By Richard Kistnen, Esq. As my office is situated in a neighborhood predominantly populated by good people from the West Indies, I receive many requests for help with documents to be sent back home (often to Guyana or Trinidad). The documents often relate to some procedure involving immigration, real estate or a contract of business. More often than not, because of differences in practices here in New York and abroad, there is often confusion as to what a particular document needs to look like and it should contain. Below are…
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Facing a Consumer Credit Lawsuit?
By Richard Kistnen, Esq. With many individuals still facing unemployment and stagnant income, hundreds of consumer credit lawsuits are filed against individuals in New York City courts every day. The king’s share of these lawsuits is brought predominantly by credit card companies, debt collection companies and medical billing companies. They are often received by mail, and often do not make sense upon first reading. There is generally a one-page summons and a one-page complaint. With scams looming large, many individuals often neglect to read these documents thoroughly, or decide to…
Read MoreExercise caution when purchasing Real Estate
By Richard Kistnen, Esq. A recent article indicated that in October 2012, home building has reached its highest level in almost four years. Many of these projects may be new projects, while a number may be projects that were deferred due to the recession. As lines of credit are slowly beginning to flow again, individuals may be tempted to take advantage of low interest rates that are in effect today. This article is not concerned with the ability to obtain financing for real estate purchases. What this article does is,…
Read MoreBe wary of non-attorney document preparers
By Richard Kistnen, Esq. Before turning to the substance of this piece, I hope that anyone reading this is coping at least somewhat safely after the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. If you have the means, please try to donate goods, monies and/or services to one or more of the many ongoing relief efforts. If you have been adversely affected by the storm and would like help obtaining information of these relief efforts, feel free to reach my office and I will try to help provide whatever information we can…
Read MoreHandling collection communications
By Richard Kistnen, Esq. If you have ever missed a credit card payment or two, you may be familiar with the nightmare that inevitably follows. You first receive a “kind” letter indicating that you have missed a payment and, to avoid any adverse consequences, you should remit a payment as soon as possible. You miss a second consecutive payment which is followed by a not-so-nice letter indicating that the company is disappointed that you have failed to satisfactorily maintain your account and that, if payment is not promptly received, the…
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