Cole Law Group Blog

“Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”– Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Whether to keep your married name or revert to your maiden name after a divorce is a decision that carries both practical and emotional ramifications. Objectively, no right or wrong answer to this question exists. Each determination…

Disclaimer: This blog post is not legal advice. This post is intended to give a bit of background information about Defamation Law in the State of Tennessee. Each case is different and there is a meaningful distinction between having a cognizable claim and whether or not it is wise to bring a lawsuit. For legal advice…

On May 11, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which hears appeals from federal district courts in Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio, issued its opinion in Mayhew v. Town of Smyrna, Tennessee, which focused on a public employee’s First Amendment free speech rights. The Plaintiff was the lab supervisor for Smyrna’s…

Introduction A concept that may be unfamiliar to those who do not have extensive experience with the United States court system is that of the rules governing how long a plaintiff has to bring a lawsuit after an injury. The way this works in practice is that plaintiffs’ attorneys are aware of these rules and…

In a five-minute video appeal posted February 21 and available for viewing at https://vimeo.com/204940925/ce417a2098, Nashville music producer T Bone Burnett recently urged the U. S. Copyright Office to close safe harbor loopholes in Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Current provisions in the DCMA require that music creators identify and request removal of pirated…

Americans don’t seem to agree about much these days, but I think most people would describe the year 2016 as worrisome and disheartening. Our country endured a divisive and rancorous presidential election. We lost notables such as Judge Anthony Scalia and astronaut John Glenn, pop culture icons Gene Wilder and Carrie Fisher, musicians Prince and…

While previous generations may have observed or been subjected to domineering torment by others, the word “bully” today encompasses much more than a mental image of Biff from Back to the Future or John Bender from The Breakfast Club. Bullies no longer resemble their cinematic portrayals, and it is now much more difficult to withdraw…

In preparation for a civil trial the attorneys for both parties have a period of time that is called the “discovery” phase, a process during which they try to ascertain all the facts about the case and document everything the other side might know. One of the devices used during discovery is the deposition. A…

As a rule, the Courts have historically encouraged the visitation rights of parents, despite separation of the parties, believing that a relationship with both mother and father is essential to the upbringing of a child. However, what if a parent is incarcerated? Do the Courts still encourage visitation if a parent is imprisoned? Can visiting…

All is fair in love and war…well, the judge may differ with this opinion. Many persons going through a divorce experience a euphoric feeling of freedom during the initial phase of the case. It can be exciting, right? A new chance at true love. That confidence booster you really needed. Or perhaps time to do…