The Jones Law Firm | Memphis, Tn

The Jones Law Firm offers legal counsel in the following practice areas:

· Divorce
· Family Law
· Bankruptcy
· Estate Planning / Wills
· Personal Injury
· Traffic Court
· Litigation
· Landlord / Tennant
· ID Theft Defense
· Adoption
· Juvenile Court
· Prenuptial Agreements

Tennessee offers protection to victims of domestic abuse in the form of an Order of Protection. If you need protection from your spouse, we can file for an order quickly. The order, however, is only a piece of paper. What is paramount is your safety. Use some common sense. If you’ve been a victim, don’t meet with your spouse in private. If we need to arrange for you to live in a shelter, let us know. You may also want to consider some counseling to help you through this time. This office will not under any circumstances use fictitious allegations of Domestic Violence to gain an edge in litigation. We have built a reputation for only filing these petitions when they are necessary.

Bankruptcy Our goal, when dealing with bankruptcy is twofold, first we want to get your head above water so you can breathe again. Credit Card debt and mortgage foreclosures have a devastating effect on both you and your family. In addition medical bills can create an insurmountable obstacle to a debt free life. A bankruptcy may be the TEMPORARY solution you need. Our second goal is to give you the tools and understanding of lending laws to empower you to never need to go down this road again. When your child falls and skins his knee you put a band-aid on it. Over time he learns not to fall. Bankruptcy is like a band-aid, it’s a quick fix, but we want to teach you how not to fall again. In order to achieve this end we will refer you to financial planners. In order to understand bankruptcy, a fundamental knowledge of the types of debt is necessary. Generally speaking there are three types of debts:

1. Unsecured Debts - These are debts that are not secured by any collateral. An example would be your credit card balance, your doctor bills, or even the $3.81 that you owe the video store for a late movie. In deciding if it is an unsecured debt, ask yourself this “If I don’t pay, what can they take away from me?” If the answer is nothing, then it is most likely an unsecured debt.

2. Secured Debts - Secured debts are debts in which your lender has retained a security interest. These commonly include your home, your car and rental furniture. The key difference between this and an unsecured debt is that failing to pay these will result in your lender taking them from you.

3. Priority Unsecured Debts - These debts, although unsecured are treated differently. They include, but are not limited to Taxes, Student Loans, Child Support and Alimony.

It’s important to understand these classifications, because each is treated differently in the various forms of bankruptcy.

Chapter 7

A chapter 7 bankruptcy requires your attorney to complete a “means test” in order to verify that you are entitled to file under this chapter. The means test looks at your household income for the past six months, amount of debts, amount of assets, and household size. Once these figures are calculated, we can determine if you are eligible for a chapter 7 bankruptcy. This is something that must be done during a consultation and cannot be done over the phone.

If you qualify for a chapter 7 then you will be entitled to keep a certain percentage of you assets. Your unsecured debts will then be discharged or removed. You will have the option of keeping your secured debts or turning them back in to your lender. Priority Unsecured Debts will continue and cannot be discharged.

Chapter 13

A chapter 13 bankruptcy is commonly referred to as a wage earner. Under this type of bankruptcy we will take all of your unsecured debt, and based upon your disposable income, repay a certain amount of that debt over a period of time for pennies on the dollar. You will have the option of keeping your secured debts or turning them back in to your lender. Priority Unsecured Debts will not be affected and must be paid in full.

Ticket In/Ticket Out

In order to file for bankruptcy you will need to first complete a debtor education course, commonly referred to as a “Ticket In”. Our office will be happy to provide you with a list of organizations in this area that provide these services.

Before your bankruptcy can be completed, you will need to go through another education class, commonly referred to as the “Ticket Out” In keeping with our goals listed above, our office pays for our clients to attend their “Ticket Out” class online through Dave Ramsey’s FPU. Mr. Ramsey is a Christian Financial Advisor that teaches a course about finances. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU COMPLETE HIS COURSE BEFORE CONSIDEREING FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY.

What happens when you are no longer here? Without proper estate planning, there is a bit of uncertainty in your answer. Our office offers an estate packet consisting of the following documents:

· Will
· Living Will
· Power of Attorney
· Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions

Cost for this package is generally $300.00, but may increase due to complexities.

Before coming in, consider the following:

· Do you know who you want to serve as your executor?
· What about your minor children, who will be their guardian(link)?
· Is there a certain item you want to make sure someone gets (i.e. Granddad's shotgun to your son or Great Aunt's pearls to your daughter)?
· You may also want to create a trust to ensure that your children are taken care of in the future.

