MANDATORY FORUM GUIDELINES (REV 1.6)

[socrateaser]

1. I will not respond to any message that is dated more than 5 calendar days prior to today's date. I do this in order to maintain the timeliness of the dialog. To calculate whether a message is posted beyond the limitation period, treat today's date as day zero (0) and count backwards to 5. Any post dated prior to day number 5 will be ignored, unless it is updated to a newer date.

2. Tell me the facts of your case FIRST, THEN ask me NUMBERED questions. Don't intersperse questions and facts and don't ask questions without offering the facts of your case. I only answer questions about real controversies.

2(a). Paragraphs in your post must be no more than four sentences each. I speed read and thick paragraphs make speed reading almost impossible for me.

2(b). You do NOT need to start your post with "Dear Socrateaser." This isn't a social column. Maybe it's time I get SPARC to change the board to "Ask Socrateaser," or something like that.

3. Don't expect me to remember your case from one post to the next. I spend less than 2 minutes with any post and I'm old so I don't remember much anyway. Always give me ALL of the facts of your case when you post.

4. Don't compound posts. Consolidate all of your questions in one post.

5. Always tell me what State Court is hearing your case, and tell me what State you, the other parties, and the child(ren), reside in.

6. Don't degrade your opponent or use derogatory expletives -- if you do, I will delete your post without a response. This board maintains an extremely objective and professional attitude.

7. Don't post facts regarding a criminal matter -- you may be waiving your right to remain silent as well as your right to maintain an attorney-client privilege. If you have a criminal matter, let me know and I may allow you to email me with your questions.

8. If your question reflects a particular part of a court order, and you want me to interpret the meaning of that order, then you must post the EXACT text of the order. If you paraphrase the order in your own words, you will waste both of our time, because I will just ask you to post the exact content before I can analyze your post.

9. Don't email me anything, and don't ask me if you can email me. If I need more precise information, and I think an email from you will help, then I will ask you to email me.

10. IMPORTANT!!!!! YOU MUST POST IN THE FIRST PERSON, because I can only help you about YOUR CASE, not some third party, and that includes your friends, relatives, divorced new husbands, etc.

I can only respond if the post appears to come from the person who is an actual party named (or to be named) in the litigation, OR, if you are a named party and the issue concerns your child(ren) (however, you can seek help concerning any child(ren) for whom you are legally responsible, including children of a new relationship).

If you are posting for someone else, you cannot tell me that you are doing so, because for me to permit you to help someone else with their legal problem means that I am helping you engage in the unauthorized practice of law, which is a crime in many jurisdictions, and I cannot permit myself to be an accomplice.

EXAMPLES:

WRONG: "My DH is going to court next tuesday and..."
RIGHT: "I am going to court next tuesday and..."

WRONG: "My new spouse has been served a restraining order from my ex spouse."
RIGHT: "I have been served a restraining order from my DH's ex spouse."

If you are unclear as to how to post, after reading the above examples, I suggest that you email one of the other posters who I'm answering regularly and ask them to please help you. I just don't have time to work with everyone on how to post. Sorry.

11. You may post your personal experience in response to another poster, and you may offer empathy or sympathy, but you may not offer advice, legal or otherwise, unless you are legally qualified in the field in which your advice is offered, and you have first provided me with absolute proof of your qualification(s).

Notwithstanding, if you read something and you believe that I am clearly mistaken, please feel free to post your objection.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.