live in New York, so government officials in those states are making a concerted effort to increase awareness of the situation.

Since the Puerto Rican birth certificates become invalid on July 1 and no one can apply for a replacement until that date, many are worried that the high demand for replacement birth certificates will mean that people will have to go several weeks — or even months — without a valid replacement.

How to Replace Invalid Puerto Rican Birth Certificates

Puerto Rican residents still residing in Puerto Rico can replace their invalid birth certificates by applying through municipal government offices.

Puerto Ricans in the United States can replace invalid birth certificates by sending in the following to Registro Demográfico, P.O. Box 11854, San Juan, PR 00910:

• A completed replacement application form, which can be downloaded for free on the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration website.
• A photocopy of a government-issued photo ID.
• A self-addressed stamped envelope.
• A $5 money order made out to the Secretary of Treasury of Puerto Rico.

But be careful! Don’t send information anywhere other than the above address, and don’t send it in before July 1, 2010 — applications received before July 1 could result in the delivery of an old, invalid copy of your Puerto Rican birth certificate!

What is a trust exactly and how do you create a trust?

Trust Basics

A trust is a legal entity that holds assets for the benefit of a third party of your choice. It is basically a container that holds money or property for somebody else.

Nearly any of your assets can be put into a trust. Some common assets put into trusts are:

• cash
• stocks
• bonds
• property/land
• insurance policies
• artwork

When you create a trust, you are known as the grantor, trustor or settlor. The grantor names people, known as beneficiaries, who will benefit from the trust. The grantor also names a trustee or trustees, who administer and manage the trust and all of the assets contained.

Beneficiaries of a trust are usually the grantor’s family and friends, but anyone can be a beneficiary, including a charity or organization. Beneficiaries receive income or access to assets either during the grantor’s lifetime or after the grantor dies. The trustee can be the grantor, or a spouse, friend or institution, like a bank.

Why You Should Create a Trust

Since trusts can be used for many purposes, they are popular estate planning tools. Trusts are often used to:

• Shield property and other assets from creditors
• Manage estate taxes
• Put aside assets for children until they reach a certain age
• Set up a fund for support in case of job loss or bankruptcy
• Share income taxes among beneficiaries in lower tax brackets

When you create a trust, you should single out your goals. You could create a trust that produces income by putting in stocks or bonds. If you want to create a trust to provide for your family or pay taxes or fees due at your death, you could find your trust with money and life insurance policies.

Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts

There are two main types of trusts — living or revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts.

A living or revocable trust is a legal entity that you create to pass assets on to beneficiaries. The assets are not subject to probate — this means the transfer of assets can be immediate or on whatever timeline you desire. Living trusts are also private — unlike wills, they are not part of the public record and no one can view them unless you allow it.

However, living or revocable trusts are not protected from creditors. You cannot create a living trust to avoid estate taxes, and you are subject to income taxes on any money earned by the trust.

Once you create an irrevocable trust, it cannot be changed or rewritten. Irrevocable trusts are great for estate planning, however. You can transfer property to your trust and it is no longer part of your taxable estate. The property is generally protected from creditors as well.

Irrevocable trusts aren’t solely for real estate purposes. You can also create an irrevocable trust for life insurance policies or to generate income.

If you don’t know where to get started, find a legal professional to help you create a trust and manage your estate!