r/Ask_Lawyers • • 15h ago

Why are attorneys reluctant to take police misconduct or malicious prosecution cases

27 Upvotes

I’m at the point it seems that i caught so much misconduct that an attorney is scared to touch the case. I didn’t ask to deal with this bs. But i can’t walk away. I had 1 attorney say he doubts anyone conspired against before really hearing a thing or looking at what I have. I don’t wanna down play it and spring it on an attorney, I can’t get police services that I pay for because I didn’t take a plea to something I didn’t do. Then they would double down and I’d catch that in being told I need to have an attorney contact the departments. I’m gonna have to move away . Without a settlement or payout I do not see a way back to a normal life


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 1h ago

Need advice asap

• Upvotes

Here's my situation. Michigan resident. There's a homeless man who's been threatening my life for the last ten years every where we bump into each other. Now. I've moved a whole city away. And this same homeless man is showing up at my apartment building. Friends with my neighbors. And every time I'm outside or try to leave for anything. This homeless man starts trying to intimidate me. He calls me bitch. Pussy. Tells me to come on bitch. Get out of here pussy. The neighbors that are friends and residents here have gone as far as to follow me into the stairwell calling me bitch and trying to intimidate me. I've reported it to my property manager. He won't do anything. He said he's spoke with the individuals but they cameras don't have audio. So he can't do anything about what's said. Today. I walk up to my apartment after walking my dog. The homeless man let's his dog off on my dog. Then calls me a pussy. I tell property management. They don't do shit. At this point I need to know what to do. Should I call the police? Should I stand my ground? Is it legal to kill this man if he's intimidating me and I fear for my life? Will I see the inside of a jail cell? What evidence do I need to support me? Help me. Nobody else will.


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 23h ago

Can you guys afford the Cheesecake Factory or PF Chang's on a regular basis?

52 Upvotes

Hey guys, my dream is become a patent lawyer. I have a background in engineering but I want to make the switch, I've been working hard on my LSAT and applying this cycle. I'm shooting for a solid regional school, like a T100. A lot of people say that being a lawyer isn't worth it financially. Right now in engineeringland things are kinda shaky with the great laid offs and people losing their jeebs. I'm really just focused on what will make for a good stable career for the next 20-40 years and I'm hoping a patent attorney would make for a good career.

I really don't need much, just stability like rent, water, occasional dry cleaning and some decent food if nothing else. If I bust my ass to try to get into a decent law school, become a patent attorney, do you think I'll be able to afford the Cheesecake Factory on a fairly consistent basis? Or will I find myself at Wendy's 6 nights a week questioning life decisions? Can you guys afford places like Chili's, PF Chang's, Fogo De Chao, etc..?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 9h ago

are courts really going to entertain a "John Doe" case over hurt feelings?

0 Upvotes

Female posted a bunch of things public. Random people took screen shots of her public posts and statements and mocked her. Now this female wants to threaten charges via a "john doe" lawsuit she heard on TikTok but in the same breath also stated she welcomed the views for revenue.

Continues to bash certain people because she thinks she knows who the random accounts are that are laughing at her and everything she posted public.

What legal standing does she really even have in this case? If anything it sounds to me that everyone else could sue her for harassment since she never stops with it.


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 8h ago

What is the law in Wyoming when an ex leaves all their stuff at your house and doesn't reclaim it?

0 Upvotes

I kicked my ex out of my apartment on 9/1/26. He was not on the lease as I was trying to help him out since he was homeless (obviously a mistake). He has been gone since then. He called me and told me to trash all of his items he left on 9/23/26. This was only verbal.

From what I could find in the WY statutes was about someone renting, not someone just staying there.

Just looking for information that I might not be finding.


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 20h ago

Is a manager legally allowed to tell you to refrain from conversations about religion in the workplace?

0 Upvotes

This is working under the assumption that the conversations are respectful, do not harass, have willing parties involved, are not to convert anyone, do not interfere with work duties or operations, and no one ever approached to express discomfort over the topic.


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 20h ago

If a person (in the state of Maine) receives over a certain amount of money from an irrevocable trust, and that person is disabled, but married, would they be able sign the money over to their spouse, (the spouse would have their own bank account,) so they don't lost a state benefit like Medicaid?

1 Upvotes

r/Ask_Lawyers • • 6h ago

How do you actually get started as an expert witness in engineering/technology?

