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It's kind of a complicated story, and I don't feel like writing it out right now. Suffice to say, I might need to sue someone for breach of contract.
It's kind of an overwhelming thing. For one thing, I guess I need to find a lawyer. How on Earth am I supposed to find the best lawyer for this? I have no idea how to tell whether a lawyer is good or not. I could just go for whoever is the cheapest, although that seems a little strange. The lawyer I talked to today said he'd take my case, but he charges $200/hour ><.
And how long does this take? I've heard of some lawsuits that go on for 20 years. I hope I don't have to do that. Actually, I'm just really hoping the other guy gives in if I tell him that I'm prepared to do this.
It should be possible for a private citizen to do a lawsuit himself, right? I read about one guy who was falsely imprisoned, so he taught himself law from the prison library, wrote a letter to the supreme court, and they overturned his conviction. But yeah... I have absolutely no idea how to do this. Any lawyers on this forum want to take my case pro bono  ?
 
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Well how much money would the lawsuit be for? Unless it's several thousand dollars or more I don't think it's usually worth it from my little knowledge of the subject. There are some lawyers like Hot_Bid on TL though so maybe they know something.
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it would be for about $10,000
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thisll be settled in Civil court, meaning ur only looking for reparations for damages. you're not looking to put anyone in jail, thats criminal court.
civil is private individuals, so yes you can do it. find a lawyer that specializes in contractual law if its really complicated, otherwise any general practice lawyer will do.
any details on what the breach of contract was? i might be able to help.
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also as far as finding a lawyer: yellow pages bro.
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You probably won't find a pro-bono lawyer, but there might be someone who will give you some advise on how to proceed.
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1. Lawsuits are expensive...
2. Don't be a pro se litigant...you will lose
3. Make sure you can recover damages>attorney fees. Barring special circumstances, you will pay for your attorney even if you win (in US).
4. (I dunno if they do this in contract cases) Ask for a contingency fee? You only pay if you win and this is a % of your recovery.
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On November 19 2009 15:50 mOnion wrote:
also as far as finding a lawyer: yellow pages bro.
That was what I did this afternoon, and it was really overwhelming. There's so many lawyers to choose from, and I really have no idea how to find a good one.
As for details. Well, basically I think I got scammed. Either the guy deliberately scammed me, or he's just incompetent, I'm not sure which. Anyway, I signed a contract with him, and as a result I lost quite a bit of money. Some other people did too, so I might be able to work together with them.
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On November 19 2009 16:06 Luddite wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 15:50 mOnion wrote:
also as far as finding a lawyer: yellow pages bro. That was what I did this afternoon, and it was really overwhelming. There's so many lawyers to choose from, and I really have no idea how to find a good one. As for details. Well, basically I think I got scammed. Either the guy deliberately scammed me, or he's just incompetent, I'm not sure which. Anyway, I signed a contract with him, and as a result I lost quite a bit of money. Some other people did too, so I might be able to work together with them.
um
your probably in trouble
common law doesn't protect people who stupidly enter into a contract :/
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On November 19 2009 15:57 lvatural wrote:
3. Make sure you can recover damages>attorney fees. Barring special circumstances, you will pay for your attorney even if you win (in US).
this. your most likely only gonna get compensatory damages. so if you lost 10k, you'll get 10k back, but you dont get compensation for court fees and ur lawyer.
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On November 19 2009 16:14 mOnion wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 16:06 Luddite wrote:On November 19 2009 15:50 mOnion wrote:
also as far as finding a lawyer: yellow pages bro. That was what I did this afternoon, and it was really overwhelming. There's so many lawyers to choose from, and I really have no idea how to find a good one. As for details. Well, basically I think I got scammed. Either the guy deliberately scammed me, or he's just incompetent, I'm not sure which. Anyway, I signed a contract with him, and as a result I lost quite a bit of money. Some other people did too, so I might be able to work together with them. um your probably in trouble common law doesn't protect people who stupidly enter into a contract :/
What are you...a first year law student?
I have no idea how you can come to this conclusion on the few facts he has given.
It seems like you are making a lot of unwarranted assumptions.
