The Law And You: Basics You Can Use

Scotch Plains Public Library is happy to announce the launch of an ongoing series that will examine laws that impact our daily lives. Local legal experts in their fields will engage with participants to look at key issues. The first three sessions will be held this spring, with the series to continue in the fall. Please join us this spring for:

· Protect Your Family’s Well-Being: Top Tips, with Jeffrey Strauss, on Monday, May 2 at 7:00 pm

· Immigration Law: Fact & Fiction, with Laurie Woog on Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30 pm

· How to Expunge Your Criminal Record, with Vito Petitti, on Monday, June 20 at 6:30 pm

In presenting Protect Your Family’s Well-Being: Top Tips, Personal Injury Attorney Jeffrey Strauss will discuss strategies to avoid or lessen common pitfalls many people encounter. Jeff will address some eventualities, and the documents to have at the ready, including:

* Medical records and patient portals: know your passwords, prepare your documents, and review your medical records on a regular basis.

* Cheap auto insurance: When to steer clear.

* What to look for when seeking Auto & Home Insurance.

* Rental insurance: Do you need it?

* The KEY documents you need for protection, Wills & Power of Attorney

* Directions in the Law that you should know about!

Jeffrey Strauss has been a Certified Civil Trial Attorney since 1992. At Strauss Law Offices, LLC in Westfield, he specializes in substantial cases of medical malpractice, wrongful death, and all matters of serious injury. Mr. Strauss holds a BA degree in Zoology & Physiology, an MS in Physiology & Anatomy, and a J.D., Cum Laude, Law Review from Thomas M. Cooley Law School-Western Michigan University. He practices law in New Jersey & New York.

Mr. Strauss has been the Co-Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association's Medical Malpractice Subcommittee for two years, he is a member of the Union County Bar Association, a Master in the Richard J. Hughes Inns of Court of Union County, and a member of the New Jersey Association for Justice, formerly known as The New Jersey Trial Lawyers Association.

The series will continue on June 8, when Attorney Laurie Woog will present Immigration Law: Fact & Fiction, an overview of the basic workings of a complex and controversial system, touching on current proposals for reform and change.

Laurie Woog has 20 years of experience handling all types of immigration and naturalization cases. A member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Laurie has lectured on immigration topics at bar associations, conferences and universities and has authored several articles. In addition to her private practice at The Woog Law Office, LLC in Scotch Plains, she is an adjunct professor of Immigration Law at Union County College, Cranford, NJ.

On Monday, June 20, Vito J. Petitti will deliver an overview of the criminal expungement process in New Jersey, including benefits, limitations, juvenile records, and recent legislative activity.

Mr. Petitti has been a volunteer attorney with Central Jersey Legal Services and a legislative staff attorney with the New Jersey Law Revision Commission since July 2013. He has been a licensed attorney since 2009 and is admitted to practice in New Jersey and California.

All programs are free and open to interested members of the public. For more information or to register for the programs, go to www.scotlib.org, email library@scotlib.org, call (908) 322-5007 x 204 or stop by the Reference Desk. The Scotch Plains Library is located at 1927 Bartle Avenue, one block from Park Avenue in the center of town.