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Did you know that spinal cord injuries are one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States? Each year, more than 12,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury. Many of these injuries occur at sea. In this blog post, we will discuss how spinal cord injuries happen on vessels, and what you need to do if you or a loved one is injured.

What is a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that can occur when the spinal cord is damaged. The spinal cord is a long, thin bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of the back, from the brain to the lower back. It is responsible for carrying messages between the brain and the rest of the body. SCIs can be caused by a variety of things, including catastrophic falls, maritime accidents, and offshore oil rig explosions. However, one of the most common causes of SCI is diving into shallow water. When someone dives into water that is too shallow, they can hit their head on the bottom, causing their spine to snap. This can result in paralysis, loss of sensation, and even death. While diving accidents are relatively rare, they can be devastating when they occur.

How does Spinal Cord Injuries Happen on Vessels

Spinal cord injuries on vessels most commonly occur due to catastrophic falls, either overboard or from a height on the vessel itself. Additionally, traumatic events such as collisions or explosions can cause severe damage to the spine, leading to paralysis. Maritime workers who suffer spinal cord injuries often require years of rehabilitation and may never fully recover. In some cases, paralysis can lead to death if the individual is unable to breathe properly. For these reasons, it is essential for all maritime workers to be aware of the risks of spinal cord injuries and take steps to prevent them. Wearing life jackets and safety harnesses when working on deck is one of the best ways to protect oneself from serious injury in the event of a fall. Additionally, maintaining a safe working environment and being aware of potential hazards can help reduce the risk of an accident.

What are the Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury

The most common symptom of a spinal cord injury is paralysis, which can occur either in the arms and legs (quadriplegia/tetraplegia) or in the legs only (paraplegia). Other symptoms may include loss of sensation, loss of bowel and bladder control, and sexual dysfunction. In some cases, there may also be respiratory problems. SCIs can range from mild to severe, depending on the extent of the damage. Treatment typically involves physical therapy and rehabilitation, as well as medication to manage pain and other symptoms. In some cases, surgery may also be necessary.

How is a Spinal Cord Injury Treated

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the treatment of a spinal cord injury will vary depending on the nature and severity of the injury. However, there are some common treatment approaches that can be used to help improve function and quality of life for people with a spinal cord injury. These include:

For more information on spinal cord injuries, please visit the United Spinal Association website.

Contact a Top-Rated Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer at Morrow & Sheppard LLP

If you or your loved one suffers a spinal cord injury while on a vessel, it is important to seek legal help right away. An experienced spinal injury lawyer at Morrow & Sheppard LLP can help you file a claim and get the compensation you deserve for injuries and losses.

Did you know that spinal cord injuries are one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States? Each year, more than 12,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury. Many of these injuries occur at sea. In this blog post, we will discuss how spinal cord injuries happen on vessels, and what you need to do if you or a loved one is injured.

What is a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that can occur when the spinal cord is damaged. The spinal cord is a long, thin bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of the back, from the brain to the lower back. It is responsible for carrying messages between the brain and the rest of the body. SCIs can be caused by a variety of things, including catastrophic falls, maritime accidents, and offshore oil rig explosions. However, one of the most common causes of SCI is diving into shallow water. When someone dives into water that is too shallow, they can hit their head on the bottom, causing their spine to snap. This can result in paralysis, loss of sensation, and even death. While diving accidents are relatively rare, they can be devastating when they occur.

How does Spinal Cord Injuries Happen on Vessels

Spinal cord injuries on vessels most commonly occur due to catastrophic falls, either overboard or from a height on the vessel itself. Additionally, traumatic events such as collisions or explosions can cause severe damage to the spine, leading to paralysis. Maritime workers who suffer spinal cord injuries often require years of rehabilitation and may never fully recover. In some cases, paralysis can lead to death if the individual is unable to breathe properly. For these reasons, it is essential for all maritime workers to be aware of the risks of spinal cord injuries and take steps to prevent them. Wearing life jackets and safety harnesses when working on deck is one of the best ways to protect oneself from serious injury in the event of a fall. Additionally, maintaining a safe working environment and being aware of potential hazards can help reduce the risk of an accident.

What are the Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury

The most common symptom of a spinal cord injury is paralysis, which can occur either in the arms and legs (quadriplegia/tetraplegia) or in the legs only (paraplegia). Other symptoms may include loss of sensation, loss of bowel and bladder control, and sexual dysfunction. In some cases, there may also be respiratory problems. SCIs can range from mild to severe, depending on the extent of the damage. Treatment typically involves physical therapy and rehabilitation, as well as medication to manage pain and other symptoms. In some cases, surgery may also be necessary.