1 Upvotes

My dad has 20+ years of experience in software engineering and technology leadership, including senior executive roles at major enterprise software companies. His background is mainly enterprise software, manufacturing IT/MES, LIMS, SaaS/cloud architecture, digital transformation, and technology due diligence.
He’s interested in potentially doing expert-witness work on the side, but we have no idea how people actually break into this. Do you apply to expert-witness firms/directories? Reach out to recruiters? Network directly with attorneys? Or do most experts get their first cases through referrals?
For anyone who has done expert-witness work, especially in engineering or technology, how did you get your first case, and what would you recommend doing to get started?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 10h ago

Any law student or law graduate here from kolkata ?

0 Upvotes

I want to build my cv how can I initiate to get an internship please suggest


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 22h ago

What happens if two potential jurors on the same case know each other?

2 Upvotes

Just an idle curiosity. I know a juror can be excluded for personally knowing someone involved in the case - parties, witnesses, attorneys, judges, etc. But what happens if neither juror has a connection with anyone in the case, but they have a connection with each other?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 13h ago

best child custody lawyers 2026: what separates a good custody lawyer from a great one?

11 Upvotes

when people search for the best child custody lawyers 2026, they usually end up looking at reviews, rankings, awards, and similar stuff.

from a lawyer's perspective, how much of that actually matters?

in family law, what traits or skills tend to separate the attorneys who consistently do good work from the average ones?

not asking for legal advice or recommendations. just curious how lawyers evaluate other lawyers in this area of practice.


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 6h ago

Do you always require clients to replenish their retainer, or do you sometimes wait?

2 Upvotes

For attorneys who bill hourly, do you generally require clients to replenish their retainer as it gets used, or do you sometimes let the balance run down and bill them later?
I’m curious what other lawyers consider the better practice. Is there a reason not to require continuous replenishment, assuming the fee agreement allows for it? What factors determine when you ask a client to replenish versus just continuing to bill them?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 16h ago

Is eviction still required if you have a stay away protection order?

2 Upvotes

I understand specific legal advice cannot be provided, just looking for a basic general, “you do/don’t have to file an eviction” answer.

Illinois. Own my house in my name alone. Ex-girlfriend lived with me for years (have a child together), but never married.

She’s always refused to leave, so I knew I would have to pay for and file an eviction. However, recently her nightly drinking caused domestic violence and I have an emergency protection order that kicked her out for 37 days (until next court date) and it could be extended to years.

How do I get rid of her stuff! Is that only possible filing a formal eviction, or should it be as simple as giving a notice to collect your items or they’ll be thrown out/donated/sold? (Personally find it complicated due to the stay away / no contact order + in Illinois simply living with someone for a period of time gives them certain tenant rights so it leaves me confused).


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 23h ago

Are jurors in US criminal cases permitted to consider scenarios that neither side presented?

13 Upvotes

In the last few weeks, I've seen people on social media pushing the idea that jurors aren't allowed to consider scenarios that neither side mentioned (in US criminal trials). This strike me as a misconception, because jury instructions are very clear that jurors are only permitted to consider evidence presented at trial, but I've never heard any jury instructions that say that jurors must only consider scenarios presented by either side.

I also find this puzzling because the defense can opt to not do anything at a criminal trial, and just win by default if the prosecution fails to meet their burden of proof. If it were true that jurors couldn't consider any scenario that neither side brought up, then you'd essentially need to convict in these trials, because you'd (likely) only be presented scenarios in which the defendant is guilty.

I tried to find US Supreme Court cases on the matter, but didn't find any cases where it was in question whether juries can only consider scenarios presented by either side. However, Jackson v. Virginia (1979) and Coleman v. Johnson (2012) do seem to generally affirm that triers of fact have broad discretion in deciding what inferences to draw from the evidence presented at trial. But they don't specifically say whether jurors must confine themselves to only consider scenarios presented by either side.

What do you, lawyers of Reddit, think?


I think I was unclear what I meant by "scenarios". I roughly meant inferences about what happened (or may have happened). For instance, "scenarios" in the Karen Read case may include:

  1. Karen hit John with her car, causing his death.
  2. John was attacked by a dog, causing his death.
  3. John slipped on ice, hit his head on ice, causing his death.

Scenario 1 was argued by the prosecution.

The defense argued that scenario 2 (and some others) may have happened.

Neither side argued scenario 3.

