Hiring a La
er for Fre
In ord r to be compe ated for your injurl after an accident, you will
have to the person or company respo ible. You need a lawyer, but
they can char e anywhere from $100 to $400 an hour. 0 option i to
find 0 who charg no legal fee until your is ettled.
Irs b t to e a law firm that pecializes in pe onal injury claims.
e lawyers hould have more experience than other 1 which
p tice everal kinds 0 law.
Since personal injury lawyers deal with insurance compani and their
lawyers everyday, they have a greater aware of the techniques used
to low down or complicate the resolution of cases.
As a precaution, be ure to get in writing how your lawyer will be paid
and what percentage of your ettlement the fee will be. One rule of thumb
many lawyers use is that the attorney hould not receive more from the •
ettlement than their client.
How much i your ca e worth
o lawyer can tell you exactly what a case i worth ince even imilar
accidents with similar injuries may have different outcomes. It's best to
wait until your doctor has finished treating you, and your condition
tabiltzes. Your lawyer can determine what your case is worth, once he
know the arguments against your case and the specific ettlement offer.
Your lawyer will then negotiate with the responsible party or insurance
company for the highest offer you can get without going to court.
Settling Your Claim
There are advantages and disadvantages to accepting an out 0 court
ettlement. On the plus side, you'll know how much money you'll receive
and you'll get it sooner rather than later. You avoid the risk of losing your
. case and getting nothing for your injuries. There's no chance of being
urprised by the opposing attorney with new information that could hurt
or ruin your claim. Also, you wont have to.pay additional court costs.
A disadvantage of settling your case is that you can only win or settle
one u can't go b k for more money if it appears later that you
are m injure4 than w first determined. And there' alway
th chance that a jury might award you more money than the ettlement
��� �
Making Amends
If you forget a large deduction on your tax return you can file form
lO4QX, the Amended U.S. Indwidual Income Tax Return. But think twice
about doing this because amended returns go under special review by the
IRS.
The examiners focus on the reason for the change, as well as the type
and magnitude of it. Amended returns containing large or unusual items
may be referred for po ible audit. Returns from earlier years may al 0 be
,brought under scrutiny. If you filed for an extension remember, the new
deadline is August 15.
Even though you will not have to pay a penalty for any late payment,
you will be charged interest on the unpaid taxes due. If you need morc
time past th August 15 deadline the IRS will ask for a good reason.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Program for
Michigan sales
and use tax slated
increased the number of line from 20
1932.
Contact SBA Online at 1-800-'
859-INFO for callers with a 2400-
baud modem, or 1-800-697-lNFO for
96(X).baud modems.
Th National Busines Institute
will present "Michigan Sales and Use
Tax for Manufa turers", a one-day
program for planning opportunities
. for: reducing sales and use tax costs
September 14 in Southfield.
JC, Tuition is $128 per ingle regis
trant, 118ea hforthreeormorefrom
the me {inn. Call (715) 835-7m
for more information.
Black book details
wealth-building
empowerment
Author Robert L. Wallace answers
questions that face the first generation
of "new jack" Black entrepreneurs.
"Black Wealth Through Black En
trepreneur-ship" is a researched
wealth-building empowerment piece
on what Black Americans must do to
reach economic parity with the major
ity, primarily through increasing busi
ness ownership.
Wallace's new release is complete
with true case studies of current mi
nority entrepren urs, detailed ques
tionnaires, personal interviews with '
minority business owners, charts and
ill us trati 0 ns.
Wallace is a busin consultant,
entrepreneur and executive at ECS
Technologies located in Baltimore,
Maryland.
SSA offers toll
free computer
business hottlne
Answers to mall busines ques-
tions can n be answered through the
Small In Admini tration's new
rvice, SBA OnLine.
All that i needed i a personal
computer, modem and the toll-free
number and 24-hour a day answers
can ed. Since introducing the
y tern in last October, SBA Online
had more than 75, call during the
first few months. SBA has already
Over 30 Year' Experience
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Reparations Todayl
No More Delay!