In your living, will we can ask that if you are in a persistent vegetative state with no appreciable chance of recovery, that life support be withheld. We can also appoint whomever you wish to make healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to do so.

Guardian

For young parents, it’s especially important that you choose a guardian for your children. The following may be helpful when making this determination:

· Is the party willing to accept the responsibility?
· Is the party financially able to accept the responsibility?
· Does the person agree with your religious or moral beliefs?
· Does the person agree with your policy of discipline and education?
· Does the party have adequate room in their home?

I generally recommend that you elect one person to serve as your guardian instead of a couple. Couples divorce, and you do not want your children (and your estate) to be the subject of litigation.

For clients with assets in excess of one million dollars, we generally associate with the Law Office of Patrick Mason, one of Memphis’ premier estate planners.

Your personal injury case is probably unique in every aspect. In light of these, we offer a free consultation to determine whether or not you have a case.

Unlike others, our goal is not to keep you out of Court; our goal is to get you the compensation that you deserve. If that means going to trial, then we are prepared, willing and able to go to trial on your behalf.

MOST PERSONAL INJURY CASES HAVE A ONE YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. IT IS URGENT THAT YOU CONTACT US PRIOR TO THIS DEADLINE.

201 Poplar is a nightmare. It was designed to hold trials for prisoners and serve as a jail for Shelby County. For some reason, the City Courts that handle traffic matters were, also, placed inside this building. This means that when your forget to re-tag your car, speed, or run a red light, you have to report to 201 Poplar.

Not only that, but you get to pay for parking, wait in line to go through the metal detectors, and wait in line with 300 other citizens for traffic court; all while surrounded by those awaiting trial in Criminal Court.

As a service to our clients, we regularly appear in traffic court on your behalf. This saves you the trouble of attending Court and preserves your driving record. Generally, we are able to secure a deal with the prosecutor to dismiss your case, dismiss your case with court cost, or place you on probation for a period of 6 months. Every case is different, and we are not able to guarantee any results in this or any other area of the law.

Our fee to handle your traffic ticket is generally less than what you would pay for the ticket. Call us today to see what we can do for you.

Our office would like the opportunity to represent you in either your plaintiff or defense case. Mr. Jones has handled cases ranging from dog bites to jury trials. No two cases are alike, and we welcome the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss the various strengths and weaknesses of your case.

If you have a specific need in a coverage area that we have not listed, please call us and we will let you know if we handle your specific type of case. In many cases, we may not be able to help you. However, we will happily refer you to an attorney that either specializes or has a steadfast reputation in your area of need.

Mr. Jones has been both a landlord and a tenant, and he understands the various problems and concerns that can present themselves in this area of the law.

Landlords:

We can help you design a contract for the lease of your property that protects you and your investment. In Tennessee, an action to remove a tennant from a residence and recover unpaid rent is referred to as a F-E-D. We can help you get your tenant out and the house back in your control. If you own numerous rental houses or an apartment complex, let us know. It may entitle you to a discount on your legal fees.

Tenants:

Your landlord is going to hold you to your lease. Let us help you make sure he or she is adhering to the agreement, as well. If you think you are wrongfully being evicted, call us now for an appointment.

If you have been the victim of Identify Theft, you need to call the police and file a report immediately. Doing so will make the process far smoother.

We can help you fill out the various bank affidavits and clear up your credit report. Your credit is an integral part of your financial success; don’t let a stranger take it from you. Let us help you. Give us a call now.

Adoptions are one of the true joys of being an Attorney. It is one of those rare opportunities in the law were everyone is happy. Whether you’re a step-parent wanting to adopt your child or a couple wanting to adopt a child, we can help.

Some things to consider before starting the adoption process are child support and inheritance. Let us discuss these options with you ahead of time so you can make the best decisions for you and your future family.

If you need assistance in Juvenile Court regarding visitation or child support, we can assist you. It is imperative that you let us know if you have ever filed any documents in Juvenile Court or if you have ever asked for any type of state or local assistance such as food stamps. If so, you may be entitled to representation or assistance from a 4D Attorney.

A prenuptial agreement is a document that sets out how your assets will be divided at either death or divorce. These documents are entered into prior to the marriage and, if in place and executed properly, they can save you dramatic legal fees down the road.

A prenuptial agreement cannot define what child support will be in the event of a divorce. The most important aspect of a prenuptial agreement is disclosure of ALL of your assets to your spouse-to-be.