LegalEase – September/October 2022

October 26, 2022

From Our Computers to Yours

Friends:

November 8 is Election Day for the mid-term elections and, in most states, gubernatorial elections.  We encourage everyone to vote.  Voting is a privilege, a responsibility, and a way for your voice to be heard.

There are several options for voting—mail, drop-box, early in-person, and election day in-person.  Here are links to get further information about voting options and deadlines in your area:

Maryland Election Information
DC Election Information

November 11 is Veterans Day.  Please join us in honoring our nation’s veterans for their patriotism and their sacrifices for our country.  We thank them for their service.

We hope everyone is well and enjoying this beautiful fall weather!

Your Attorneys,
Steve Bienstock
Josh Bienstock

NEW LAWS EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2022

Washington, D.C.

Non-Compete:  Employers now can’t restrict their employees’ outside work activities through non-competition contracts or policies.

Paid Leave:  DC’s paid leave programs are expanded regarding parental leave, family leave, medical leave, and pre-natal leave.

Maryland

Temporary Driver’s Licenses:  The MVA can now issue a temporary driver’s license renewal for up to 2 years instead of two 45-day extensions.

Legal Age to Marry:  You can now marry at 17 with parental consent and the Court’s okay.

Move Over Law Expanded: You must move over and slow down when approaching a vehicle on the side of the road with its hazard lights on.

Child Restraints:  Children under 8 years old must ride in an appropriate child safety seat, rear-facing until they are 2.

BELIEVE IT OR DON’T!

  • It is illegal to climb trees in Oshawa, a town in Ontario, Canada.
  • In Barbados, it is illegal to wear camouflage clothing.
  • In Japan, the odds of being killed by a gun are about the same as an American’s chance of being killed by lightning.
  • It’s football season.  Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.
  • A group of pandas is called an “embarrassment.
  • Sliced bread was once banned by the Government as a wartime conservation measure.
  • Johnny Carson sparked a run on toilet paper when he joked about a shortage during his opening monologue on The Tonight Show in 1973.

Q&A

 Q.  My mother was estranged from my brother, and she intentionally left my brother out of her Will.  She passed away, and she named me Personal Representative in her Will.  What obligations do I have to notify my brother of her passing?
  • A. Even though your brother is not named in the Will, he is still an heir and must be included in your Petition for Probate as an “Interested Person.”  As Personal Representative, you have specific obligations to all Interested Persons.  Probate can be daunting–we can help you understand and navigate the process.
Q.  Who are “Interested Persons”?
  • A. When you file a Petition for Probate, the Interested Persons include the Personal Representative, heirs, legatees (someone named in the Will as a beneficiary), trustees, and guardians.
 Q.  What is an Advance Directive?
  • A. Also known as a Living Will, an Advance Directive specifies what actions you wish to be taken if you are brain dead. Do you want to be hooked up to machines, fed through a tube, hydrated through an IV?  (This is different from Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) or Maryland Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST).)  We can help.

Do you have a question for us?
Are there any topics you would like to hear more about? 
Email our Paralegal, Sheila, at sheila@bienstocklegal.com
or call us on 301-251-1600.