| Volume 143 Number 85 |
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
When it’s getting down to the end of the month, if people have exhausted personal loans through their bank or credit union, they may be putting more on their credit card, or getting a cash advance. And then they might turn to payday loans. Check out the real cost of any loan before you sign, and learn more about payday lending. Click here for more.
Lord & Taylor to permanently close due to COVID-19 pandemic
Lord & Taylor has announced that it’s going out of business after 194 years, the latest in a string of retail casualties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, the department store chain announced that it would be closing its remaining 38 stores. The company previously said it would keep 14 locations open, but it’s now abandoning that plan. Lord & Taylor, a former purveyor of high-end fashion, initially filed for bankruptcy on August 2. At the time, the chain said it would close just 19 stores. A few weeks later, it said it would close 24 stores. Now, the company says it will be closing all of its stores for good. Click here for more.
Your Money
So you want to be a millionaire? Saving $1 million is a lofty goal, but it can be attainable for folks who start early, reduce expenses and choose appropriate investments and savings accounts. If you're looking to steadily climb your way toward millionaire status, here are steps to increase your savings, reduce spending and reach your goals. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Deceptive meeting voids law firm’s arbitration clause. A Texas appellate court has declined to enforce an arbitration clause in a dispute between an automobile crash victim and a law firm, finding the trial judge had enough evidence to determine the man was "tricked" into signing a contract that contained an arbitration provision. A Fifth Court of Appeals panel upheld the ruling in favor of injured motorist Eric Herman, declining to send the dispute with Law Firm PLLC to arbitration. Herman had alleged a non-attorney representative of the firm met with him for less than 10 minutes at a McDonald's, told him the paperwork he was asked to sign was not a contract, and refused to provide Herman a copy. In fact, what Herman signed was actually a lawyer-client agreement, in which he agreed to arbitrate any dispute with the law firm, and which entitled the firm to a contingency fee of 35% to 48% of any recovery in his collision suit, according to the opinion. Daspit Law Firm PLLC v. Eric Herman and Law Offices of Anjel K. Avant PLLC, dba Avant Law Firm, case number 05-19-00615-cv, in the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas Click here for more.