law-office-of-christina-m-phillips

No Permit Required to Carry a Firearm in Indiana

christina.phillipslaw@gmail.com (Christina Phillips) — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 16:11:25 GMT

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Good morning Hoosiers! Specifically, my 2nd Amendment advocates!

Beginning July 1, 2022, residents of Indiana are no longer required to have a permit to carry a firearm unless they are prevented from carrying altogether. The list of individuals unable to do so can be found in Section 9 of HEA 1296 . This means you cannot be charged with carrying a handgun without a license; rather, the crime will become unlawful possession of a firearm.

The enactment of this new law poses an interesting question: Is it retroactive? (meaning, can you go back and get rid of a conviction for carrying without a license prior to the enactment of this law). While statutes are not generally retroactive, there are exceptions where a statute fixes a defect or mischief in the prior law. Arguably, the permit requirement was a mischief that interfered with "lawful Hoosiers" defending themselves. It will be interesting to see how this plays out across the State.

Notably, the law ONLY applies inside the State of Indiana. If you carry outside the State of Indiana, you'll still need that permit for reciprocity.

If you have questions about Indiana's new firearm laws and how those laws affect you, give us a call.

http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1296#document-21f4b4d7

Indiana sues Google

christina.phillipslaw@gmail.com (Christina Phillips) — Tue, 31 May 2022 17:01:39 GMT

Privacy and Location Data

The State of Indiana has sued tech-giant, Google, LLC for allegedly deceiving consumers about how their locations are tracked and used. The State of Indiana’s Complaint relies on Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act , which protects “consumers from suppliers who commit deceptive and unconscionable sales acts” and encourages “the development of fair consumer sales practices.” The State’s Complaint alleges that although consumers are supposed to be able to stop Google’s tracking and use of their location by opting out, there is, in fact, no way to prevent the tech-giant from harvesting and profiting from consumers’ location data. The Complaint alleges Google is grossly misleading consumers in violation of the DCSA and the State seeks injunctive relief, along with consumer restitution and civil penalties for each alleged violation.

Top 5 DO NOT'S from a Divorce Attorney

christina.phillipslaw@gmail.com (Christina Phillips) — Thu, 26 May 2022 16:25:33 GMT

Just Don't...

Top 5 "DO NOT's" from a divorce lawyer:

#1. (and it's #1 for a reason!) DO NOT post on social media! Even Pinterest boards can be used in court (yea, that was interesting). If you don't want to pause your account during the pendency of your divorce, remember that nothing is private, and these things are admissible in Court.

#2. DO NOT argue/call each other names/etc... via text message. You shouldn't do this anyway, but, most especially via text. Text messages are also admissible in Court. The best response to disparaging texts is no response at all.

#3. DO NOT hide the existence of social media posts and text messages from your lawyer! We hate surprises! If there are potentially damaging things out there, tell/show us so we can prepare how to respond when the time comes.

#4. DO NOT try to hide assets. It will only end up costing you more in the end because trust me...it will be found. And when it's found, you will be sanctioned (usually in the form of paying your ex more money and paying their attorney fees).

#5. DO NOT proceed without an attorney. Especially if the other side has one. An attorney is invaluable in negotiating a fair settlement, or representing your interests if an agreement cannot be reached. I cannot count the number of client's who have come to me after signing an agreement drafted by the other side's attorney and really wished they hadn't. Remember, the other side's attorney represents their client's interests, not yours.

That's where we come in. We are well versed in family law and will make sure you get the representation and resolution you deserve. Give us a call and schedule your free consultation today.

Bias Against Fathers

christina.phillipslaw@gmail.com (Christina Phillips) — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 16:36:10 GMT

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The Benefits of Estate Planning

christina.phillipslaw@gmail.com (Christina Phillips) — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 16:50:37 GMT

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Co-Parenting: You Keep Saying That Word...

christina.phillipslaw@gmail.com (Christina Phillips) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:29:56 GMT

Co-Parenting: Not so Inconceivable

What is Co-Parenting? Parents, who aren't together, who are raising a child together. Seems pretty straight-forward, right? Easy enough. Then, why is it so hard?