How is a Spinal Cord Injury Treated

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the treatment of a spinal cord injury will vary depending on the nature and severity of the injury. However, there are some common treatment approaches that can be used to help improve function and quality of life for people with a spinal cord injury. These include:

For more information on spinal cord injuries, please visit the United Spinal Association website.

Contact a Top-Rated Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer at Morrow & Sheppard LLP

If you or your loved one suffers a spinal cord injury while on a vessel, it is important to seek legal help right away. An experienced spinal injury lawyer at Morrow & Sheppard LLP can help you file a claim and get the compensation you deserve for injuries and losses.

The law firms have named teams of lawyers to the task force, which also includes prominent international human rights lawyer Clooney, as well as a former president of the U.K. Supreme Court and the head of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute.

     

City of Dallas v. Homan

City of Dallas v. Homan

The Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library is pleased to announce that Joseph D. Lawson has been named the new Director of the Law Library.

Joe is no stranger to the Law Library or its community partners. He joined the Law Library in 2014, after acting as Law Librarian for the Fort Bend County Law Library. As Deputy Director, Joe sought to increase access to the justice system and legal information for the thousands of patrons, self-represented litigants and attorneys alike, that passed through the Law Library’s doors. Recognizing the need for lawyers (and the public) to be more technologically savvy, Joe established and directed the Legal Tech Institute, a series of free learning opportunities focused on legal technology, designed for everyone from tech novices to tech wizards. He even engineered STAN (Synchronous Touchless Assistive Node), the virtual presence device that enabled library staff to safely interact with patrons during the pandemic. Seeking to broaden the Law Library’s visibility in the community, he designed and maintained the library’s website and social media presence and launched Ex Libris Juris, the Law Library’s blog in January 2016. At the same time, he managed marketing and outreach efforts to the legal community and public patrons and served on the Houston Bar Association’s Law Library, Law Week, and Historical Committees.

Joe’s involvement with law libraries and its services is not limited to the work that he has performed on behalf of the Law Library. Joe is currently the Chair of the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting Program Committee and has presented at the AALL Annual Meeting on numerous occasions. For his hard work, Joe received the Emerging Leader Award from AALL in 2017 and the President’s Award from the HBA in 2021. He is a frequent contributor to AALL publications, including AALL Spectrum, which featured his two-part article, “Teaching Legal Tech Is Not Optional,” in its January/February and March/April 2021 editions.

Joe, who assumed his new position in March 2022, follows in the footsteps of Mariann Sears. Mariann, who has taken on a new role as the Operations Manager/Director Emerita, served as the Law Library Director for the last 10 years, seeing the library through a period of great transition. The Law Library became part of the Harris County Attorney’s Office and relocated from the 17th to the 1st floor. Patron traffic, resource usage, and community support for the Law Library increased significantly, as the Law Library grew into a vibrant and essential resource for the residents of Harris County. The Law Library is appreciative of Mariann’s leadership, vitality, and vision and for recognizing the essential role that the Law Library fills in the community.

As Joe begins his tenure as the Law Library Director, his initiatives and ideas will build on the solid foundation established by Mariann. Joe’s own energy and vision for the future of the Law Library, including his ideas for expanded services and greater access to resources throughout Harris County, are sure to lead the Law Library in new and exciting directions.

The Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library is pleased to announce that Joseph D. Lawson has been named the new Director of the Law Library.

Joe is no stranger to the Law Library or its community partners. He joined the Law Library in 2014, after acting as Law Librarian for the Fort Bend County Law Library. As Deputy Director, Joe sought to increase access to the justice system and legal information for the thousands of patrons, self-represented litigants and attorneys alike, that passed through the Law Library’s doors. Recognizing the need for lawyers (and the public) to be more technologically savvy, Joe established and directed the Legal Tech Institute, a series of free learning opportunities focused on legal technology, designed for everyone from tech novices to tech wizards. He even engineered STAN (Synchronous Touchless Assistive Node), the virtual presence device that enabled library staff to safely interact with patrons during the pandemic. Seeking to broaden the Law Library’s visibility in the community, he designed and maintained the library’s website and social media presence and launched Ex Libris Juris, the Law Library’s blog in January 2016. At the same time, he managed marketing and outreach efforts to the legal community and public patrons and served on the Houston Bar Association’s Law Library, Law Week, and Historical Committees.

Joe’s involvement with law libraries and its services is not limited to the work that he has performed on behalf of the Law Library. Joe is currently the Chair of the American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting Program Committee and has presented at the AALL Annual Meeting on numerous occasions. For his hard work, Joe received the Emerging Leader Award from AALL in 2017 and the President’s Award from the HBA in 2021. He is a frequent contributor to AALL publications, including AALL Spectrum, which featured his two-part article, “Teaching Legal Tech Is Not Optional,” in its January/February and March/April 2021 editions.

