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Board Laywers- I have to testify in a minor incident

ImTheCaptain

I disagree with you
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A few months ago an envelope of my businesses mailed paychecks was stolen while en route between two of our offices. The bozo altered a few of the checks (with his own actual, real name) and attempted to cash them and was caught. We now do direct deposit.

The cops figured out who it was almost immediately by literally just facebooking the guy and checking camera footage and the bank reimbursed us within two weeks and I sort of forgot about it.

Now I have a subpoena to appear to testify next week. What do i need to do? just show up and give the details that were read to me off the police report? Do i need to get a lawyer for any reason?
 
I'm not a lawyer but am married to one
The DA/ADA should've been in contact with you to go over your testimony and unless you're the bozo in this case, you shouldn't need a lawyer
I don't know how it works in PA, but I can't imagine its that much different than NC in this regard.
Given that they got this guy dead to rights, it'll probably plead out and won't end up going to trial. (i.e. you won't really have to go to court) These kinds of things often happen last minute as the defense lawyer will be prodding to see what kind of deal he/she can get with "going to trial" as a threat. (i.e. give me a good deal or we'll go to trial and it's going to be a PITA for the prosecution )
 
asking lawyers whether you need a lawyer is like asking a realtor whether you need a realtor
 
That’s Realtor(r) with a capital R bub. Those professionals didn’t spend 4 weeks in online classes to suffer that degradation.
 
That’s Realtor(r) with a capital R bub. Those professionals didn’t spend 4 weeks in online classes to suffer that degradation.

I was so hopeful that the Internet would kill the Realtor "profession." At first, it only strengthened it, but now I'm hopeful that larger aggregated sites will spell doom for those fucking leaches.
 
I'm not a lawyer but am married to one
The DA/ADA should've been in contact with you to go over your testimony and unless you're the bozo in this case, you shouldn't need a lawyer
I don't know how it works in PA, but I can't imagine its that much different than NC in this regard.
Given that they got this guy dead to rights, it'll probably plead out and won't end up going to trial. (i.e. you won't really have to go to court) These kinds of things often happen last minute as the defense lawyer will be prodding to see what kind of deal he/she can get with "going to trial" as a threat. (i.e. give me a good deal or we'll go to trial and it's going to be a PITA for the prosecution )

thats the weird thing. i assumed i'd get a call from the DA, too, but nothing so far.
 
Yeah the buyer agent side seems increasingly unnecessary
 
thats the weird thing. i assumed i'd get a call from the DA, too, but nothing so far.

My guess (and only a guess)
It's a lazy/shitty ADA (almost certainly not the elected DA) or they know it's going to plead and don't want to waste their time (but should've called you anyway) or you're one of 30 witnesses they could call and don't expect that they will call (but again, should've contacted you).
The Subpoena should have some contact info on it (at least the Clerk of Court) who can answer your questions or get you in touch with the ADA who can
 
I was so hopeful that the Internet would kill the Realtor "profession." At first, it only strengthened it, but now I'm hopeful that larger aggregated sites will spell doom for those fucking leaches.

Just like any other profession, you pay people to do the work you don't want to do. If you want to track down home inspectors, coordinate with lenders and lawyers, and negotiate offers on your own, nothing is stopping you. But if you want someone with experience and resources to do a better or at least more efficient job than you could, you pay a Realtor. Are you advocating that people represent themselves in court, do their own electrical repairs, and cook all their own food? Those are all things that people could do on their own with some time and research, but most of the time people would rather just pay a lawyer, electrician, or chef at a restaurant to do it for them.
 
Yeah the buyer agent side seems increasingly unnecessary

They are both unnecessary. For Sale by Owner is proof of that.

However, there are a fucking ton of people who don't have the RAM to grok a real estate transaction, and a much smaller subset who think the cost is worth out-sourcing the labor, and an even smaller subset where that is actually the right call.

It just grinds my gears to see ~$15,000 of every $250,000 house purchase being shoveled onto some dumb piece of shit who is basically just a leach driving a new Mercedes/BMW.
 
They are both unnecessary. For Sale by Owner is proof of that.

However, there are a fucking ton of people who don't have the RAM to grok a real estate transaction, and a much smaller subset who think the cost is worth out-sourcing the labor, and an even smaller subset where that is actually the right call.

It just grinds my gears to see ~$15,000 of every $250,000 house purchase being shoveled onto some dumb piece of shit who is basically just a leach driving a new Mercedes/BMW.

This is a fine argument coming from a lawyer. It really bothers me to see 97% of a class action lawsuit settlement go to legal fees as well. I'm sure they are still driving around their '08 hatchbacks on their way to cash that check.
 
Selling side can be a big headache that a good realtor should be able to manage without homeowner involvement up till the point of a signing an offer acceptance. So I can understand the utility there even if I’m pretty much able to do it if I chose to.

Buying side - I’m doing pretty much all the work by necessity since it’s my aesthetic preferences, gathering my info and financing involvement. Back in the day they could show you listings and steer you to areas in your price range but there’s the internet now.
 
They are both unnecessary. For Sale by Owner is proof of that.

However, there are a fucking ton of people who don't have the RAM to grok a real estate transaction, and a much smaller subset who think the cost is worth out-sourcing the labor, and an even smaller subset where that is actually the right call.

It just grinds my gears to see ~$15,000 of every $250,000 house purchase being shoveled onto some dumb piece of shit who is basically just a leach driving a new Mercedes/BMW.

selling agent I kinda get, especially when they're setting up open houses and tours during office hours, but a buyer's agent is pretty worthless*

but really all you need is a good inspector and good lawyer


*there are a handful of exception
 
selling agent I kinda get, especially when they're setting up open houses and tours during office hours, but a buyer's agent is pretty worthless*

but really all you need is a good inspector and good lawyer


*there are a handful of exception

Agree.

This is a fine argument coming from a lawyer. It really bothers me to see 97% of a class action lawsuit settlement go to legal fees as well. I'm sure they are still driving around their '08 hatchbacks on their way to cash that check.

I dislike the majority of the legal profession, if that helps.
 
The part that pisses me off about realtors is the % structure. Selling a $1mm house takes the same effort as selling a $250k house, yet the realtor gets paid 4x more. Also, the realtor's interests and mine are not in any way aligned in that fee structure. If I'm selling a $1mm house, it makes no difference to the realtor if I sell it for $950 or $1,050 - they get paid either way. Their economic interest is to move the house, and they are ready to drop the price to make it happen. That $100k spread is real money to the seller, but it's the difference between a $29k or $31k commission to the sellers realtor - an extra $2k that takes them a lot of extra time to earn.

If you want me to call you a Realtor, agree to this fee structure when we sell my $1mm house:
- 3% to the buyers agent. You can't save the world.
- hourly rates for all the time you invest, up to 1% of the purchase price. On my house, that's $10; if you are getting $200/hour for your 50 hours of time that you spend on the process, that's a good living.
- 25% of any proceeds in excess of 90% of asking price (in this case, 900k is the threshold).

Under your traditional structure, you'd earn $29-31. Under my proposal, you'd earn $10 if we sell for $900; $22.5 if we sell for $950; $35 if we sell for $1mm even, and $47.5 if we sell for $1,050. Now I believe your interests and mine are aligned.
 
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