Blog
July 9, 2018
According to the rules of ordinary usage of the English language, accidents, strictly speaking, are no one’s fault in that no one intentionally causes them. In a court of law, however, it is necessary to assign a degree of fault for an accident, known as liability, to a person or […]
July 5, 2018
Consumer debt is so prevalent in American society that most people just accept it as a fact of life. You make monthly payments on home mortgages, student loans, car loans, and credit card debt and look forward to the day when you can finally pay off one of the debts. […]
June 28, 2018
If you are old enough to have watched the O.J. Simpson trial on television in 1995, you probably remember the discussion about several pieces of evidence that influenced the jury’s decision, such as a glove found at the crime scene and DNA obtained from blood stains. While physical evidence is […]
June 26, 2018
One factor that determines whether an accident was simply the result of bad luck or whether it is grounds for a personal injury lawsuit is if there is evidence of negligence on the part of someone other than the injured party that caused the accident. Duty of care means that […]
June 22, 2018
Unfortunately, many individuals experience personal injuries that require a lot of time to heal and require multiple doctor visits, surgeries, and – our least favorite part – a lot of money to pay for. Read on and consider the following scenario regarding someone whose quality of life was dwindling because […]
June 20, 2018
The worst thing about serious injuries is not what happens in the first days and weeks after they happen. It is the way the injury changes your life after you have finished treatment for the acute injury. It may be the frequent headaches or unpredictable anxiety attacks. It is no […]
June 13, 2018
People have always told you that you have a great mind for business, but what do they mean by that? Do they mean that you carefully weigh risks and opportunity costs before you decide to commit money for a project? Do they mean that you are unusually observant about people’s […]
June 5, 2018
As a small business owner, you have probably developed a number of time-saving strategies. Using standard forms of documents, such as invoice templates and form letters, has probably allowed your business to accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time. Contracts, however, are too important to assign to a […]
June 1, 2018
Abby Hammes, a paralegal at O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys, recently spent several days in days in Washington, D.C. as part of the MN/ND/SD Chapter of the ALS Association. Abby’s mother, Renee Bernier, was diagnosed with ALS in 2015 and passed away from complications of the disease in December 2017. The […]
May 30, 2018
Three partners of law firm O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys in Fargo recently attended the 15th Annual American Association of Justice (AAJ) Leaders Forum Retreat hosted in County Wicklow, Ireland.
May 16, 2018
The nature of business is changing rapidly in the United States. While owning one’s own business or being one’s own boss may still be a big part of the American dream, businesses take many forms. A recent article by Rachel Paige King describes how career advice books released over the […]
May 14, 2018
Is DUI a felony in North Dakota? Can you go to jail for drunk driving? What happens if you get more than three DUIs? Do the penalties change according to whether a passenger is in the car with you when you get stopped for DUI? If you get pulled over […]
May 9, 2018
There is a whole industry of offering services to small businesses. If you do an online search for almost any question related to your business, you will find advertisements for products and services marketed to small business owners. From accounting software to productivity apps to executive life coaching, it is […]
May 3, 2018
Young children see the world as a place to play, but their parents always have their eyes open for danger. A child sees a fun park to play in, while a parent worries about fire ants lurking in ant hills and broken bones that could be suffered if the kids […]
May 1, 2018
Most of the time, people like to take pictures of happy occasions such as holidays, weddings, vacations, and buying a new car. Of course, in the age of smartphones, almost everything is an occasion for a picture, from an omelet that turned out just right to a baby’s 379th smile. […]
April 25, 2018
April is Distracted Driving Month, dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and the laws in place to prevent people from making themselves vulnerable to distractions while driving. You are more likely to cause a car accident if you are unable to concentrate on driving, and the […]
April 23, 2018
Nursing homes have a duty to care for people who are too ill to live independently and who require more care than their family members can provide for them at home. No one expects patients in nursing homes to make a miraculous recovery, but the nurses and other staff members […]
April 19, 2018
The first decision you have to make when you establish a business, whether in North Dakota or in any other state, is to choose a business structure. When you read the definitions of the business structures, it seems simple, but each business structure has its own fairly complex set of […]
April 17, 2018
The North Dakota Supreme Court recently issued an opinion that clarifies the rules for contractors about when they need to obtain a contractor’s license and the risks they face if they are not properly licensed. Importantly, the decision makes clear that a contractor is not entitled to recover for services […]
April 9, 2018
It is possible, at least in theory, to learn to do almost anything just by finding the instructions online or watching a tutorial on YouTube. Type “how to” into a Google search, and you will find instructions on everything from how to tie a tie to how to learn a […]
April 5, 2018
For those parents with minor children, one of the most important decisions that they must make is deciding who should be appointed guardian to take care of their children in the event that the child becomes an orphan. This process is referred to as the conservator or guardianship process. Deciding […]
April 3, 2018
Sexting has become very popular amongst teenagers in recent years since so many now have smartphones. Some teenagers think that sending sexually explicit photos of themselves to others is harmless, while others seem to be pressured into doing so by their peer group. Sexting, however, can result in some very […]
March 28, 2018
For blacksmiths, machinists, farm equipment dealers, construction equipment dealers, welders, garage keepers, mechanics, or aviation operators with an established place of business in North Dakota who have not received sufficient payment after providing services, there are few options that are as effective as a repairman’s lien, which allows a party […]
March 26, 2018
Trade secrets are the ins and outs of a company’s operations that those companies have the right to keep as their private intellectual property. In many cases, employers have spent a large amount of money in hiring, training, and retaining employees. When employees transfer to another employer, there is a […]
March 22, 2018
Most people who are contemplating divorce often have the misguided perception that their decision will mean that they have to endure a long, drawn-out legal battle filled with stressful court appearances and the uncertainty of leaving their lives in the hands of a Judge. However, did you know that approximately […]