Bruce S. Haines, P.C., lawyers in Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania

Uniform Acts and Model Acts

The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws was created in 1892. The National Conference is composed of more than 300 Uniform Law Commissioners. The Commissioners are lawyers who are appointed from each state. The Commissioners draft uniform or model legislation that addresses problems that are common to all states. The National Conference finances its activities through funds appropriated by state legislatures. The goal of the National Conference is to encourage the adoption of laws that are consistent throughout the states. More...

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

The U.S. Congress passed a law authorizing the federal judiciary to adopt rules of practice and procedure for federal court proceedings. Congress also created a body called the Judicial Conference of the United States to administer the federal courts. The Supreme Court of the United States can prescribe federal procedural rules, and the Judicial Conference has authority to recommend changes to the rules. Any rules adopted by the Supreme Court are subject to congressional review. More...

Liens

A lien is a charge on real or personal property for the satisfaction of a debt or legal duty. Liens may be judgment liens, mechanics' liens or tax liens.More...

Hung Juries

The United States Constitution guarantees all criminal defendants a right to a trial by a jury of their peers. A criminal jury consists of 12 people. There is also a constitutional right to a jury trial in certain types of civil cases. The jury in a civil case usually contains 6 to 12 people. If the jurors cannot agree on a verdict, the jury is said to be a "hung jury" or a "deadlocked jury." If a jury deadlocks, the result is a mistrial. More...

Discretionary Review of a State Court Decision

Generally, a litigant can file an appeal of a state trial court's final decision as a matter of right. The appeal is filed with the intermediate appellate court of the state. There is a distinction between mandatory review by the court of appeals and discretionary review by the state's highest court. A litigant is not entitled to a second appeal as of right to the supreme court.More...