| Volume 76 Number 10 |
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Forward this news alert to your family and friends
Helpful Links
Texas Consumer Complaint Center
Credit Reports and Identity Theft
Your Guide to Small Claims Court
Contact Us
1-713-743-2168
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
A landlord has an obligation to change the locks on your doors whenever you request it. You may be charged the cost of making the change, but no additional fees. Click here for more.
Help for TaxMasters Clients
Did you pay a company called TaxMasters to help you settle your problems with the IRS?
Unfortunately for you and thousands of others, TaxMasters, a company that was successfully sued by the Attorney General’s office for misleading and deceptive acts and practices, has filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This means they are now out of business and the company’s assets will be liquidated. If money is available, creditors, including clients, will be paid or reimbursed some of what they are owed.
Over the next few weeks, all former TaxMasters clients should receive a letter from the Chapter 7 Trustee detailing all relevant information about the case and their rights. All former TaxMasters clients are urged to be on the lookout for the Trustee’s letter, and to read it carefully. TaxMasters clients must now work directly with the IRS or find someone else to assist them. To help former clients understand what is going on, what resources are available to assist them, and what steps to take next, the Center for Consumer Law at the University of Houston Law Center has set up a special “TaxMasters hotline.” Contact the Center by calling (877) 839-8422. Click here for more.
Protect Your Passwords from Hackers
Hackers want your passwords! However, simply knowing that hackers want your passwords isn't enough to prevent them from accessing your accounts. Even the most savvy Internet user can fall victim to hacker account breaches. Why? Every online security system has holes. Recently, 400,000 Yahoo email addresses and passwords were leaked to the Internet for the world to see. There was likely nothing that any of the individuals could have done to protect their accounts. However, many of them use the same password over multiple platforms, allowing the hackers to use that information to access much more sensitive accounts. Although it may be tedious, it is always best to have a different password for every account. Find out why! Click here for more.
Your Money
Want to buy a new car? In some cases, leasing may actually be a better option! Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Lawyer cannot enforce arbitration agreement in retainer contract. The Supreme Court of Louisiana held that an attorney could not enforce an arbitration clause when a former client sued him for malpractice. The plaintiff argued that the arbitration clause could not be enforced because the state’s rules of professional conduct prohibit lawyers from limiting liability to a client unless the client is independently represented by counsel when the retainer agreement is negotiated. The state supreme court rejected a per se rule against arbitration clauses in attorney-client retainer agreements. However, the court emphasized that such provisions must be “fair and reasonable” to the client. In this case, the court decided that the defendant’s arbitration clause was unenforceable because he failed to make the necessary disclosures to the plaintiff. Click here for more.