Author: LawtonCates

As pandemic restrictions ease, if you have been driving more, you may have noticed a lot of bad driving behavior. If you have, it is not your imagination. Experts are telling us that speed and dangerous driving behaviors increased during the pandemic, leading to higher fatality rates. Unfortunately, these dangerous behaviors are continuing even now, as more […]

Attorney Briane Pagel answers frequently asked questions about debt and gives advice about the best way for debtors to handle their situations. Q: I have a lot of debt and it’s getting hard to handle. Everyone says I should call a bankruptcy lawyer. Is that a good idea? You should talk to a lawyer, but […]

Student loan payments for federal loans are suspended until September, 2020; the CARES Act, which suspended payments, also required that student loan companies treat the loans as though they were still being paid. Some loan servicers may not be complying with the law, and that could damage the borrower’s credit. Recently, Great Lakes Educational Loan […]

On Tuesday, April 12, Governor Walker signed legislation that got rid of earlier increases in mandatory auto insurance coverage. This bill, dubbed “Truth in Automobile Insurance,” which sounds dry compared to the controversy in Wisconsin over the past few months, could have huge impacts on drivers and families who are involved in car accidents. The […]

Many, but not all, student loan borrowers have been given relief from their student loans by virtue of the “CARES” Act, which frees borrowers from making payments on their loans until September 30, 2020; during this time, interest is set to zero, no payments are due, but the government will still count the skipped months […]

I saw a news report the other day that talked about the increase in domestic abuse incidents not only in Wisconsin but throughout the nation. This increase is undoubtedly an unintended consequence of the quarantine orders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus alone is putting extraordinary stresses on our personal health and finances as […]

Whenever I get too discouraged by the state of affairs in America, I think of men like Dick Cates and say a small prayer of gratitude that the country raises up men like him in times of crisis. Cates, who died last week at age 85, was a Madison trial attorney. He’s probably best known […]

I often hear from people who are having problems with their new cars. The car is experiencing repeated problems that cannot seem to be fixed under the warranty. I tell them about the Lemon Law. What is the Lemon Law? Here is s a basic “FAQ” to fill you in. Is my car a lemon? If your car […]

With the surging popularity of “smart phones” we are all tied to our cell phones more than ever. Our smart phones are much more than a phone in the traditional sense. We have the capability to call, text, email, tweet, post, surf the internet, watch a movie, and much more with these new gadgets. All […]

There is no doubt that breakthroughs in medical technology have improved the lives of millions of Americans. And certainly orthopedic implants in particular have relieved the suffering of a growing number of older patients. But as we have seen too many times in the past, the rush to profit from a growing market in health […]