The Law Firm of H. Jeffrey Ziegler

08/27/2022

Something I am proud of coming in 3rd place; Even if they spelled my name wrong!.

We are proud to announce the winner of the Eamonn J. Gordon Memorial Pro Bono Award: Stuart E. Williams! This is Stuart's third consecutive year winning this award due to his continued dedication to Eamonn J. Gordon's "Justice for all" legacy. Since 2019 Stuart E. Williams has spent countless hours providing pro bono representation to those that need it most.

We appreciate his dedication to the Harford Country Bar Foundation's mission to help the members of our community. We also want to take a moment to thank the first runner-up, Andrew Kanaras of Kanaras & Rogers LLC, and the second runner-up, H. Jeffery Zeigler of the Law Firm of H. Jeffery Zeigler.

Without the hard work of such dedicated volunteers, we wouldn't be able to provide our numerous programs, clinics, and services to the county!

06/25/2022

I have not posted in a while but have been thinking of the small things that I see people getting in trouble for that they could avoid.
My first bit of advice is that you CAN be ticketed for having those phone holder contraptions that hang from your review mirror. Or anything for that matter. You are not supposed to have anything that obstructs your forward vision. Handicap tags too. They say right on them to remove before you drive. Be careful out there.
Second bit of advice is traffic circles ⭕️ The general rule is YIELD RIGHT OF WAY AND YIELD TO CARS ALREADY IN THE CIRCLE. If you come to a circle at the same time as another car to your right, they have the right of way. The sign only says yield. The rest is understood. Don’t just follow the car in front of you and blow through the circle as if you have the right of way if there are other cars waiting to enter the circle to your right.
Last bit of advice for tonight; SLOW DOWN! I have had a run of clients going 85, 95, 115 mph lately. Even with a good record you will need to take the Driver Improvement Program to get consideration for a PBJ. And pay a hefty fine. And use more gas. And in some states, over 80 is a criminal traffic matter. 👋👋

08/15/2021

07/21/2021

I have not posted anything for a while. I hope you all get vaccinated for your safety and for the health of all around you. Take the extra precautions until we beat this virus like we did polio. Trust the science. Not the politicians.
For all those wanting to get into court, be patient. There is about 6-8 month backup with cases that have to be cleared out.

07/09/2020

As we continue with the pandemic and struggle to re-open society under the "new normal", do not forget to be vigilant and wear your masks anywhere in public, especially in stores or any closed environment.
Legal matters are delayed by 4-5 or more months and your patience with your attorney or the clerks of the court would be appreciated since the court staffs are still working part time and rotating shifts to maintain their own safety at the Courts.
Courts are only hearing certain matters right now and also trying virtual hearings for many things such as scheduling conferences, status conferences, settlement and pre-trial conferences. But anything that would require multiple witnesses to appear in a hearing are most likely not being docketed until September and any NEW cases are being set in 2021!!.
I am still operating full time and can assist you with most matters even though the courts are backed up. Do not hesitate to call me only because you hear the courts are closed. There are lots of things that can be EFILED and cases started the sooner the better to grab hearing dates as they are being offered.
Stay safe.

04/13/2020

Hope you all are socially distancing yourselves from each other. We are more susceptible to SCAMS these days , being home more often than before and getting a lot of spam calls. Most importantly, IF you get an "email" from what LOOKS like one of your regular contacts, such as Amazon, Staples, Verizon, Comcast, etc., and they ask you to "click" on a link in the email because of some issue with your account, DON'T DO IT'!!
Instead, if not sure it is spam or not, go to the homepage of the contact and sign in that way and see if there is anything you need to do. If not, then someone was "PHISING" to get info from you. If you click on their link, you go to a bogus site where they ask to confirm your CC information, birth date/ address, etc. DON'T fall for it.
We got an email from "EXPERIAN" saying that there was some issue with our credit report and that someone had accessed an account that affected our credit score.
I checked with Wells Fargo and Discover Card websites that keep track of my credit accounts and nothing has changed at all.. We even got an email from Discover Card saying that there has been no known attacks on our credit and none of our information has shown up on the "DARK WEB".
So check with your credit card companies and see if they offer that service for free. Ours gives us a monthly update on our credit scores and if there were any irregularities on our accounts.
Stay well and wash your hands.

01/22/2020

Just a quick note of reminder: Do Not abbreviate the year 2020 when dating anything this year. Such as 1/22/20. Someone could easily add another two numbers at the end and make it look like 2019 or 2018. So anytime you date something legal this year.... or ANYTHING, make sure you put “2020” in full!! Just in case.

12/02/2019

I have not posted for a while, but here are some words of wisdom for the holiday season:
1. Do NOT respond to emails from your regular services that are on auto pay with a credit card that they could not process your monthly bill and need to follow a link to update your billing account. These are PHISHING attempts to get your information. If you have any questions, log onto your own account from your computer and see if there is anything wrong. DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINK THEY GIVE YOU IN THE EMAIL OR TEXT. IT MAY LOOK CORRECT, BUT IT IS A SCAM TO GET YOUR INFO.

