If you intend to license or otherwise publish (definition) your original work, you should protect your rights by registering the work with the Copyright office before publication, or within three months of its publication. Any later than that and you will lose the ability to recover statutory damages and attorney fees in any subsequent litigation for infringement, leaving you to have to pay your own attorney and establish lost profits and actual damages, which can be difficult.
Have you been accused of committing a crime? This page offers general guidance for what to do when a law enforcement agency has informed you that you are a suspect in an ongoing investigation, or charges are filed against you.
Incidentally, if you have been falsely accused of committing a serious crime, you could have a defamation claim if the accuser is not law enforcement or a government actor. The following relates only to official investigations or accusations.
Many people are learning, with some exasperation, that they need to file a report with FinCEN for their small business LLC or corporation. This new hassle requires (with numerous exceptions) anyone with more than a 25% beneficial or controlling ownership interest in a LLC or corporation to upload a copy of their drivers license with a finicky form to FinCEN within 90 days of business formation or by January 1, 2025. After that date, businesses will have only 30 days from formation to file.
Consultations are subject to attorney availability. As soon as you complete this form, you will be given a link to schedule your own 20-minute session with an available attorney at the next mutually-available time.
Many of the questions are optional, but providing enough detail for the attorney to be able to address all key issues at play (and have some time to think about them) will tend to give you a more satisfying consultation.
As a law firm with integrity as a core value, it is important to us that you are given an accurate and complete understanding of what legal services you are obtaining and a realistic range of what the costs are likely to be. Steven Law Firm uses "no surprises" billing methodologies, which means that you should never receive a higher bill than you were told to expect.
Mr. Matthew J. Steven is licensed by the Oregon Supreme Court to serve as counsel in all of the Courts of the State of Oregon, and is also licensed by the United States District Court for the District of Oregon to serve as counsel in federal court. He graduated with high honors from Iowa State University of Science and Technology in Ames, Iowa, and from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. He clerked for the Federal Defender of Oregon, the United States District Court (Hon. Stacie F. Beckerman), and provided pro bono legal services to indigent people.
Steven Law Firm is not just a trial and litigation practice. Preventing future litigation is crucial to the success and happiness of businesses and families. Good planning can bring great peace of mind. The Firm handles civil matters common to small businesses and middle-class families in Portland and surrounding communities. For matters such as Probate and certain areas of civil litigation, services are offered throughout Oregon.
When you are genuinely afraid of someone harming you, and you have specific reasons for that fear (such as past threats or harms), you may be able to obtain a restraining order. Once a restraining order is in place, the restrained party can be jailed and even charged with crimes for attempting to violate it. But the path to getting an order approved can be a rocky one.