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On November 19 2009 16:22 lvatural wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 16:14 mOnion wrote:On November 19 2009 16:06 Luddite wrote:On November 19 2009 15:50 mOnion wrote:
also as far as finding a lawyer: yellow pages bro. That was what I did this afternoon, and it was really overwhelming. There's so many lawyers to choose from, and I really have no idea how to find a good one. As for details. Well, basically I think I got scammed. Either the guy deliberately scammed me, or he's just incompetent, I'm not sure which. Anyway, I signed a contract with him, and as a result I lost quite a bit of money. Some other people did too, so I might be able to work together with them. um your probably in trouble common law doesn't protect people who stupidly enter into a contract :/ What are you...a first year law student? I have no idea how you can come to this conclusion on the few facts he has given. It seems like you are making a lot of unwarranted assumptions.
im not law, im just studying Business Law for my Finance degree. so I'm no expert. but from what I understand, courts arent empathetic towards ppl who enter into a contract that ends up backfiring, unless they were tricked into it.
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Sounds like he was tricked
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without more details we can't really be sure how to proceed for you...
there are just so many variables that need to be considered (I'm a law graduate)
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On November 19 2009 16:45 ShloobeR wrote:
without more details we can't really be sure how to proceed for you...
there are just so many variables that need to be considered (I'm a law graduate)
ignore me. listen to this guy.
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Snet
United States3573 Posts
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time?
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On November 19 2009 16:14 mOnion wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 16:06 Luddite wrote:On November 19 2009 15:50 mOnion wrote:
also as far as finding a lawyer: yellow pages bro. That was what I did this afternoon, and it was really overwhelming. There's so many lawyers to choose from, and I really have no idea how to find a good one. As for details. Well, basically I think I got scammed. Either the guy deliberately scammed me, or he's just incompetent, I'm not sure which. Anyway, I signed a contract with him, and as a result I lost quite a bit of money. Some other people did too, so I might be able to work together with them. um your probably in trouble common law doesn't protect people who stupidly enter into a contract :/
Really? It doesn't protect me when the other guy fails to live up to his part of the contract? That seems like kind of the whole point of having a contract/law system.
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On November 19 2009 17:05 Snet wrote:
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time?
You say your lawyer charges ~200$ a hour?
What the fuck have you done, sir?
You ask, but do not wait?
To be honest, I wasn't really expecting TL to help me with this. I was just curious if anyone else had been through something like this. I might post the full story later, I'm not sure. And the $200/hour was just a figure that he quoted to me, and he was the first lawyer I've ever talked to. I haven't paid him anything.
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when you sue someone can't you sue him to pay for your lawyer too? after all you wouldn't need to contract one if wasn't for him...
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Snet
United States3573 Posts
On November 19 2009 17:19 Luddite wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 17:05 Snet wrote:
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time?
You say your lawyer charges ~200$ a hour?
What the fuck have you done, sir?
You ask, but do not wait? To be honest, I wasn't really expecting TL to help me with this. I was just curious if anyone else had been through something like this. I might post the full story later, I'm not sure. And the $200/hour was just a figure that he quoted to me, and he was the first lawyer I've ever talked to. I haven't paid him anything.
How will you expect to find out if someone went through the same thing, if you refuse to reveal what you are even going through?
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On November 19 2009 17:32 Snet wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 17:19 Luddite wrote:On November 19 2009 17:05 Snet wrote:
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time?
You say your lawyer charges ~200$ a hour?
What the fuck have you done, sir?
You ask, but do not wait? To be honest, I wasn't really expecting TL to help me with this. I was just curious if anyone else had been through something like this. I might post the full story later, I'm not sure. And the $200/hour was just a figure that he quoted to me, and he was the first lawyer I've ever talked to. I haven't paid him anything. How will you expect to find out if someone went through the same thing, if you refuse to reveal what you are even going through?
"Have you ever sued someone?"
It's a yes or no question. I'm guessing that you haven't.
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T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
On November 19 2009 17:36 Luddite wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 17:32 Snet wrote:On November 19 2009 17:19 Luddite wrote:On November 19 2009 17:05 Snet wrote:
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time?
You say your lawyer charges ~200$ a hour?
What the fuck have you done, sir?
You ask, but do not wait? To be honest, I wasn't really expecting TL to help me with this. I was just curious if anyone else had been through something like this. I might post the full story later, I'm not sure. And the $200/hour was just a figure that he quoted to me, and he was the first lawyer I've ever talked to. I haven't paid him anything. How will you expect to find out if someone went through the same thing, if you refuse to reveal what you are even going through? "Have you ever sued someone?" It's a yes or no question. I'm guessing that you haven't.
