Many people have developed a wrong perception towards provision of legal services. Most of them believe that lawyers are thieves and are out to eat your money. This is not true for all firms. One firm in Kenya that provides cost effective legal services is Daly and Figgis. They know that clients are looking to keep the legal costs at minimum. With this in mind, they use their wealth of experience to provide services that are worth the value of you money in the following ways:

- Provision of effective negotiation skills: The lawyers and advocates will enable you carry out effective negotiation so that you can get a good transaction deal. They do this with the clients’ interest in mind and will ensure a timely and satisfactory close to the transaction deal. – Wealth of Experience: The partners and lawyers working in this firm bring many years of professional experience with majority of them having practiced law for between 20 to 40 years. This means that they have dealt with many different cases and will know hot to handle any of them from all their experiences. They are able to work in a time efficient manner. Fees are usually charged on a time-expended basis (until the elapsing of a certain amount of time). The fees are kept at reasonable levels. Clients do not have to pay for the law firm when they are investigating and trying to learn the situation of a given transaction. – Efficient Drafting Skills: The partners and advocates of Daly and Figgis have a wide experience in drafting agreements. This eventually means that the draft documentation that is created is comprehensive and efficiently produced. The scope of negotiations may thereby be limited to the deal terms alone, thus saving time and thereby the legal costs incurred. – Inventive Structuring: When it comes to commercial matters, the law firm will carefully come up with effective ways of structuring certain transactions so that costs incurred in taxing and other expenses may be reduced to satisfy clients needs. Daly&Figgis Advocates are one of the oldest law firms in Kenya that has been in existence sine 1899. With all these years of experience and with competent professional advocates you can be sure that you will receive good, quality cost effective legal services.

Essentials of a good law firm

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The religion Islam does not believe in the concept of “original sin.” According to the teachings of Islam, people are born guiltless. They remain so until an individual himself or herself, commits a sinful deed. Islam is neither an ethnocentric nor a sacramental religion. The followers of this religion observe no sacraments. Anyone can become a Muslim by his/ her discretion. Introduction to Islam involves no sacramental ceremony, no involvement by any clergy, and no authentication by any organized body. All that a true Moslem needs to do is follow the teachings of Islam. These teachings are:

Doctrine of God: Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion. The followers of Islam believe that there is no other God than Allah.

Doctrine of Angels: The throne of God is surrounded by Angels. They serve as His messenger to people. The most important of all angels is Gabriel. Iblis is a fallen angel, he is also referred to as the Satan or Devil. He has authority over the djinns who are male and female demons.

Doctrine of Inspired Books: The Moslems believe in the sacred books which include the Torah, the Gospel of Jesus, the Psalms, and the Koran (Qur’an). The followers of Islam believe that Koran is the only book which is completely error free. Sections of the holy book Koran have resemblance to the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Jewish Talmud. There are many stories in Koran that are similar to stories of various prophets in the Old Testament.

Koran is somewhat shorter in length than the New Testament. Islam’s followers are expected to memorize as much of the Koran as they can. Those who memorize the whole book by heart are highly honored.

Doctrine of Prophets: According to the teachings of Islam, there are many persons who are considered to be prophets. Among them are Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, Noah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Mohammed. Mohammed is considered to be last prophet. His proclamations completed the message sent by God to people.

Doctrine of Last Judgment: Moslems believe that there will be a day of final judgment. At that time, the non-believers will be sentenced to the burning fires of hell, while the believers will enter heaven. However, the pleasures of heaven will be given to the believers according to the degree of faith and morality they displayed in their lifetime.

The followers of Islam believe that the moral and legal codes of Islam apply to all areas of human life.

Millions of people have seen American psychiatrist Dr. Wafa Sultan’s debate with a Muslim cleric, which was first shown on al-Jazeera television. In 2006, TIME magazine nominated Dr. Sultan as one of the world’s most influential people. Sultan has appeared on many radio and TV shows in English, and regularly writes articles in Arabic that are read throughout the Muslim world. Her main purpose in life is to further the understanding of Islam and its effect on both the Muslim and non-Muslim world.

