Welcome back for another installment! Don’t worry, we’ll steer clear of Superbowl talk (I’m sure you’re getting your football fix from several other

sources).  This week, while reading the legal blogs, I kept coming across stories that reminded me of clichéd sayings…and while Inside Legal Blogs is usually

a dependable source for hard-hitting, serious legal information (please try to withhold your laughter), I thought this week, I’d keep it simple, and stress

some of the simple lessons that can be learned from this week’s legal blogs.


Lesson #1: You get what you pay for
I’m the first to admit, there are too many lawyers out there who over bill their clients.  So I’m sure when lay people catch sight of a lawyer that offers

very affordable legal services, they jump at the opportunity to take advantage of the cheap fares. Well, I’m all for taking advantage of a bargain, but a

word of advice: check the guy’s credentials before you retain him. This would have saved some criminal defendants who hired George Robotis (an ex-con) a lot

of time and money—because had they done their research they would have realized that the man they had hired to represent them was actually not an attorney at

all. On May It Please the Court [http://www.mayitpleasethecourt.com/journal/journal_comments.asp?JournalID=1425], I read about Mr. Robotis and his brilliant

pseudo legal practice. Apparently, when questioned by a suspicious judge (in court!), he nonchalantly replied, “Oh, I’m not a attorney”.  So there you have

it:  if you want a “deal” on your legal representation, you may just end up retaining an ex-con.

Lesson #2: What Goes Around, Comes Around
Sometimes you hear about those rare good souls in the world, who are just simply out to help people…you know, Mother Teresa types. On first glance, that’s

what I thought I was  QuizLaw [http://www.quizlaw.com/blog/just_sounds_like_advanced_capi.php]was covering in this story. A Florida couple, the Evans, own

migrant labor camps, and would recruit employees from homeless shelters to work for them. Ronald Evans had even set up a little shop where his employees

could purchase goods-sounds nice, right? Well, this nice little story takes a nasty turn when you consider what exactly what “goods” the Evans sold at their

shop—liquor, crack, and cocaine. At jacked up prices no less! But don’t worry, these two do-gooders will get exactly what they deserve. Robert Evans was

recently sentenced to 30 years in prison, and his wife will be joining him there as well.


Lesson #3: If It Looks to Good to be True, it Probably Is
The dreaded tax season is almost upon us. Most of us have accepted that we have no choice but to fork over our hard earned money to the government. However,

others among us still cling to the hope that there is some way to weasel out of paying taxes. On Sharks in the Water

[http://www.sharksinthewater.com/journal_sharks/journal_comments.asp?JournalID=182&PagePosition], a California attorney (perhaps a distant relative of Mr.

Robotis in Chicago?) has offered some brilliant legal arguments for those of us who do not want to pay taxes. A few of his gems include “wages are not

income” and “Salaries paid in any form except gold are not paid in legal tender and therefore not taxable”. I would caution people against actually

attempting to use any of these arguments, but then, anyone who is actually stupid enough to try these lines on the IRS deserves what they get.