Try practicelaw.

Why? Well it isn’t the cows, rather it is the fact that we have good, solid resources that make your practice more economical and efficient. Since its inception in 2001,  practicelaw has grown steadily and substantially in use and content, and now includes more than 750 peer-reviewed or court-approved practice forms, dozens of checklists and practice aids, and more than 300 links to additional attorney-selected resources available on the internet. All free to MSBA members. (If you’re interested in a peek backwards, read our previous post discussing the Way Back Machine, an internet archive of old web sites.)

We knew we had good resources before, but after our redesign we have more of them, they are easier to find, and they are updated more quickly by staff attorneys and editors and your peers.

Take a look of what we’ve done over the course of the last year. If Marilyn Monroe could sing Happy Birthday to practicelaw, that would seal the deal.

The question isn’t really “Why use practicelaw?” rather, “Why not?” I know Justin and Lady Gaga would agree.

© Nancy Hupp for Practice Blawg, 2010. | Permalink | No comments yet | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Developments, practicelaw, Updates

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Users can quickly navigate to the county in question, find the name and contact information for the person(s) in charge of clearance certificates.

Thanks to Greg Lulic at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the list is current (as of July 2010). Of course, lists such as these are moving targets, but we do our best to get them updated periodically.

Speaking of staying current, Alonna Warns, Hennepin County Probate Registrar, just sent out a couple of reminders:

• Although DHS moved its offices a couple of years ago, apparently some attorneys are still mailing the Notice to the Commissioner to the old address. So take note:

Minnesota Dept. of Human Services
Attn: Special Recovery Unit/ Gregory Lulic
PO Box 64995
St Paul, MN. 55164-0995

The Affidavit(s) of Service to the Commissioner posted at practicelaw were revised some time ago to reflect the address change.

• Dean Maus and George Borer will serve as part-time referees in the Fourth Judicial District Probate/Mental Health Court, filling the position left open by the retirement of long-time Referee Bruce Kruger.

Now if we just knew if Bret Favre was moving on…

© Nancy Hupp for Practice Blawg, 2010. | Permalink | No comments yet | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: claims, descent, Estate Administration, Medical Assistance, Probate

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Here’s the catch, though: we only have a prepublication version available, which means that we are doing the last bits of editing and formatting. But it is far enough along that we wanted to give it out to those interested, particularly those of you attending SoloSmall. So, stop by our table on Monday or Tuesday, chat a bit, and make sure you request the new client trust accounting guide (other guides are already on practicelaw here).

Membership in the MSBA is not required to grab the prepublication version. But, if you are a MSBA member, you can  request the final version as well, and we will e-mail it out to you when it is released. Or you could just check back here when we announce its availability on practicelaw.

We hope to see a number of you in Duluth next week.

© Gregory Luce for Practice Blawg, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: IOLTA, Trust Accounting

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Last Friday’s first release included 21 pre-trial motions and discovery and evidence forms, plus a revision of practicelaw’s existing form for Notices of Defenses and Defense Witnesses (was CRIM-540, renumbered to CRIM-490).  Roughly, the final set will include:

• 14 intakes, affidavits of service, and letters
• 11 opening forms (petitions, complaints, bail)
• 7 guilty pleas and demands for speedy hearing
• 22 pre-trial motions, demands, and notices (generic, procedural, discovery & evidence)
• 10 juvenile pre-trial forms (and additional juvenile forms are included in other categories)
• 3 trial and post-trial (motions, sentencing)
• 9 closing and miscellaneous forms

And I have to give a huge thank-you to practicelaw’s Leslie Matton-Flynn for helping me out with this project.

© Andrea for Practice Blawg, 2010. | Permalink | No comments yet | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Criminal Law, Developments, DWI, practicelaw, Updates

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Guardian and Conservatorship

We recently posted three revised forms:

• GC-10C: Annual Notice of Right to Petition for Restoration to Capacity and Other Relief (Conservatorship)
• GC-11G: Personal Well-Being Report / Annual Notice of Right to Petition (Guardianship)
• GC-11JT: Personal Well-Being Report / Annual Notice of Right to Petition (Joint Guard/Cons)

The revisions were minor and made to ensure compatibility with corresponding documents at the state’s website as of April 2010. More revisions to GC forms are planned later this summer to respond to 2010 legislation.

Editable Conveyacing Blanks Posted

In response to consumer demand, we’ve added Editable Conveyancing Blanks (ECBs) to practicelaw. These are fully editable Microsoft Word documents patterned after and organized like the Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. As of yesterday, we’ve formatted and posted three Series of ECBs.

• Series 10.1 (Warranty Deeds), 10.3 (Quitclaim Deeds), 10.8 Transfer on Death Deeds
• Series 20 (Mortgages)
• Series 40 (Liens and Encumbrances)

We hope to have all Series posted by mid-July.

More Uniform Conveyancing Blanks

Speaking of Uniform Conveyancing Blanks (UCBs), as mentioned in a former post, we worked with the UCB Task Force and Minnesota Department of Commerce to revise, format, and post new deed and contract for deed forms. In addition, three additional UCBs, all affidavits related to foreclosure actions, have been recommended by the Task Force for adoption by the Department of Commerce. Coming soon:

• 60.5.7 Affidavit of Allowable Costs (Minn. Stat. 580.25(3), 582.03)
• 60.8.1 Affidavit of Postponement (revised in accordance with 2010 legislative revisions to 508.07, effective 5/15/10)
• 60.8.2 Affidavit of Creditor on Non-Homestead Status (Minn. Stat. 550.22)

We will get these posted as soon as they are officially approved by Commerce.

Federal Tax Committee Reports

The Federal Tax Committee of the MSBA Probate & Trust Law Section prepares monthly updates on federal legislation and IRS rules that impact the practice of estate planning. Both the April and May updates are now posted at practicelaw.

Labor & Employment Law Resources

practicelaw now has resources for the labor and employment law practitioner, including a link to the newly updated Speakers Bureau. The Speaker’s Bureau is a way for practitioners to volunteer to speak about employment matters to school outreach and community service programs.

2010 Heads Up

We do our best to keep abreast of changes in the law and have added modules (computer-speak for little boxes along the right side of the page) on several of the Forms pages to let practitioners know of upcoming changes. Information and links to 2010 changes now appear on the Family, Guardianship, Conservatorship, Probate, Real Property, Civil Litigation, and Practice Management pages. See the example at right.

Sources

As we’ve mentioned previously, we are slowly but surely adding information to let you know where we get the documents we post. Hover your mouse on the Source icon to the right of  the document name to get “just the facts”; click it if you want to know more. Example:

The Practice Blawg

practicelaw staff continue to blog. Topics include more in-depth discussions of changes to pxlaw, ways to stay current on a budget, ideas to add some zip and zing to your website, and a how-to-start-blogging tutorial thanks to Greg’s Off the Clock and Son of Off the Clock series on technology for lawyers.

Coming soon…

We have lots more in the hopper – the Minnesota State Medicaid Plan, updated Appellate Practice articles, more ECBs, UCBs, tax updates, blog posts, and last but not least great weather for all the upcoming graduations, weddings, golf outings, and Twins games. Okay, no promises on the last one, but we’ve done what we can.

© Nancy Hupp for Practice Blawg, 2010. | Permalink | No comments yet | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Developments, practicelaw, Updates

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