Legal Aid: 7 Common Legal Questions, Answered

Every year more than one million people are refused legal help due to a lack of adequate resources. If you look further and dig into statewide studies, they show that 80% of civil legal needs people have are not being met.

Most people don’t know the legal system and statutes like the back of their hand. Plus, most people don’t have a friend or family member who’s a lawyer.

What that equates to is a lot of confusion for a person who has important legal questions to be answered.

If you think you’re in need of a lawyer and want to know the answers to the most common legal questions, keep reading.

1. Can you Take and Post Pictures or Videos Without Consent?

In this day and age that’s the most popular question, lawyers will get. For the most part, posting someone else’s video or picture online is harmless. However, there are some situations where things can get dicey.

The rule of thumb is that if it’s a public group or forum, then you’re fine to post a picture or video without someone’s consent. That’s if the post isn’t anything grotesque or showing illegal activity.

On the other hand, if you’re taking and posting videos and pictures in a private place, there could be legal ramifications. It’s always good to be respectful and get consent to post something whenever you can.

2. Can Things you Post Get you in Trouble?

Yes. You can lose your job, spouse, or ruin relationships with family members from things you post online. You can also face legal problems if the content is of a certain nature.

The most common legal problems people run into are cyberstalking/harassment and cyberbullying.

Teenagers are especially vulnerable to this and many schools have systems in place to protect their students from this which works in tandem with law enforcement.

Here are some guidelines you’ll want to keep handy to protect yourself online.

3. What Constitutes Online Harassment?

Figuring out exactly what makes for online harassment can be a bit tricky. Again, always remember to be respectful and treat others how you’d expect to be treated.

The legal definition of harassment ranges from threats of violence to common threats.

Where it gets really tricky is the difference between someone expressing themselves (freedom of speech) and someone making a violent threat with actual intention.

If you make a serious threat to someone and it’s proven that you had the intent to do harm to that person and act on the threat, you can face up to five years in prison. So again, proceed with caution.

Don’t think just because you’re saying it over the internet the comment doesn’t have real-life consequences.

4. Am I a Victim of Workplace Discrimination?

Workplace discrimination is defined as a form of discrimination based on gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, age, and physical or mental disability.

It seems cut and dry but many people have questions if their claim is legitimate or not. The problem with filing a workplace discrimination case is that it’s extremely hard to prove in most cases.

But, if you feel that you’ve been discriminated against in the workplace it’s important to gather as much proof and information that you can and call a wrongful termination or discrimination attorney ASAP.

5. What are Short-Term Rental/Airbnb Laws?

Nowadays many people are looking to rent out their extra space to make ends meet or as an investment to rake in some cash. With the uprising and success of platforms like Airbnb, laws have had to be made and or changed to accommodate everything.

These laws can be a bit confusing and differ from state to state. So, many people are looking for legal advice on the subject. A short-term rental is defined as 30 days up to three or even six months in some cases.

A lot of states or city zones prohibit you from renting out space in the short term. If they do allow it you typically have to register the space and collect a “hotel tax”. You may also need to get a business license from your City Hall office.

6. Is Marijuana Legal?

The answer to that question has been changing rapidly over the last few years. Eleven states have fully legalized marijuana for recreational purposes and many others have legalized it for medical purposes.

However, weed is still illegal at the federal level. In 2018, President Donald Trump stated he would not enforce the federal laws as long as people were complying with their own state statutes.

Some things to keep in mind are that you still can’t take it on a plane if it’s flying under FAA guidelines even if you’re traveling from one legal state to another. Also, you can’t transport it across state lines by land as well.

As long as Trump doesn’t go back on his word you probably won’t need to find an available lawyer in regards to marijuana anytime soon if you stay within your state guidelines.

7. What Are the Freelance Laws in My State?

With the freelance industry’s recent boom, people have so many questions they need to be answered, and they especially have legal questions.

The most popular question in this category is do I follow freelance laws in my state or the state where my client is? The general rule is you are subject to laws in the state that you work in, not where the client is located.

Another question that often comes up is, does the freelancer work under employment laws or business laws? The answer is business laws since a freelancer is technically a business entity.

There are some states like California and New York that do allow certain employee protections for freelancers.

Legal Questions Answered

Now you’ve got some answers to some of the most common legal questions people ask. Whether your question was answered here today or not, you should still contact a lawyer to get any type of legal advice.

Also, you should check out our Education Blog to learn more.