Born and raised a Muslim in Syria, Dr. Sultan is one of the co-founders of a group of American activists called Former Muslims United. As the name suggests, the members of FMU are apostates from Islam. Although all of them have left Islam, some remain religious or spiritual, while others do not. The one thing they have in common is that they are afraid that their apostasy will get them killed. They have formed their group in order to ensure that they are protected under the United States Constitution, which guarantees both freedom of and freedom from religion. The laws of America also make it illegal to murder someone because he or she has left his or her religion. Former Muslims United wants to make sure that these laws – and these basic human rights – are respected and that they need not live in the fear felt by millions of Muslims outside of the United States as concerns apostasy.

In this regard, it was my honor to interview Dr. Wafa Sultan about her experiences and her life’s mission. Over the years, she has demonstrated herself to be a fierce warrior for truth, taking on a fanatical ideology that is known to be harsh, brutal and cruel, especially as concerns women. I asked Dr. Sultan about her life as woman in the U.S. as compared to that in her native land, which is predominantly Muslim. Concerning Islamic or sharia law, she replied, “Under Islamic sharia, a woman is not considered a free being. She is mentally unfit to decide her own life.”

Wafa does not describe herself as an atheist; nor is she against religion or spirituality. As she also says, “My simple philosophy is, you have the right to worship a stone, so long as you don’t hit me with it.”

I also asked Dr. Sultan what her message to the American people might be, and she replied with a fourfold answer that included addressing the government, the media, academia and persons involved in interfaith dialogue. She strongly believes that everyone needs to become much better educated as to the nature of Islamic fundamentalism and its restrictions of freedoms that we Americans take for granted. While her instructions to the government require many policy changes, her message to the media is simple: “The media needs to avoid being politically correct, and be forthright in discussing brutal Islamic related news stories.”

As she battles against entrenched “religious” discrimination and brutality, Dr. Wafa Sultan is a true freedom fighter and a champion for the human rights of people worldwide.

The process of applying for Social Security Disability can be confusing and overwhelming. Many applicants are turning to disability lawyers to handle their claims. There are several reasons for this. First, these attorneys are experts in the Social Security field and know exactly how to present your case. They know what Social Security looks for and the documents that will be needed. Second, disability lawyers handle the mountains of paperwork required to process a claim, as well as the phone calls and letters to and from Social Security. And finally, those who hire disability attorneys have their chances of being approved jump dramatically. Some disability firms have success rates as high as 90%.

So if you have decided to hire a disability lawyer but don’t know what to look for, here are five tips.

Tip #1: Immediate, professional assistance.

If you call a disability center and the person answering the call puts you off or takes a message, that may mean that the firm is short on employees, or there is a computer or electronics issue. Or it may mean that your business is not a priority. In either case, look for a disability firm that is friendly and helpful, answering any questions you may have in a professional manner.

Tip #2: Acceptance of your case no matter where you are in the process.

Many disability lawyers turn down your claim until you have been denied once or twice. This may be because the hearing level has the highest chance of success, and they don’t want to waste time waiting with you. Choose a disability firm that will accept your case from the very beginning, or even have them do your application for you if it is offered. This may result in your claim being approved sooner, as those who go unrepresented sometimes make mistakes that cost them valuable time.

Tip #3: Get on a first name basis.

Some clients believe that they should deal directly with the attorney about certain matters, and worry when other employees offer to help. In reality, it is the employees that do much of the preparation necessary to prepare a disability claim. The best disability firms will assign you to a worker who handles much of this preparation. If you have a question, he or she will usually take your calls and answer your questions, and will be familiar with your situation. If you speak with a different receptionist every time you call and no one seems to communicate about your case with each other, find another disability lawyer.

Tip #4: Status information.

