I am in the final year of a postgraduate degree in international law including English Common Law as well as Canadian and American (Namely New York). I have more familiarity with the English and Canadian systems and less with US. I routinely do legal advisory work on a fee basis.
I have previously provided advice or assisted with representation in matters of contract law (Business sales and acquisitions, startups, disputes between partners and alternative dispute resolution), environmental law (pollution, abatement and reporting), administrative process (specifically unfair suspension / expulsion of students from public schools as well as improper conduct by municipal government or local authorities), personal and family law matters, and some odd agricultural legal issues. As a result of that last bit, I have more than once been paid in (frozen) chickens and beef. Barter is fantastic, and I had a distaste for fiat long before I discovered the delicious BTC
.If you have a relatively straightforward question that I don't need to research, then as a matter of principle I'll either give you a straightforward answer or just direct you to the appropriate area to do some research yourself - no charge but donations always welcome.
If you have a more complicated matter that requires some research, we can negotiate pricing.
As an example of a "slightly more complicated matter" - an individual who was already known to me recently got in touch after being charged under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act when a few gallons (fewer than 20 litres) of furnace oil spilled from a drum which had been inadequately secured in the back of this individual's truck. Local officials cleaned up the spill at no cost to this individual, but the Ministry of the Environment subsequently pressed charges. The charge was not because of spilling the oil, but rather because failing to report the spill forthwith was an offense in itself under the relevant legislation. Up until our conversation, this individual had been under the mistaken impression that the subject of the charge was the spill. In this matter, some research was necessary. After clarifying the matter for this individual, I assisted in drafting a couple of letters, and the matter was settled with a moderately-sized fine and not too much trouble. All told, it took up about two and a half hours of my time. Total charge for my services in that instance was the equivalent of BTC0.5 and a couple of beers. Bear in mind that this person was a friend.
In general, my rates are about BTC0.25 per hour for my assistance (as of today's exchange rate) and I am open to accepting equivalent values in other cryptocoins as well. I will never charge you for telling me your problem/question, but depending on my workload I also may not have a lot of time to discuss.
Once you have told me your question or situation, we can proceed with one of three likely next steps.
1. I may decline to comment and tell you that you need to find a qualified practicing lawyer in your jurisdiction, as I cannot give you the kind of help you need.
2. I may be able to explain the matter more clearly so that you understand what exactly your legal situation is and provide you with resources to represent yourself or settle the matter.
3. I may be able to assist you in drafting documentation either to represent yourself, or to resolve the matter, depending on the nature of the issue.
In case #1, there is (obviously) no charge, although donations are at all times appreciated.
In case #2, there would be a charge, agreed upon in advance, with at least partial payment made up front. That is negotiable, and I am reasonable.
In case #3, there would be a charge, agreed upon in advance, with payment made before I transfer any prepared documents to you.
I'm still relatively new on the forum, but if you talk to me you'll find that I'm a pretty reasonable guy who is generally happy to help. This is partially about making some money and participating in the BTC transactional economy, but it is partially because I see these forums and other BTC users as a loose community, and I genuinely like to help out. I won't promise to solve all your problems, but in most cases I can get you enough information to either help YOU solve your problems, or at least clarify and focus things in order to reduce your bill when you take the matter to a lawyer in your jurisdiction. If I can do neither of those, I'll tell you up front (and gratis) and give you a suggestion of where you might consider going next for help.
Feel free to PM me. You can post general questions, comments or points of interest here as well. I will be happy to comment as time permits.
Alternatively, for the sake of privacy and security you can reach me via BitMessage (Address: BM-BcD7fgkjTUed1y5fgLyCvoFhMAgqmnVt). In all cases I assure you confidentiality to the extent that I will never disclose your information to anyone, but if privacy and confidentiality are of substantial concern to you, I recommend this contact method.
If a matter requires it or in the interest of speed, I am also open to phone / Skype (audio) conversations, which will be recorded and e-mailed to you if you so request.
Disclaimer:
As most people already realize, it is at best highly questionable to take advice of any kind from anonymous people you meet on the vast interwebs without doing appropriate due diligence. Please understand that I am not offering to represent you and that I am not your lawyer. Although in a common-sense context I am offering information about legal matters, in a legal sense I cannot offer legal advice, and nothing I have said herein should be construed as such. While I will do my best to assist you, I will not undertake any legal obligations to you nor will I exercise any legal rights or privileges on your behalf.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you!