Joe, who assumed his new position in March 2022, follows in the footsteps of Mariann Sears. Mariann, who has taken on a new role as the Operations Manager/Director Emerita, served as the Law Library Director for the last 10 years, seeing the library through a period of great transition. The Law Library became part of the Harris County Attorney’s Office and relocated from the 17th to the 1st floor. Patron traffic, resource usage, and community support for the Law Library increased significantly, as the Law Library grew into a vibrant and essential resource for the residents of Harris County. The Law Library is appreciative of Mariann’s leadership, vitality, and vision and for recognizing the essential role that the Law Library fills in the community.

As Joe begins his tenure as the Law Library Director, his initiatives and ideas will build on the solid foundation established by Mariann. Joe’s own energy and vision for the future of the Law Library, including his ideas for expanded services and greater access to resources throughout Harris County, are sure to lead the Law Library in new and exciting directions.

Cryptocurrencies might, simplistically, be defined as virtual currencies that use cryptography to secure transactions which are digitally recorded on a widely distributed ledger.  The ledger technology uses independent digital systems to timestamp and harmonize transactions. The cryptocurrencies associated with a ledger are often called “coins” or “tokens”.

Cryptocurrency can be acquired in multiple ways.  This post covers only common methods, such as purchase, gift, or airdrop following a hard fork.  A hard fork occurs when a ledger is subject to modifications that “break” compatibility with an earlier protocol; in other words, each leg of the fork follows different “rules” so the blockchain ledger is split into an original chain and new chain. Hard forks sometimes result in the creation of a new cryptocurrency.  An airdrop is a method of distributing cryptocurrency units to the ledger addresses of individual taxpayers. Airdrops sometimes, but not always, follow hard forks. While blockchain technology is interesting, and an elementary understanding of its technological mechanics is useful, it is the tax consequences of the receipt and disposition of cryptocurrency which is the subject of this post.

Tax Basis

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) views virtual currencies as property.  Under the Code, property will have a tax basis.  A taxpayer’s basis in cryptocurrency is typically the amount spent to acquire it, inclusive of fees, commissions and acquisition costs.  However, the tax bases of cryptocurrencies can also depend on the method by which it is acquired:

Select Income Recognition Issues

Cryptocurrency from an airdrop is considered received when recorded by the ledger, but the lack of recordation may not prevent income recognition if facts suggest a taxpayer has constructive receipt of the cryptocurrency.  If a taxpayer gains the right to sell or transfer a cryptocurrency, then the taxpayer almost certainly includes the value of the cryptocurrency in income when those rights arise, because those rights give the holder dominion and control over the underlying asset.  The IRS has published guidance that amplifies Rev. Rul. 2019-24, where taxpayers had income without an airdrop because there was a classic accession to wealth via dominion and control over cryptocurrency.

Interestingly, taxpayers should consider what actions constitute dominion and control over cryptocurrency.  Consider the receipt of cryptocurrency from an unsolicited airdrop. Cash method taxpayers usually include items providing gross income in the year of constructive receipt.  Despite that, the IRS has provided that in some cases where taxpayers receive unsolicited property (otherwise includable in gross income under Code Section 61), such property is only accounted for in income if the taxpayer displays acceptance of the property by factually exercising control over the property.

Taxpayers should also consider gain recognition upon disposition of cryptocurrencies, and the application of the net investment income tax to such a disposition.  As an example, assume a taxpayer realizes $100 in gross income from the time the taxpayer exercises dominion and control over chain split coins.  Using the basis rules above, the taxpayer’s basis in the chain split coins is $100.  The taxpayer later disposes of the chain split coins for $170.  The $70 gain on disposition is an item of gross income, but may also be subject to the net investment income tax under Code Section 1411.  This is because some cryptocurrency might be classified as a “commodity” under Code Section 475(e)(2)(A).  In other words, the net investment income tax may apply to the disposition of certain cryptocurrencies because of the combination of Code Sections 475 and 1092.

The comments relate only to a small sample of cryptocurrency tax issues.  Future guidance is expected from the IRS and individual state taxing authorities and has been specifically requested by many tax practitioners and tax practitioner groups.

Cryptocurrencies might, simplistically, be defined as virtual currencies that use cryptography to secure transactions which are digitally recorded on a widely distributed ledger.  The ledger technology uses independent digital systems to timestamp and harmonize transactions. The cryptocurrencies associated with a ledger are often called “coins” or “tokens”.

Cryptocurrency can be acquired in multiple ways.  This post covers only common methods, such as purchase, gift, or airdrop following a hard fork.  A hard fork occurs when a ledger is subject to modifications that “break” compatibility with an earlier protocol; in other words, each leg of the fork follows different “rules” so the blockchain ledger is split into an original chain and new chain. Hard forks sometimes result in the creation of a new cryptocurrency.  An airdrop is a method of distributing cryptocurrency units to the ledger addresses of individual taxpayers. Airdrops sometimes, but not always, follow hard forks. While blockchain technology is interesting, and an elementary understanding of its technological mechanics is useful, it is the tax consequences of the receipt and disposition of cryptocurrency which is the subject of this post.

