Word of the Month for January 2015: Resolve

When was the last time you made a new year's resolution (and stuck to it)?  Yep, people make a whole lot of promises to themselves and I suspect a reason resolutions are broken 5 minutes after they're made is because most resolutions are unattainable or that people don't believe they can actually reach the desired result.

Maybe, what is lacking is a list of resolutions that are believably realistic?  Yeah, that's the ticket.  How about I (your friendly neighborhood law librarian) offer some suggestions from events I've witnessed over this last year? Of course this all leads us up to this month's word of the month:  RESOLVE. According to Black's Law Dictionary (West; 10th Edition), RESOLVE means to find an acceptable or even satisfactory way of dealing with a problem or difficulty; to make a definite decision to do something; to set one's mind to a course of action.  With that, let's start with #1:

Resolution #1: Don't beat on the kids.  This sounds like it should be an easy one but I gotta tell you, we've had a spat of family law cases run through our library where the kid(s) looks like a worn out punching bag.  Then there are the stories where the mother pours bleach on the kid because she was "frustrated," or the mother who drowns her kids, or the dad who beats up on the toddler because the kid is crying (or won't stop crying).  THINK about the situation: you are beating on this little person and, subsequently, they are going to cry louder (wouldn't you?).  The kid is crying BECAUSE you're beating the living #$!@#$! out of him/her (pick one) and they're going to stop crying after you've beaten/burned the child, why!?!  Some resources that might be of interest to you include:

• Handling Child Custody, Abuse and Adoption Cases (West)
• Legal Rights of Children (West)

Resolution #2:  Be a good (or better) neighbor.  I know, it sounds like a commercial jingle - but it's still a good idea. Picture it, you're looking to put up a fence and neighbor complains that it's on his property.  Instead of the litigation, why not involve him/her in the surveying process?  Another one? Your kids think it's fun to egg a neighbor's house. Neighbor is pissed beyond all reason (can you guess why) and threatens to shoot your kids.  How about instead of calling the cops you pull yourself away from Dancing with the Stars and teach your kids how to not be such a pain in the tuckus.  Some resources that might be interest to you and yours:

• Powell on Real Property (Lexis)
• Neighbor Law (Nolo Press)

Resolution #3:  Get your affairs in order.  OK, this is not a call to come up with better lies you tell your wife as it's a suggestion to write your will or create a trust to protect your assets and take care of your family in the event you go and kick the bucket.  Believe it or not, this happens all the time - people think they're going to live forever and they drop dead in the great conga line of life.  What a bummer.  Some resources that might be of interest to you include:

• Drafting California Irrevocable Trusts (CEB)
• Drafting California Revocable Trusts (CEB)
• Page on Wills (Lexis)
• California Wills & Trusts Forms (Lexis)

Resolution #4:  Stop putting up with harassment at work. Sad that this should even be on this list but we had a mid-20's guy come in looking for information about how to stop being hit on by his boss (an "older" 50-something woman). While you fantasize on that situation, some resources that might be of interest to you/him include:

• The Essential Guide to Workplace Investigations (Nolo Press)
• Your Rights in the Workplace (Nolo Press)
• Employment Discrimination Law (BNA)
• EEOC Compliance Manual (EEOC)

Resolution #5: Stop with the beating up on women! Again, sad that this should even had to be addressed in this day and age but really!?  As if beating on kids wasn't enough, now you have to take it out on the wife/girlfriend!?!  I mention this because regularly we have women come to our library who are looking to protect themselves and their children against abusive slugs of a husband or boyfriend (or guys being beaten by their wives/girlfriends).  If you're to the point where your significant other so pisses you off that you have to hit them to the point of causing scars, then you really need to re-think your commitment to love, honor and cherish, get a divorce, and get a membership with a boxing/fight club pronto.  Some resources that might be of interest to you include:

• Women and the Law (West)
• The Rights of Women (ACLU)
• How to Do A Divorce in Your State (Nolo Press)

So, that's 5 resolutions in your pocket and I'm betting most anyone can get behind.  In the very least, the good folks at your local county law library are sure to have what you need to help get you through this next year.  So, here's to a Happy (and prosperous) New Year, everyone!