June 27, 2016
Cravens & Noll PC Welcomes Two Experienced Virginia Attorneys
The Virginia personal injury, criminal defense, family law and bankruptcy law firm of Cravens & Noll PC, welcomes attorneys Susan G. Andrews to our legal team. With offices in Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and Colonial Heights, we are proud to offer representation to clients throughout Virginia.
Susan G. Andrews will be located in our Tri-Cities office in Colonial Heights. A native Virginian, Susan will be working with Cravens & Noll clients facing legal issues related to divorce and separation; guardianship; bankruptcy protection and relief; and personal injury claims. Susan has been in private practice in Richmond and the surrounding areas for over 25 years; her background and experience practicing in the Commonwealth will allow her to efficiently and effectively assist clients with any legal issue they may face.
June 27, 2016
Virginia Law Firm, Cravens & Noll, Supports Scholastic Read & Rise National Literacy Campaign
As part of our commitment to literacy throughout Richmond, Cravens & Noll PC participates quarterly in the Scholastic Read and Rise Book Fair, volunteering at and providing financial support to elementary schools throughout our community.
In February, our attorneys attended the J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School Read and Rise book fair, volunteering at the book fair and reading to students’ in classes. Our firm donates approximately $2500 to each school at which we volunteer, enabling each child in attendance to purchase a book from the fair to take home and read with his or her family.
What is the Read and Rise Program?
The Scholastic Read and Rise program is a national literacy campaign focused on providing children with the tools to learn to read. Over 35 percent of children begin school lacking the language skills needed to develop literacy; the Read and Rise program addresses this through engaging children, their families and the community in learning to read as well as providing resources to promote reading at a young age.
Our Commitment to Our Richmond Community
As attorneys, as parents, and as Virginians, we understand the importance of building reading skills and the role access to books at school and at home plays in developing those skills in our children. Contributing to take-home resources for children and volunteering in our elementary schools is part of Cravens & Noll’s commitment to our community, the learn-to-read process and ultimately the improvement of childhood literacy throughout Richmond.
Cravens & Noll plans to continue our support of the Read and Rise program and we encourage others to get involved in promoting literacy among young Virginians.
June 25, 2016
Gun Laws in Virginia 2016 Update
Laws passed by the Virginia General Assembly last February will go into effect on next week, July 1. There are hundreds of new laws on the books and some of them will impact gun owners and those looking to purchase a firearm.
Virginia will recognize all valid concealed handgun or concealed weapon permits and licenses issued by other states, according to State Police.
That recognition will depend on the following requirements:
1. The holder of such permit or license is at least 21 years of age; and
2. The permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State; and the holder displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer; and
3. The permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked.
Although the new law requires Virginia to grant recognition to all states that issue permits, other states are not required to recognize or authorize Virginia permit holders to possess a firearm in their state.
Furthermore, starting July 1, people who want to privately buy or transfer firearm(s) at a gun show in Virginia can request a criminal background check on the buyer. State Police will be available at every firearms show in Virginia to conduct those checks.
A background check in a private sale ensures that the gun is transferred only to a person lawfully eligible to possess firearms and provides evidence to the seller of diligence to protect against the illegal transfer of firearms. Participation in these background checks is strictly optional and based upon agreement entered into by the firearms seller and recipient.
Those background checks would cost $2 and takes about three minutes.
Click here for information about what it takes to be eligible to buy a gun in Virginia.
June 24, 2016
Bankruptcy in Virginia
There are essentially two kinds of individual bankruptcies, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 Bankruptcies are a liquidation of all of your debts. It essentially wipes the sleight clean. In order to determine whether or not you qualify for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy we evaluate your case in a consultation. The first thing we examine is whether you qualify under the Means test.
The means test essentially is the average household income, per household size, per the area you live in as set out by the IRS. It is adjusted quarterly by the IRS to keep up with changing economic times and inflation. If you are below the means test threshold then you may qualify for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. If you are above the means it is presumed that the filing of a Chapter 7 would be an abuse of the Bankruptcy system. There are exceptions to this rule, however I would say in about 95% of all cases this holds true.
The second thing we examine is do you have any equity in any property. If you have equity in property, let’s say a house, then filing a Chapter 7 would cause the trustee to take this property, sell it and pay off your individual creditors with the proceeds. The Bankruptcy Code as well as the Code of Virginia provide us with many exemptions to protect your property and in most cases you do not risk loss of any of your property.
The third prong that we examine is what is your income to expense ratio. If your expenses exceed your income then you may file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, however if your income greatly exceeds your expenses you cannot file a Chapter 13.
It is also important to know the ramifications of filing the Bankruptcy. The largest of which is the effect it has on your credit. Most people who are in the position to do a Chapter 7 already don’t have good credit, but filing will plummet your score even further. A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy will affect your credit on average for about 5-7 years. It is not that you will not be able to buy anything or that you will not be able to get any loans, you just will get much worse interest rates than the average consumer.
The positive of the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is that it will clear your unsecured debt. Basically the only debts that are not dischargeable are taxes, student loans, support obligations, and court fines fees or costs. Pretty much all other debt can be discharged through the bankruptcy. This will clear your debt, stop those pesky debt collectors and allow you a renewed lease on life.