After particularly hostile custody hearings I have often wondered why it is so hard for parents to co-parent, to work together for the benefit of their child(ren). Are we expecting too much out of these parents? Is it such an impossible feat--to co-parent civilly? In some cases, maybe. But, mostly, it's really not.

Now, I'll be the first to say that I have a touch of vindictiveness--that drive to "get even" when I believe I have been wronged. (this dates back to the sibling prank war of 1999--good times!). But, when parents play this game, and yes, it is a game, it is the kids that ultimately suffer.

My parents divorced when I was 2 or 3. I have little to no memory of them being together. However, I do have plenty of memories about how much they hated each other as I grew up (I know grammar nazis...I ended a sentence with a preposition!). My parents are both good people. They loved my brother and I unconditionally, but hated each other with nuclear capacity, and it showed. I honestly believe disparaging each other became a game for them. I would laugh along, conspiratorially as my dad made a derogatory remark about my mom, and mom and I would laugh together when she told me my dad was a jackass. It was all fun and laughs. But, in between the laughs, it put me in a very awkward spot. My parents weren't doing this to hurt me, but that doesn't mean it didn't. It took many years for me to develop, what I feel, is a good relationship with both of my parents (who still dislike each other a great deal, by the way). While I was growing up, I never felt comfortable talking about the fun I had at dad's house, with my mom, and vice versa. I felt like I was somehow being disloyal, or that I would make them mad by telling mom about riding the four-wheeler at dads, or sharing with dad the excitement of mom getting a pool. It became so ingrained that I find myself still doing this as an adult. And isn't that just a little sad? As an adult, I learned that my dad used to come to my softball games without telling me, and would leave before I knew he was there so there would be no confrontation with my mom. This literally broke my heart, and I think about it a lot when I see my clients headed down that road. Co-parenting wasn't a thing back them, so they get a free pass, right? On the other hand, maybe we should moderate our expectations of what co-parenting really is.

My husband and I have been happily married for a long time. (Just ask him. He'll tell you being married to me is just bliss!) We have two beautiful (hell-raising) children who constantly keep us on our toes. My husband and I, we genuinely like each other (most of the time!) and we still struggle with the concept of co-parenting. Yet, we expect people who often hate each other (sometimes with nuclear capacity) to agree on how to raise a child. Perhaps some of our expectations are too high, but I believe as parents, we can do better. It's difficult to take the high road, oh boy is it difficult (more so for some of us than others....) especially when a return slap is richly deserved (*disclaimer--do NOT slap anyone!). But, the next time it happens, take a deep breath and remember, your kids are looking to you to set the example, plus, the judge gets pretty grumpy when this stuff pops up in the courtroom. Celebrate in your kids' joys, whether that joy was with you or the other parent. Your kids need both parents to be present for sporting events, dance recitals, prom and graduations, and they need you to swallow your hatred for awhile and pretend to co-parent. Because at the end of the day, we fake it till we make it. And if you have to pretend, you pretend. Grin, bear it, then call up your lawyer with "you won't believe what this POS said/did today..." because that's how we make our student loan payments :)

Also, it doesn't stop there. Someday, your child may have children of their own and the cycle will play out once again, just in a different setting. Cause if your kids turn out to be anything like my brother and I, there will not be separate birthday parties for your grandkids.

**Climbs off soap-box.

Welcome to our new website!

websites@8am.com (Professional Websites) — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 21:11:05 GMT

Welcome to our new website! This site has been professionally designed to be responsive and mobile friendly, so it looks great and is accessible no matter what type or size of device you are using.

Our new website also has an integrated Client Portal, meaning you are able to access your case documents, correspondence, and calendars directly from our website!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.