2. Always check back to the store you purchased something at to see if they lowered the price on something you just bought. Most stores have a price guarantee for a certain number of days. I bought a new computer and in a week it went down $150 and Best Buys refunded me the difference. I just bought a SSD backup for it and that also went down $40 and I will be headed over there today to get that credit..

3. If you get stopped for a DUI because of partying, PLEASE take the breathalizer test. If you get stopped for use of any pot, take the blood test. At least in Maryland, if you test positive, with the MVA you can request a restricted license for work, school, programs, etc. BUT, if you refuse, you have only two choices; Interlock on your car for a year or a 6 month total suspension. You have nothing to lose to get tested. If you are over .15 on a DUI, then you must have interlock or a suspension by law. But if you are under that threshold, you can get consideration for less restrictive alternatives. Better yet; TAKE UBER/LYFT or call a friend or relative to take you home. Or a cab.. its cheaper than my services and court and MVA . And you could save a life.
Happy Holidays. Whatever you celebrate.

06/18/2019

Another thought for the week: If stopped by the police for ANYTHING.... just be respectful. One possibility is that he/she checks your record and sees no prior violations and only gives you a warning. Have your registration, license and insurance card (maybe your emissions testing results too) all ready to hand to them. Don't be fumbling around for them. If they are going to give you a ticket, don't argue with them. That does you no good. Judges ALWAYS ask " was he/she cooperative with you?" you might say that you don't think you were going that fast or weren't paying attention. But NICELY... not combatively. If they give you the ticket, you have to mail it in to contest it now.. it used to be you got a court date automatically. No more. And check off the box that you want a trial.. not a disposition hearing. That means the officer does not need to appear. If you ask for a trial and the officer does not show and there is no explanation for them to be absent, plead not guilty. If they do show and you are found guilty and have a good record; request a "Probation Before Judgment"; the old PBJ. If you have no tickets or PBJs in the last 2 or 3 years, you may get another one. No points, just a fine and nothing on your drivers record. IF you were going REALLLLLLY fast... like 95 on 95... then you should voluntarily take a Drivers Improvement Program. You can find them on the MVA website. Take the on line class and then take the certificate of completion to an authorized program to pay the fee and have your certificate signed. More often than not, the judge will either reduce the speed in recognition of your taking the class OR if you have a good record otherwise, might even give you a PBJ with just a larger fine. But you at least won't have a 5 point hit on your record. If you are not sure of your drivers record, you can order one from MVA on line for $12.00 (I think that is still the amount) and they will mail it to you. Or go to any MVA office and fill out the form for a request of your record and bring it to court with you. Or you you can hire me!! Discounts for FB friends... Good luck and drive safely.

06/15/2019

Get it in writing!! ANYTIME you have an agreement that relates to responsibility or money; GET IT IN WRITING!! Especially friends and family members. Renting a room to a friend or relative?? What are their contributions? How long is the agreement for? What are they paying for? Cable? water bill? Electric??? 6 months? Month to month? When it comes time to pay bills or part company you will be happy you did.
Salesman promise u something?? Put it into the contract. If they are willing to “say it” then they should be willing to put it in a contract. If that salesman leaves, the business may not have approved that promise. Or, it was just “puffery” to seal the deal. But, if in a contract, it’s part of the deal. Buying a car? Promise you a loaner for service?? Put it in the contract. Salesman says it’s their policy to offer a loaner? You walk out. Tomorrow they change their policy! You don’t have a loaner for service and you get a lemon: in for service with no loaner UNLESS you made it part of the contract!
Buying furniture? They promise to restuff the cushions if the filling material goes bad. Put it in the contract. I saw a contract which excluded any obligation to refill cushions for material that had been flattened. It was not warranted. But, it would be if it were in the contract.
Just some examples. Famous last words: “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you”. You sure will if it’s in the contract but not if they get hit by a bus tomorrow!
All things I have seen. So buyer/renter anyone: Memorialize that agreement in writing. You will be glad you did. Otherwise I need a new deck and I will be glad to help you out. Call me.

02/26/2019

Never say”yes”!! Do you get those annoying scam calls? Do they ask “ is this _______(your name)? NEVER reply “YES”. Some scam artists record your voice and use your “YES” to make it seems as though you agreed to some contract for services. When you get charged for some bogus service, they will have “proof” by playing back a recording of an agreement that they tacked on Your “YES” statement to make it sound like you agreed. Just ask “who is calling “ or “what is this about” they may ask you again if they are speaking to you. Refuse to say yes. Be safe. Hang up.

01/26/2019

First in a series of common sense reminders: when borrowing a friend’s car ask the following questions; where is the registration? Where is your insurance card? Is the registration up to date or expired?? Take a quick glance at the license plate to make sure the current registration sticker is on the plate. Easy things that I see a lot of in court when something happens and the police ask for these things. If u can not produce the documents or the car registration is suspended YOU get the ticket and have to appear in Court. You may have a good defense, but a quick check before you take the car from your buddy will save time in the long run. And if the registration is expired or suspended a cop may have the car towed and leave you stranded because you can’t just drive away from a traffic stop for that. Be aware. Same thing if the insurance has lapsed. Don’t be embarrassed to ask.