The best disability lawyers make it easy for you to find out the status of your claim. Some send letters or emails to let you know what is happening with your claim, and others may give you a phone call. However, do not be alarmed if you do not hear from your disability lawyer for months at a time. Some points in the Social Security process, such as waiting for a hearing, are times when even lawyers may be finished with preparations and have nothing to do but wait. This is the way the system is set up, and not the attorney’s doing. But find a disability attorney who adequately informs you on the status of your claim.

Tip #5: Size.

Many applicants disagree here. Some say it is better to hire a disability attorney who has a small practice, because you will get more individualized attention and the lawyer will work harder on your claim. If this is your opinion, be careful not to hire a disability attorney who has little experience or who specializes in other types of law. In my opinion, it is best to find a disability lawyer who has plenty of Social Security disability experience. These lawyers often have many, many clients, because of referrals and word of mouth. Just make sure they follow the four tips above.

Wherever you are in the process of Social Security disability, and finding an attorney, best of luck.

Incoming search terms:

• California social security disability attorneys by success rate

I won’t name names, but I would like to share a little story with you about a past company I used to work for. The conditions were almost unbearable and although I was planning my escape and had my dream job in sight, it took about a year for me to make the transition.

Sparing you the real grizzly details, I will simply say this was a company who did not believe in supporting their employees (financially or otherwise) and I had a passive-aggressive female boss who had made me her special science project.

I won’t say it was easy to deal with this unsavory situation but I got through it and really celebrated and appreciated finally being free when I left!

The following are a few mistakes I have seen professionals make in similar situations and some solutions for circumventing them and getting through a tough job:

Mistake #1: Quit Before You Have Another Job

Quitting will give you immediate relief but that feeling soon looses its luster and is replaced with a nagging anxiety to find a job. Also included in this is potential bad blood with your last employer (affecting strong references), money worries, potential loss of negotiating power (you generally have more negotiating power when you are currently employed) and something often overlooked until you are actually experiencing it, its harder to confidently express yourself to a potential new employer when you are unemployed.

So make a plan to transition – start working on your career goals, your resume then start your search. If it’s at all possible, do anything but quit!

Mistake #2: Have It Out With Your Boss

I had wonderful daydreams of really giving my old boss a piece of my mind….and I had every reason to believe she deserved it. In my reasoning, someone had to advocate for truth, justice and liberation from tyranny! But, in retrospect, I am glad I held my tongue. My superiors should have seen and acted on this bad behavior and if they wouldn’t, then nothing I could say would have changed them or her. The only thing that would have happened is a string of negative circumstances.

So here is what I did: I avoided her and anyone else who vexed me as much as humanly possible. This allowed me some temporary relief and let me focus on doing my job.

By avoiding those that bother you, the eyebrows your elusiveness might raise will be a small price to pay for a job you are not planning on staying in anyway and it’s better than a hairy confrontation that may haunt you – right as you may be.

Mistake #3: Badmouth Your Employer

Getting yourself all worked up talking to coworkers and others about your companies shortcomings might feel good in some respects but it very well may come back to bite you, get back to your boss and even tarnish your own reputation.

Personally I even considered writing a letter to the president of the company after I quit my “hated” job – partly because I had been dealing with the “you know what” for so long that I wanted to share what was really going on with him and partly because I felt it would actually be helpful for him to know. In the end I wrote him – but it was a thank you note.

Again, I held my tongue because little good could have come from my negative letter. What is not heard through productive communication certainly won’t be heard through anger and frustration.

So, what helped me? I made a list of all the GOOD things about the company and the benefits of the job – and I tried to concentrate on those positives. I confess I was amazed at how long this list became – including several occasions where even that irritating female boss had helped and encouraged me. All those points just became harder to see and appreciate through the bad times.

Almost all of us have dealt with less-than-desirable jobs. Just like the saying goes – you can’t change others but you can change yourself. You will feel empowered through having “survived” the situation and through the nobility you will experience when you take the higher road.