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As a fellow (non-immigration) attorney, I'd just like to stress how remarkable and generous is Peter's willingness to do this via HN, even with the very obvious

As a fellow (non-immigration) attorney, I'd just like to stress how remarkable and generous is Peter's willingness to do this via HN, even with the very obvious disclaimer. It speaks volumes about his confidence in his expertise and communication, as well as a genuine desire to spread good information around to those who need it. Neither the dated, often fuzzy rules about practicing law nor lawyers' developed risk consciousness encourages this kind of "innovative" altruism. Instead, they create anxiety that keeps many community-minded attorneys from doing anything like this. Bravo, Peter. Inspiring.

jdoliner 11y ago
Would you mind explaining a bit more about why the status quo discourages this type of behavior and what most lawyers perceive as the risks? I'm not really familiar with how it works and I'd imagine there's others on HN who aren't as well.
- teachingaway 11y ago
  I think it's 'malpractice' risk. Like, if a lawyer give bad legal advice on a forum, and someone reads it and follows it and then loses a ton of money because of it, and then the reader sues the lawyer for malpractice. The plaintiff would never win the case. But lawyers like to avoid being the target of malpractice claims, even if they're super-weak / spurious / whatever. I think that is the situation. As a lawyer, I personally don't mind writing about the law or answering general questions on the internet. I wouldn't answer someone's specific questions about their personal legal situation though (without an engagement letter).
  - logicallee 11y ago
    right - the status quo would be for Peter to respond to every comment that about the commenter with, "Talk to a lawyer."
endurancerobot 11y ago
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jdoliner 11y ago

Would you mind explaining a bit more about why the status quo discourages this type of behavior and what most lawyers perceive as the risks? I'm not really familiar with how it works and I'd imagine there's others on HN who aren't as well.

teachingaway 11y ago
I think it's 'malpractice' risk. Like, if a lawyer give bad legal advice on a forum, and someone reads it and follows it and then loses a ton of money because of it, and then the reader sues the lawyer for malpractice. The plaintiff would never win the case. But lawyers like to avoid being the target of malpractice claims, even if they're super-weak / spurious / whatever. I think that is the situation. As a lawyer, I personally don't mind writing about the law or answering general questions on the internet. I wouldn't answer someone's specific questions about their personal legal situation though (without an engagement letter).
- logicallee 11y ago
  right - the status quo would be for Peter to respond to every comment that about the commenter with, "Talk to a lawyer."

endurancerobot 11y ago

EnduranceRobots.com is looking for enthusiasts and hobbiests in robotics and laser industry. We are looking for tech smart people who would like to help us to improve our products and positioning on the markets. We are still very early startup and can not pay big salaries but we can pay some. Please have a look our web site: endurancerobots.com youtube channels: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzziBor2UytyKZ2RCPjXvCA http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzziBor2UytyKZ2RCPjXvCA http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLVtLSTxwLPs74x1cUoAHzA http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLVtLSTxwLPs74x1cUoAHzA and our facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Endurance-1399951053640252/ https://www.facebook.com/Endurance-1399951053640252/ We are very open to all critics: email us your ideas to: gf@endurancerobots.com or skype my: george.fomitchev