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From: The HALT Staff ejournal at halt.org
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:02:00 -0800
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Subject: [Spam] The HALT EJournal

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The HALT Newsletter
An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform | January 29, 2007

Hello Roger,

Welcome to HALT's eJournal, a bimonthly
newsletter featuring updates on our recent activities,
nationwide legal news and helpful information for
legal consumers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this issue
* HALT Urges Public Disclosure in New Mexico
* Legal News Roundup
* HALT in the News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HALT Urges Public Disclosure in New Mexico

Prompted by a bar survey's startling results that high 
numbers of attorneys do not carry professional 
liability insurance, HALT Senior Counsel Suzanne M. 
Blonder submitted a letter to the editor of the 
New Mexico Bar Bulletin urging public 
disclosure of the insurance status of state attorneys.

State bars in 12 other states have adopted policies 
that make information about insurance coverage 
public.  "This important consumer safeguard allows 
clients to determine before they hire a lawyer 
whether they will ultimately be protected in the 
unfortunate instance that malpractice occurs," 
stated Blonder.  "Additionally, it also encourages 
greater numbers of attorneys to obtain coverage.

The Bar Bulletin published Ms. Blonder’s letter 
on January 15, and noted that they had forwarded a 
copy of our letter to the Lawyers Professional 
Liability Committee and the New Mexico Supreme 
Court "for consideration."  To read HALT’s letter and 
the Editor’s response, click 
here. (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.6lmoc7bab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nmbar.org%2FContent%2FNavigationMenu%2FPublications_Media%2FBar_Bulletin_%28BB%29%2FBB011507.pdf)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legal News Roundup

Mendocino County Offers Nighttime Small 
Claims Courts Hours
Mendocino County in California now offers nighttime 
small claims court hours on the first Wednesday 
evening of every month.  Designed with the goal of 
improving public accessibility, the court will offer five 
time slots per night for hearing cases, beginning at 
5:30 p.m.  The 
court operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through 
Friday.

Offering nighttime hours is one of the model practices 
HALT has identified to reform small claims courts.  In 
HALT's 2004 Small Claims Court Report Card, HALT 
applauded New York for offering nighttime hours in 
many counties, with some of the counties offering 
time slots until midnight.

“This is an opportunity, if two people have a dispute 
and they would like to come to court but not lose 
any work during the day, to come to small claims 
night court after work,” Court Executive Officer Ben 
Stough said.  “We’re hoping 
that more people will take advantage of it.”

To read more about the new night hours, click 
here. (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.5lmoc7bab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ukiahdailyjournal.com%2Flocal%2Fci_4925318)

New Mexico Aims to Reform Judicial 
Accountability
In response to a number of recent 
ethics scandals, New Mexico Governor Bill 
Richardson recently announced his support for a 
series of reforms that will clean up judicial ethics and 
state politics.  The reforms, which will be presented 
to the legislature in the upcoming months, include 
limitations on campaign contributions and gifts to 
officials, expanding the Governmental Conduct Act 
ethics law to include judges, and establishing a 
judicial ethics commission to investigate any 
complaints of corruption or public financing within 
judicial campaigns.

“New Mexicans expect a government that is honest 
and honorable.  Holding the highest ethical standards 
is our responsibility as public servants,” Richardson 
said.

The Santa Fe New Mexican has more on the 
proposed 
reforms. (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.4lmoc7bab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freenewmexican.com%2Fnews%2F54051.html)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HALT in the News

The following op-ed by Program Assistant Rachel 
Decker appeared in the Maryland Cumberland 
Times-News.  The op-ed stresses the 
importance of writing down end-of-life wishes in a 
living will, and also mentions HALT’s information 
about living wills on our Web site, which includes free 
living will forms for every state.

Living Wills Ensure Health Care Wishes 
Followed

By Rachel Decker 
Most of us will never forget Terri Schiavo's case, or 
her fate. Without a living will, the courts were 
responsible for making decisions regarding her medical 
care, never knowing what she really wanted. With 
her family in an uproar against her husband, it was a 
long, tiring and painful battle that could have been 
prevented.

The Schiavo case is a wake-up call for all of us. We 
must realize just how important it is to make our end-
of-life care wishes known in writing before-hand. 
Writing these wishes down means we prevent the 
courts from interfering in our medical and personal 
lives, preventing complicated battles such as the 
Schiavo conflict.

To read the rest of HALT's op-ed, click 
here.
 (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.ammoc7bab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.times-news.com%2Fopinion%2Flocal_story_338104633.html)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HALT's "Lifetimes" guide offers resources on estate 
planning and planned giving, with new articles and 
features every month. New this month:

Amid the frenzy of financial demands--such as 
ensuring the stability of everyday lifestyle needs and 
planning for a secure retirement--the simple wish to 
make a difference for others stands 
firm. (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.rjmu7xbab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wpg.cc%2Fstl%2FCDA%2FarticleList%2F1%2C1002%2C150-78%2C00.html)

Retirement plan assets are often overlooked as gifts 
to a charitable organization. If you participate in a 
qualified retirement plan and are willing to share the 
remaining balance with us when you are gone, you 
can gain meaningful tax advantages and be far more 
philanthropic than you might have ever 
imagined. (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.69nwv8bab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wpg.cc%2Fstl%2FCDA%2FarticleDetail%2F1%2C1001%2C150-1193%2C00.html)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HALT on the Web
Join HALT Now! - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.df5ws9n6.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halt.org%2Fjoin_halt%2F
Give to HALT! - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.ef5ws9n6.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halt.org%2Fgive_to_halt%2F
The Legal Reformer: HALT's Quarterly Newsletter - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.ff5ws9n6.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halt.org%2Fthe_legal_reformer%2F
Online Legal Self-Help Resources - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.gf5ws9n6.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halt.org%2Fself_help_resources%2F
HALT in the News - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.admvlybab.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halt.org%2Fabout_halt%2Fin_the_news%2F2006%2F
HALT's Reform Projects - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=9rvm88bab.0.if5ws9n6.jozwjwn6.2412&ts=S0226&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.halt.org%2Freform_projects%2F

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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