In Legal Terms

We’ve got a new one today – we’ll learn about Urban Governance. What’s that you ask? Then you need to especially listen so you can be an informed citizen. Our guest is Professor Jade Craig https://law.olemiss.edu/faculty-directory/jade-craig/Any time you want to “talk to us” just use the MPB Public Media app. When you open the app, select Think Radio. Then go to the Menu and touch “talk to us”. You’ll get a selection of MPB programs and services you can connect with to leave a voice note or an email. We’d love to hear what you’re interested in for a show topic.I love reminding our listeners that our show is about you and your rights. If you’d like to be part of shaping “your rights” consider running for public office. If you need a suggestion on what that might look like head over to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website and look at their candidate qualifying forms. https://www.sos.ms.gov/elections-voting/candidate-qualifying-forms Shaping the state of Mississippi not only takes elected officials but it also takes government employees. In addition to the satisfaction of helping your neighbor, working for the state probably means you are covered by PERS – the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi. If you’d like more information:https://www.pers.ms.gov/ http://moneytalks.mpbonline.org/episodes/money-talks-pers-encore

Each of our participants have been affected by a death caused by a drunk driver. We want to discourage you from drinking and driving. If you are stopped under suspicion of DUI you do have rights. Our guest attorney Francis Springer is going to tell us what those rights are. https://www.springerlawoffice.com/If you’d like some extra information about Driving Under the Influence, check out the Mississippi Bar website and their page about driving under the influence. Like did you know if a driver is under 21, they are defined as intoxicated if their blood alcohol concentration level of 0.02?https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/driving-under-the-influence/A person who is over 21 and gets a DUI, if there’s anyone under 16 in the car, the driver is guilty of Child Endangerment also. I hope this hits home to anyone who considers driving after drinking.We’ve talked about what could happen if you’re charged after a first offense of DUI but did you know: states talk to each other. If you get a DUI in another state, Mississippi still knows about it. So don’t have a first offense then you won’t have a second.https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/2015/title-63/chapter-11/section-63-11-30

You sign contracts every day. Do you read them? Do you have to read them? What makes a contract. Learn with us from Professor Martin Edwards from the University of MS School of Law. https://law.olemiss.edu/faculty-directory/martin-edwards/The Band Van Halen notoriously had a clause in their contract forbidding brown M&M’s.Insurance policies are contracts, but most of us rarely read them. What’s hidden in the fine print? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/contest-fine-print-contract-win-georgia-donelan-andrews-a8814311.htmlWe may think that contracts are a recent thing – but history scholars are Contract History Scholars Are Aware of a 4,300-Year-Old Written Purchase/Sale Agreement from 2300 BCE. So if you think you don’t need a written contract – folks have known for a while now that written contracts are useful.https://www.contractsafe.com/blog/six-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-history-of-contractsIf you’re a contracts fan AND a movie buff, you’ll want to watch these movies with contacts at the heart of their plot: Shrek Forever After, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Disney The Little Mermaid, and Willy Wonda and the Chocolate Factory.https://blog.axdraft.com/contract-management/6-iconic-legal-contracts-in-movies/Samuel L. Jackson - he has a clause that allows him to golf twice a week during movie shoots.Queen Latifah has included an anti-death clause in all her contracts; her quote: “If I die, I can’t be in the sequel,” she explained earlier this year.Julianna Margulies wouldn’t agree to star in The Good Wife drama unless her contract stated that she was allowed to wear a wig.Know your worth! https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/star-contract-clauses

Our most popular topic on this program is about Estates! Wills, trusts, probate, wealth transfers. We’ve got attorney Samantha Moore from Butler Snow to answer our questions. https://www.butlersnow.com/professionals/samantha-mooreThe Mississippi Bar has: Where’s There’s a Will, There’s a Way article on their website: https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/where-theres-a-will-theres-a-way/You can get expert information from facebook – sometimes. That is when you follow Butler Snow LLP. https://www.facebook.com/ButlerSnowLaw You can get even more information about the firm and out guest from their website: https://www.butlersnow.com/professionals/samantha-mooreIf you are still wondering why you need a will, read “Why You Need a Will” on Mississippi Legal Services website: https://www.mslegalservices.org/resource/why-you-need-a-will a guide to free civil legal services for low-income persons and seniors in Mississippi.

Did you know one in five children in the US lives in a household with child support? Today, we’ll learn and get answers from Adjunct Professor and Chancellor for the Twentieth Chancery District, Place 2 Judge Troy Odum about child support in Mississippi.In 2018, 14.7 million children lived in households receiving child support payments, about 1 in 5 children in the US, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The median child support amount received was $1,800 About 30% of parents who are owed child support payments get nothing, according to data from the Census Bureau.In 2017[1], the 5.4 million parents who were owed child support payments received 62% of the amount they were supposed to get, on average.https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-child-support-do-parents-actually-receive/If you would like to learn more about child support, head to the Mississippi Heath and Human Services website: https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/child-support/

Let’s talk about marriage and estate planning. Does your spouse get everything? What about assets you inherited from a first spouse – do they go to the 2nd spouse? Attorney Rick Courtney will answer my questions and yours. https://elderlawms.com/Social Security survivors benefits are paid to widows, widowers, and dependents of eligible workers. This benefit is particularly important for young families with children. You can set up your “my social security account” at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/

Drones are used today in construction, agriculture, real estate, insurance, food delivery; the list goes on. You need to know the laws concerning drones in cases one flies over you or you’d like to use one in your business. Our guests are co-directors of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi: Michelle Hanlon and Charles Stotler. https://law.olemiss.edu/academics-programs/llm/llm-faculty/Extension for Real Life: the extension service for MS State University has a YouTube video and blog:  So, You Got a Drone. The post will help you to know what you can and can’t do with it.https://extension.msstate.edu/blog/so-you-got-droneWhere are resources on how you use your drone? Whether you’re a public safety drone operator, certificated remote pilot, model aircraft flyer, or a drone racer at https://www.faa.gov/uasBeginning September 16, 2023, all drone pilots who are required to register their UAS must operate in accordance with the rule on Remote ID. https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id

We’ve got attorney Charity Bruce from the MS Center for Justice talking about expungements. Who can get them? Why do you want one? https://mscenterforjustice.org/mcj_team/charity-bruce/601-352-2269https://mscenterforjustice.org/work/expungement/https://mscenterforjustice.org/shop/Voices of Mississippi https://mscenterforjustice.networkforgood.com/events/59721-voices-of-mississippi-benefit-concertAn immersive multimedia experience and concert event celebrating the people and the art of Mississippi through song, film, and live storytelling. Proceeds will support the work of the Mississippi Center for Justice. "Voices of Mississippi" combines blues, folk, gospel music, and spoken-word storytelling to paint a powerful portrait of the state’s contribution to American culture. The event features live musical performances integrated with film, audio recordings, and archival photographs -- all combining to tell a uniquely Mississippi story.