Monthly Archives: November 2011

Blick Law Firm hosting toy drive for The Children’s Home

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Blick Law Firm

Media Alert

Contact for more information: Dana Blickensderfer, public relations specialist. E-mail dana@blicklawfirm.com.

Who: Tampa Bay Law Firm hosting toy drive to benefit The Children’s Home in Tampa, Fl this holiday season. Give the gift that keeps on giving!

What: Bring in a toy to Blick Law Firm and receive free food provided by Blick Law Firm, your chance to win holiday gifts for the family and take a free photo with Santa Claus. *Pet pictures are welcome.

Where: Blick Law Firm; 4351 Gunn Highway Tampa, Fl 33618

When: Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 4 to 8 p.m.

Other: Please help us make the holidays a little brighter for the children at The Children’s Home. Consultations will also be available with attorney, Michael C. Blickensderfer.

The Children’s Home is a child- and family-centered organization that is positioned to care for struggling families and children seeking the comfort of a loving family. With roots that can be traced back to 1892, we have been a beacon in the community—providing a safe haven for children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment. The tradition of love sparked by our founders continues to be our driving force to protect, heal and care for Tampa Bay’s children and families.  We believe children deserve the opportunity to have a happy childhood.  We believe families deserve a chance to be successful.

About Blick Law Firm: Blick law Firm is a local Tampa Bay legal firm specializing in personal injury, criminal and real estate law all across the state of Florida. The owner, Michael C. Blickensderfer has 25 years legal experience in Florida, New York and New Jersey. Blick Law Firms practice areas include criminal law, DUI/ Traffic, real estate transactions, loan modifications, short sales, foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, title insurance and real estate litigation. We also serve clients in personal injury, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and falls premises liability, dog bites, marine and aviation accidents and wrongful death. For further information regarding our legal services please visit our website at www.blicklawfirm.com or call 813-931-0840.

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Cyber Monday Shopping Safety

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Blick Law Firm

According to Bay News, holiday shopping is in full swing with Cyber Monday happening today until midnight.

To get the best deals, however, online experts said you need to watch your browser’s address bar closely to make sure you’re shopping safely.

Be sure to shop only on well-known retail websites, and don’t buy unless the website uses Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, encryption.

You can tell a website is SSL-protected by looking for the following in the address bar:

  • Web address begins with https:// instead of http://
  • Address bar shows a padlock icon at the end.

Here are some other do’s and don’ts from the experts at eCoupons.com:

DON’T “like” Facebook contests. That gives the owner of a page access to your profile. Liking a contest doesn’t mean you’re automatically entered. Beware of other social media offers that don’t look legitimate.

DO use credit instead of debit. You can always dispute a credit card charge, but a debit card won’t always protect you against fraud.

DON’T click on sponsored ads in search engine results that start with the retailer’s name with a different Web address below it. Those are typically phone websites.

If you get caught up in shopping online and your privacy has been breached contact Blick Law Firm today for assistance and get the legal representation you deserve. Think quick, call Blick. 813-931-0840

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Tampa Bay foreclosures increase 33%

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Blick Law Firm

Tampa- According to the Tbt, foreclosures increase 33% percent last month. Banks continue to schedule more houses for courthouse auctions but the bay area is not alone.

In Florida, lenders notified 10,655 homeowners that their houses will be sold in court. According to Realty Trac locations include: Miami-Fort Lauderdale recorded 4,193; Tampa Bay at 1,119; Orlando-Kissimmee, 1,093; and Cape Coral-Fort Myers, 441.

On a more positive note, the increase in auctions will help to rehabilitate the housing markets. The housing market cannot recover until the foreclosure backlog is cleared.

It seems this problem will be with us for a while according to Scott Brown, chief economist with Raymond James in St. Pete.

If you are in the process of a foreclosure or you recently have been served with a summons, please contact your Tampa Real Estate attorney today. What does foreclosure mean? Can a foreclosure be stopped on your home? Can you save your home from foreclosure? Call us today and we will assist you in the right direction during this unfortunate time. Think quick, call Blick. 813-931-0840

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Red light cameras face challenges

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Blick Law Firm

A hearing began in Tampa Bay regarding recent red light camera laws. Many attorneys are standing up against red light camera policies and raising objections.

American Traffic Solutions (ATS) believes the new cameras to be not only constitutional, but that the legislation is very clear on guiding what is and is not a defense. However, several law firm’s plan to appeal the Hillsborough rulings, challenging these tickets. Likely appeal:

1) When a camera catches a red light violator the registered car owner is mailed a “notice of violation.” Car owners must pay a fine of $158 or sign an affidavit identifying someone else as the driver. The argument: Speedy trial rules should begin with the notice of violation, not when the official traffic citation is mailed. This will allow for a more time for driver to seek representation within legal deadlines.

2) ATS processes the infraction and mails the notices and citations. Argument: Anything a police officer or county employee might say about the mailings are hearsay. The government cannot testify that notices and citations were mailed properly.

3) The surveillance camera records violators by video without witnesses or third parties present,  making  camera videos admissible without corroborating testimony. The argument: In a robbery case (for example) prosecutors cannot just play a video for the jury and that suffices as evidence. There must be a third party present to testify the video was valid. Same should go for red light cameras, right?! Not necessarily.

As the controversy continues, stay with us to get current and up-to-date news regarding red light traffic laws in Tampa Bay. Call you Tampa traffic attorney to understand the law changes and get the legal help you deserve. 813-931-0840, think quick, call Blick.

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iPhone 4S violates laws on no texting while driving with new voice-activated assistance feature

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Blick Law Firm

Tampa- Apple’s iPhone 4S makes it possible to send text messages while driving, keeping both hands on the wheel.

How is this possible? New features for Apple iPhone makes it so the phone’s voice-activated personal assistant, nicknamed “Siri” can be used to dictate text messages without typing as well as read incoming texts aloud. Sounds perfect right?!

There is just one problem. Texting while driving is illegal in dozens of states. This new feature causes controversy if this is in violation of the law. Some states ban electronic communication while driving completely, while other states allow hand-free devises to be used behind the wheel.

Siri is not the first to offer voice-activated applications available to drivers.  Other applications such as Vlingo and Sensory can be downloaded to cell phones for the same purpose. Ford and BMW also have designed speech-to-text systems for some of their newest vehicles.

The new technologies developing are designed to make texting while driving safer, so to speak. States need to re-evaluate their law banning texting while driving as more and more motorists adopt new technologies like Siri.

Lawmakers need to review whether or not hands-free devices sending messages is any less distracting to drivers than thumbing out texts from the road. What do you think?

According to the TBT, 34 states have banned texting while driving; nine states have banned the use of handheld phones while driving. Florida still has no such restrictions on either cellphone use or texting while driving.

Know the risks to texting while driving. For further information regarding texting while driving laws, please call Blick Law Firm to assist with your legal needs. 813-931-0840.

Do not text and drive.

 

 

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Q: How much does a tampa personal injury attorney charge in an auto accident case?

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Blick Law Firm

Are you seeking representation for a tampa personal injury lawsuit but you are not sure of the attorney’s costs? Contact Blick Law Firm today to help you explain that you will have no out of pocket fees to retain an auto accident lawyer. If you were in a car wreck and have been personally injured please seek legal representation today! Think quick, call Blick. 813-931-0840

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