How does it help you if someone says yes?
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No I haven't sued anyone. Does that help you?
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You live in the US, can't you find someone on no cure no pay basis?
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On November 19 2009 21:24 Loanshark wrote:
No I haven't sued anyone. Does that help you?
I doubt it would bro~
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Teamliquid manpower:
Advanced intellectual property law - Nyovne
Constitutional law - Xeris
Life insurance - Quesadilla
Patent Law - ShadowDrgn
Let's make it useful.
Uhm yeah dude are you in the USA?
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I thought you were from sweeden?
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Where do you live anyway? I'm a lawyer, but I doubt I'll be very useful. 
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This is a silly blog. You're asking for a yes or no response, when either response won't even give you any useful information. The only way someone can give you any sort of advice is if you explain the situation. What's the point in NOT explaining it anyways? Was this some sort of secret illegal activity that you can't post about? O_O;;
Were you contracted to give his wife sex only to end up finding out that his wife was a man, so you're too embarrassed to tell the story? I don't get the whole point of this blog =P
*edit*
Slightly more on topic- If you aren't sure that you will even win the case, I wouldn't advise you to take legal action because it's really expensive and time consuming. It's almost impossible to randomly find and be able to differentiate whether or not a lawyer is good or not. As far as I know, there isn't some sort of database that ranks lawyers according to skill/goodness; unless you have friends who are in the known about the legal circles of wherever it is you live, any lawyer you hire will be hit or miss. He'll either be good, or he'll suck. There's no real way to determine beforehand, unless of course you know enough about law, etc to be able to determine from talking to him or whatever how good he'll be.
So, my advice would be this: go talk to a public defender or something about your case; see if it is actually a feasible victory, see how much you can possibly get out of it, then estimate the amount of time it'll take, calculate possible attorney fees if you decide to proceed, and THEN make the decision as to whether or not it'll be worth your time/money to actually follow through with it.
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You can actually sue for $10000 in small claims court in some states, although most are around $5000. Small claims court is what you see on daytime tv shows, and it's very cheap and fast, no lawyers required (or allowed even). It's most likely going to be your best bet, even if you can only recover half of what you're owed.
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Ya, it'd depend on the state... more reason why the fact the op gives 0 background information is pretty useless
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On November 19 2009 15:43 Jonoman92 wrote:
Well how much money would the lawsuit be for? Unless it's several thousand dollars or more I don't think it's usually worth it from my little knowledge of the subject. There are some lawyers like Hot_Bid on TL though so maybe they know something.
Hot_Bid is a lawyer? I thought he's a law student?
200/hour is actually not that bad...if you're taking this to a law firm, the firm will form a group of lawyers that altogether charge like 700-1000/hour... :<
small, individual practioner that charges about 200-300/hour is reasonable. I worked with lawyers before in business-related situations...
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On November 19 2009 17:05 Snet wrote:
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time?
I'm not the only one suspicious.
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On November 20 2009 01:38 ShadowDrgn wrote:Where do you live anyway? I'm a lawyer, but I doubt I'll be very useful.
I'm In the USA. One thing that makes this more complicated is that the other guy lives in another state, so I'm not sure which state laws are applicable here.
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On November 20 2009 03:31 ShadowDrgn wrote:
You can actually sue for $10000 in small claims court in some states, although most are around $5000. Small claims court is what you see on daytime tv shows, and it's very cheap and fast, no lawyers required (or allowed even). It's most likely going to be your best bet, even if you can only recover half of what you're owed.
I like this idea. If I could recover $5000 I'd be happy. I think I'd have to travel to another state to do it, though.
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On November 20 2009 08:31 Catch]22 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 19 2009 17:05 Snet wrote:
Let me get this straight.
You refuse to reveal what this predicament is about. However you call upon the resources of TL to help you? You refuse to tell TL an specifics but assure us it's worth our time? I'm not the only one suspicious.
It's really not supsicious, it's mostly just that I'm embarrassed to describe it here because I know I made some stupid decisions, and if I wrote it out everyone on TL would tell me how stupid I was. I'm also a little bit paranoid that maybe describing it here could somehow affect the legal situation.
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Hmm, on further research, it looks like I could do this in civil court in New York, where he works. The website for that says I can represent myself there, too, and just pay a small filing fee.
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EPT