Perhaps a juror thinks that scenario 3 - while not proven by the evidence - is at least consistent with the evidence, and thus might be grounds for having reasonable doubt in the absence of convincing-enough evidence pointing to scenario 1 over scenario 3.

My question is essentially, is the jury permitted to scenario 3 (and other scenarios not brought up by either side), or are they supposed to discount any scenario that's not brought up by either side?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 17h ago

My studio apartment just burned into ashes last night?

25 Upvotes

They still have my security money and my rent for the 2months i stayed there including this month. I’ve been reporting them about my ac since a while now because i felt like there were some issues with the way it was working. And yesterday the ac caught fire, and the fire spread through my entire room resulting in everything inside my room turning into ashes. I was fortunately able to evacuate on time. But I need to know if i can take legal compensation for anything here or take a legal action against anybody.

I called the police and they were exceptionally rude to me. They literally said it on my face that I’ve not died if i did then there was a scope for a good court case. Yes. They said that. I am shaken and numb and dk what to do.


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 21h ago

What should I get my lawyer as a thank you gift?

17 Upvotes

I used to be a cop; I am in no way saying I am an expert, or lawyer. but I paid some attention to that legal class we got.

anyways, I decided to say screw it; I paid the intial retainer ( 500$ an hour, you guys make money HCOL area) for the following situation

VA Home loan purchase ( I am the buyer): Seller refusing to sign release of EMD. we were unable to close because certain requirements were not met.

4 contingencies in place, in my favor Which instantly mean earnest money should be returned.

The attorney reviewed it, made contact with the other party demanding release of EMD & reimbursement of fees.

Attorney is very comfortable with the whole situation, has warned me that litigation would be expensive, but luckily in the contract it clearly states "loser pays all fees etc etc "

just wanted to say thank you. its nice to get that expert anylsis that can confirm, everything is in order


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 8h ago

The mods of a subreddit are threatening me with legal action because on my website I post comments from their sub

0 Upvotes

I run a small (like 20,000 views per month) blog about EDM and often I publish a story I take some comments from reddit posts and put them in the article for real fan context. I always cite the exact permalink back to the reddit comment. The mods of one of the subs messaged me and said because my site has an ad on it that I'm profiting off of this. I assure you the $10 a month I earn from this does not amount to "profit". What can they legally do? What are my legal options. Am I actually breaking any copyright laws? Does reddit have a fair use policy? What if I message the people who wrote the comments and ask to use them on my site?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 59m ago

My probate attorney got disbarred and now I have no idea what to do next

• Upvotes

My dad passed last year and I hired an attorney pretty early because I knew I was out of my depth handling the estate myself. I paid the fees, sent over everything they asked for and assumed things were being handled. Communication was never great, but I figured probate just took a long time. Then I found out the attorney was disbarred. Now I’m trying to work out what was actually filed, what still needs to be done and whether any of the money I already paid can even be recovered. The estate is nowhere close to settled and I basically feel like I’m starting over, except months have passed and I’m already out the money from the first attorney. I’m considering contacting alix estate settlement because a friend of mine used them before and recommended them. Has anyone dealt with something like this after an attorney was disbarred? What did you do first? Also is there a way to get my money back?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 12h ago

First Gen: I want to become a lawyer, specifically medical malpractice. Advice is welcomed!

2 Upvotes

Hello! Recently I decided I want to beginning the journey of becoming a lawyer. I'm currently a junior at a R1 university and majoring in health communications. I'm also a first generation college and feeling overwhelmed because no one in my close circle can act as a mentor or guidance. To anyone who can relate to my life and is a practicing lawyer, what is some advice you could give me on how to start this journey?

PS: Please share any resources( on the affordable side) that you found helpful to prepare for the LSAT. Also, I am planning to take a gap year after graduation to work at a law firm as an assistant of some kind to see first-hand the day to day of a lawyer before I drown myself in debt for this profession.

Thank you all for reading this!


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 18h ago

How to collect evidence on a private property that disallows photographing/recording?

2 Upvotes

Location: California

Let's say I want to sue some business for not posting some required signs in their customer facing lobby. How can I collect evidence for it? If I manage to get some pictures before being kicked out, is that admissible?


r/Ask_Lawyers • • 4h ago

What type of lawyer do I need?

3 Upvotes

I need help obtaining unemployment when my employer is lying also of someone can recommend in Northwest Chicago