If it makes you feel any better, Flipper, my firm has bee slammed in the press, along with ignorant bloggers, here for about 2 weeks all due to a client's removal of a state historical marker on his property that we are brokering. It is merely an informational marker and not a registered state landmark, but people are up in arms accusing us of being money-grubbing and willing to sell county treasures, blah, blah, blah.
The house needs to demolished or at least extensively, structurally renovated (which will cost as much, if not more than it's selling for) and I have said so publicly. The 100 year old adobe walls are collapsing under their own weight because of poor initial construction, the weight of modern roofing, massive tree roots too close to the structure (God knows that tree is a treasure too and cannot be removed) and its location next to a creek that flooded and wiped out numerous other houses 8 years ago. It is dangerous as it stands and seemingly destined to give way to natural forces eventually, but as to when that might happen, it's hard to say without monitoring the movement of the walls. I'm not a PE and no one would pay for that kind of study.....and I put this to the Historical Commission to put their money where there mouth and buy the house IF they indeed are so concerned about its future.
My office has nothing to do with the seller's decision to merely get the sign out of the way whilst he cleared the lot, yet we have been accused of instructing him to do so in order to find someone willing to buy the old eyesore, not knowing it's controlled by the state historical mandates, which it's not. In fact, it is not worth much and is not going to make us any significant money when it does sell so we find this all very humorous.
The only comment I made on the blog, because my parents were beside themselves about the nasty comments made by anonymous posters, of course, was that this is the US and in Texas, which consists of more than 90% privately owned land, there are laws purposely put in place to protect land owner's rights against just the sort of socialist tyranny these uninformed busybodies would impose. Not only that, but because this online paper kept posting incorrect information based on hearsay of those with no actual knowledge of the situation, they were libelling us and our cadre of legal minds in Austin sit ready to assist us with a healthy, rarely used legal fund!
Protecting our clients is taken very seriously. I'm only silly and fun on here, y'all.
Oh my!
I know nothing about real estate and property rights, and don't pretend to, but what you said seems to make sense. I think anyone who provides a service gets a bad rep, period, because uninformed people think they should get something that they can't, or that things should be a way that they just aren't, and just can't fathom that they don't have all the information. I think our media plays a huge part in that - they just report a fraction of what is really going on - sometimes that's all they have, and sometimes that's what they choose to do.I guess I need to learn a little more about real estate because of these landfill cases we are working on - you can imagine what that's all about. Subdivision built on landfill...no disclosure...stuff seeping into houses...sinkholes swallowing houses...diminished property values...
I think I've talked more about work in the last few weeks, than the 4 years I've been here. I take work very serously too - maybe too seriously sometimes. You have to find a way to separate yourself from it, or you go crazy. I think that's why the firm provides beer for after hours. I'm surprised I'm not an alcoholic.
Ok, Kagome, I'm sorry I misunderstood you. Media law to me is fascinating and frustrating, what little I know about it. Our firm settled a case during a trial recently having to do with media law. The story was in the news so I can talk a little about it. Basically, big massive well-known computer company sued a mom and pop repair business for using their code without permission. There is something in the law that if you are in the busines of repairing, you can use certain code without permission. However, big bad company thought they could litigate the mom and pop out of business. Our firm took the case, countersued, and after 6 weeks of trial got a settlement that made the client very happy.
Sometimes the Little Guy does win
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I'm glad you understand I wasn't trying to put down your profession in any way! I understand that there are just some "bad lawyers" out there. Honestly, the last thing I'd be doing right now is in any way insulting the law profession! My sister is having to fight for SSI (she has Asperger's syndrome and has had back surgery for scoliosis [she was the first person doctors ever operated on that proved scoliosis can exist both as the "S-shaped curve" and "hunchback"] which was an operation to put two stainless steal bars in her back and then they had to remove some of her hip bone to help so one of her legs is a bit shorter than the other one).
