Any number of problems may impact the finances of a company or business, big or small, and theft is just one such issue, which is often the result of leaked passwords or weak cyber-security. Another problem that may confront a business is fraud, which can happen in a variety of forms. Fittingly, a number of lawyers and specialized courts exist for dealing with such cases, and a stockbroker fraud lawyer, a securities fraud attorney, and more are available for hire whenever a case of fraud comes up. Litigation attorneys can be found at local law firms for a victim of fraud, and settlement money and other legal actions can be taken against the perpetrator, possibly fines or prison time (the exact outcome will, of course, vary widely from one case to another). Litigation attorneys will know the relevant laws and have experience and an educational background for handling these cases, and securities fraud can swiftly be punished. Similarly, litigation attorneys can be hired in the case of a car accident or a workplace injury, and personal injury lawyers will be hired for such a case. What can a victim of these crimes accomplish?
Accidents and Fraud
Employees of a company may become victims of financial or monetary harm, or suffer accidental injury while on the workplace. In the former case, security brokers, stockbrokers, and more may manipulate, conceal, or fabricate information for the sake of gaining an unfair advantage over others and get money that they should not, and this can negatively impact other people’s decision-making processes about business and finance. Recently, as of the year 2015, 26,823 securities brokerages existed in the United States, and there may be more today. But sometimes, professionals choose to commit fraud to make unfair gains or put others at a disadvantage, and if they are caught, the victim can hire a business attorney, either in-house or from a local law firm, to pursue litigation due to the damages. Already, a number of cases have taken place, and there may be more today; as of 2014, a total of 633 corporate fraud cases were pending, and in that same year, 1,639 securities and commodities fraud cases were also pending. This is a different sort of crime than hacking; a cyber-criminal operates from the outside and uses malicious software or stolen passwords to break into a company’s data server or Cloud storage to find and steal money and personal information, but someone committing fraud is a business professional on the inside, controlling and warping numbers and other information to create a false image that others are deceived by. This typically categorizes fraud as a “white collar crime.”
Lawyers may also be desired if a workplace injury takes place. Construction crews, for example, are exposed to a number of hazards, from fire to falling to slipping on slick surfaces to items falling on them, or even inhaling airborne particles or fumes such as paint thinner. If someone suffers such an accident, litigation attorneys who specialize in construction projects may be hired to take care of the case, while the other parties on a project have their own construction lawyers to look out for their own interests. Often, these attorneys will settle a case before it goes to court, since court is expensive and time consuming for all involved. Some cases in the past have ended up becoming enormous. Litigation attorneys can help make sure that a fair settlement is reached and that construction may resume as soon as possible.
Someone planning his or her estate, or will, may also make use of legal help. An attorney will know exactly how to make a will legally binding, clearly written, and functional so that the person’s estate is handled exactly how they want. Many Americans in fact do not have their will written, sometimes due to procrastination or believing that one’s estate is too small to write a will for. But if a will is not written, greedy family members may take most or all of the money and property, and creditors may take it all before anyone else can. An attorney will know how to protect a client from such problems, and even set up a trustee for someone under the age of 18 who will eventually receive something from the will.