Tax Basis

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) views virtual currencies as property.  Under the Code, property will have a tax basis.  A taxpayer’s basis in cryptocurrency is typically the amount spent to acquire it, inclusive of fees, commissions and acquisition costs.  However, the tax bases of cryptocurrencies can also depend on the method by which it is acquired:

Select Income Recognition Issues

Cryptocurrency from an airdrop is considered received when recorded by the ledger, but the lack of recordation may not prevent income recognition if facts suggest a taxpayer has constructive receipt of the cryptocurrency.  If a taxpayer gains the right to sell or transfer a cryptocurrency, then the taxpayer almost certainly includes the value of the cryptocurrency in income when those rights arise, because those rights give the holder dominion and control over the underlying asset.  The IRS has published guidance that amplifies Rev. Rul. 2019-24, where taxpayers had income without an airdrop because there was a classic accession to wealth via dominion and control over cryptocurrency.

Interestingly, taxpayers should consider what actions constitute dominion and control over cryptocurrency.  Consider the receipt of cryptocurrency from an unsolicited airdrop. Cash method taxpayers usually include items providing gross income in the year of constructive receipt.  Despite that, the IRS has provided that in some cases where taxpayers receive unsolicited property (otherwise includable in gross income under Code Section 61), such property is only accounted for in income if the taxpayer displays acceptance of the property by factually exercising control over the property.

Taxpayers should also consider gain recognition upon disposition of cryptocurrencies, and the application of the net investment income tax to such a disposition.  As an example, assume a taxpayer realizes $100 in gross income from the time the taxpayer exercises dominion and control over chain split coins.  Using the basis rules above, the taxpayer’s basis in the chain split coins is $100.  The taxpayer later disposes of the chain split coins for $170.  The $70 gain on disposition is an item of gross income, but may also be subject to the net investment income tax under Code Section 1411.  This is because some cryptocurrency might be classified as a “commodity” under Code Section 475(e)(2)(A).  In other words, the net investment income tax may apply to the disposition of certain cryptocurrencies because of the combination of Code Sections 475 and 1092.

The comments relate only to a small sample of cryptocurrency tax issues.  Future guidance is expected from the IRS and individual state taxing authorities and has been specifically requested by many tax practitioners and tax practitioner groups.

Hints by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and predictions of additional scrutiny and required disclosure are coming to fruition with the new rules outlined by SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

     

2. Naming heirs in your will, may help to ensure that there is no discrepancy after your death. The very last thing you need is for your family members to fall out over who gets what if you’ve died. Your solicitor will be able to give you the advice you want. Solicitors form the most […]

The post Unknown Factual Statements About Journal of Legal Advice Online Unmasked By The Experts first appeared on Family in Law.

Katten Muchin Rosenman launches Katten Flex on Monday, which gives practice and department heads the responsibility to decide when people should come into the office.

     

"If not vacated en banc, the panel majority's opinion here will deepen the circuit split," Judge Carlos Bea wrote in a dissent joined by 10 other judges.

     

"The office was established to serve as a bridge between the legal talent available in Washington and the clients of the firm, who were increasingly asking for legal advice on topics such as antitrust and trade," said partner Thomas Ensign.

     

"Sarah's legal acumen, emotional intelligence, and passion for seeking justice have made her one of the leading civil rights attorneys in the nation," Southern Center for Human Rights Executive Director Terrica Redfield Ganzy said Thursday after the vote to confirm Sarah Geraghty's nomination to the Northern District of Georgia.

     

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has built a legacy in Orange County's legal community as a fierce patriot with an unorthodox, hands-on approach to his cases.

     

Luckily, due to advancements in technology, most industries were able to pivot to this "new normal" with relative ease, relying on email, video conferencing, instant messaging platforms and newer applications such as WhatsApp to stay in front of clients and conduct business.

     

Until now, one of the largest lateral team moves in the U.S. of the past two decades was around 30 lawyers from DLA Piper to McDermott Will & Emery in March 2018.

     

Why Justice Brett Kavanaugh's Ideal of "Scrupulous Neutrality" in Dobbs is a Pipe Dream

     

In case you are a mother or father who is going by way of a rocky and emotional divorce then you need to speak to a family legislation lawyer. Having family counseling sessions are great and might help the family communicate. A household doesn’t break up, it evolves over a time frame after a divorce. […]

The post The Lower Down on Freedom Lawyer Attorney Revealed first appeared on Family in Law.