OR TH Bl who derive
more pi ure from hin c
than taking pictures wi th o-called
"leaders," there are two active, U.S.
b ed group fhat they may wish to
use ward international networking
for profit. The W hington, D.C.
b ed International Exchange Net
wor (lEN) and th International
temation c n etwor"1 t'
not often than 1 ge group of Afri
can Am riean bu i peopl have
an oppornmi ty to particip e in the
birth of a n w w v of economic
development tivity." Beech'
group is ho tin a Southern African
T de and inv tment to ee the
bro d range of eeonomi opportuni
ti emerging in Sub-S Africa
IN DI CU G the "eco-
nomic" imp t of hi program,
Beech y that, "We can point out
Black
'fight for (i
p
pro
The"M e In The USA" Trade •
Mi ion j upported by both tbe lEN
aIXl the mNE, and i cbeduled for
September 7th through the 16th: Th
preparatory trade am inv tment
conference ponsored by the INE, in
partnership wi th Howard' Small
Busin Center, will be held in July
t the Howard University Inn. Peo
ple interested in intemational trade
opportunities sbauld call the lEN at
(202) 722-2465.
ct'
INDIANAPous-A fatal shooting
at an Indiana Black Expo event is th
latest etb ck in the organization'
struggle to gain respect over nearly a
quarter of a century,
Last week, the 20th annual
SoulFes t that kicks off Black Expo's
summer celebration was marred by
the shooting despite efforts by organ
izers to offer a safe environment
"After 23 years, we still have to
fight for respect," aid the Rev.
Chari R. Williams, Black Expo
president. "We just struggle because
we have to fight so hard for recogni
tion. The emphasis (of media cov r
age) i alway on the negative, not on
th positive things we do." .
Events beyond Expo's control,
such boxer Mike Tyson's convic
tion for raping a contestant in the
Miss Bl k America pageant durin
the 1991 expo, and the hooting last
week, ca e the credibility qu tion
to resurface from time to time.
"We did not have nearly enough
upport th n. I think it's been sort of
a long uphill climb," Ransom said.
Financial problems plagued
Black Expo during much of the
198 . The situation prompted Lilly
Endowment Inc. to require Expo to
develop a strategic .. plan or risk the
loss of funding.
Without consulting Blac Expo in
advance, the Indianapolis Conven
tion and Visitors Association
changed dates for the 1993 and 1994
E po celebrations. Normally 'set for
the second week in July, Expo was
moved up to the Fourth of July week
end to accommodate other conven
tions.
drawing celebri ti and crowds.
Those in charge of promoting the
city deny they slight Black Expo.
• 'We treat Black Expo just like
we do any other organization," said
Becky .Hopewell, marketing director
of Indianapolis Downtown Inc., a
management association that mar
kets and develops downtown events,
. William said it's frustrating ex
plaining the date change to people,
particularly those who mistakenly
believe it was Black Expo's doing.
The day after the recent shooting
in ashington Park, Williams told a .
ne s conference the incident illus
trated the need for this year's Expo
theme: The future of the Black fam
ily.
/
Till TI IT cam as Black
Expo, the organization that operat
around the year, was making final
preparations for the annual celebra
tion of the arne name held June 28-
July 4 in Indianapolis.
Earning respect and genera ting
media interest have been obstacles
from the beginning aid Willard B.
Ransom, an attorney who helped
found Black Expo in 1971. Ransom
has een it grow from a modest two
day event to a weeklong event that
city officials estimate bring $20
million to $30 million to the local
economy.
THE CHANGE forced Black
Expo to compete with other events in .
To find the home of
your dreams, you need to
know where to look.
Check the Chimney,
Cracks can s nd your
investment up in smoke.
Consider what's insUk.
An old furnace could cost
an unexpected chill tnro« h
your household.
Examine gutters.
Replacing an old
sys_tem can incr ase
financial drainage.
/nsp t foundation.
Cracks or holes op n the
door to unwanted guests.
Peek in the attic.
Old insulation can drive
energy bills through the roof
->
ee whafs on top.
Old or weathered shingles
.-----"- can sPring more leaks
in your cash pool.
rutinize financ .
B sure your monthly
payment fits the bill.
II ck window.
Repla ment co ts
can spoil your view.
for . Buyin a h m
to h lp n ur you
mortga pr grams with fix d and variabl rat . PIu
y u 11 find inf rmati n n t1 xibl finan in choi lik
FHA and VA
to
o FIRSfoF AMRICA.,
A bank for life"
Equal Ho
�
under. G:t Member FDIC. TDD aoailab! at ( ) 2
14 0: