Not legal advice!
So many reader questions come in that are beyond what The Legal Genealogist can answer in this blog, because they’re asking for legal advice. Um… that’s not what this blog is all about. Not what this blog can do.
It’s necessary, or at least advisable, to explain every so often some of the limits on what I’m up to here at The Legal Genealogist. You know, the little things, like making sure I don’t get sued and the furniture isn’t trashed in a brawl.
So here, at the beginning of my fourth year of blogging, let me take the opportunity to repeat these…
The rules of my road.
I’m not your lawyer.
I have a law degree. But I’m not your lawyer. I’m not even in active practice as a lawyer any more. I’m not licensed in your state, and I’m not giving legal advice online. We don’t have an attorney-client relationship, so anything I say can be held against you. If you get sued because of something I say here, I won’t represent you. I won’t even testify for you. I will, however, be enormously amused.
Seriously, this blog is general commentary on lots of things, including general commentary on the law. If you’re looking for more than general commentary on the law, you need to consult a lawyer in your home state. If you think this is more than general commentary on the law, you need to consult a mental health professional.
I could be wrong.
In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m (gasp) human. Which means, at any given time, on any given matter, I could be wrong. If I’m wrong about a fact, I’d like to know it. (I was delighted when Donn Devine told me about early Delaware statutes I hadn’t been aware of, and when Peter Hirtle set me straight on how the King James Bible is covered by a Crown patent.) So tell me when you know more than I do or I’ve just plain goofed. As to everything else, don’t buy what I say uncritically; check the sources I cite and make your own decisions. You may well come to a different conclusion.
No advertising.
It appears that people selling (probably counterfeit) Coach bags and (undoubtedly overpriced) sports jerseys think that the comments area on genealogy blogs should be their personal playgrounds. Uh uh. Not here. And especially not the dolt who thought this lifelong New York Giants fan would be happy with a comment touting Tom Brady jerseys. Well, maybe… depending on whether I could dictate what was on the jersey…
No politics.
It appears that the extreme fringes of the political spectrum have people sitting out there, trolling every single nook and cranny of the Internet, looking for places where they can pop up and spew their conspiracy theories. “Obama wants to close the SSDI because he wants to hide his birth certificate!” “Romney is a Mormon and Mormons do genealogy so genealogy is a Republican plot!”
Bleah. A pox on all your houses. If you haven’t got anything substantive to say about genealogy, it ain’t going live here. And if it sneaks by me at first, it’ll get deleted when I spot it.
No flaming.
Play nice. We’re not all ever going to agree with each other on everything. But disagreeing doesn’t have to be disagreeable. So no personal attacks, ever.
My turf. My rules.
And last but hardly least, I pay the bills for this website. I don’t accept advertising and I don’t charge admission. Which means that this is my turf. Which means that I get to set the rules. So no, I really don’t have to talk about an issue if I choose not to. And I don’t have to stop talking about something that I do want to talk about. Your freedom of speech doesn’t mean that you can interfere with mine. It means that you’re free to do exactly the same thing … on any website where you pay the bills and you set the rules.
How the World Sees Genealogists (Image used with permission of Jim Owston)
Hey, thanks so much for educating and entertaining us so well! Love your work!!
Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated.
I love this, great post Judy! Looking forward to a great 2015!
Thanks, Blaine! Happy New Year to you and yours!
I love your blog and read just about everything you post. I love your sense of humor, too. Keep up the great work that you do. Maybe we’ll meet each other in April when you come to Indiana!
Thanks for the kind words, and come on up and introduce yourself if you’re there in April, Darlene!
Great rules, Judy!
Love your gift of explaining, and your wonderful sense of humor.
Thanks for the kind words! Happy New Year!
My turf. My rules.
So true and enjoy all your posts.
-explaining the legal and posting of family research.
Great words for our advancement and research.
GJ
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Love the picture of geneologist’s image with others, thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to see what 2015 brings to the world of tracking our ancestors.
Credit goes to Jim Owston for that one!
Wait, you’re not my lawyer?!?! I’m going to have to seriously re-think my participation in potentially shady endeavors involving DUCT TAPE then! I was counting on you to bail me out if we, totally accidentally, committed something that picky people considered a crime. 🙂
You’re overlooking the fact that co-conspirator co-defendants cannot represent each other…
Never miss a post. Let us know when you are headed to the carolinas again.
Thanks for the kind words, Charlie! Happy New Year!
You and I may want to discuss Seahawks vs. Pats jerseys on the 2nd of February.
That one’s easy. I’m going to root for the Yankees. The fact that it’s the wrong season and wrong sport is just a detail…
Good rules! Your posts are always informative plus and enjoyable read. Looking forward to many more thru the year.
Thanks, Stan!
Love your blog but hate you for getting me hooked on Hoosier Daddy…okay maybe not hate… 🙂
All I can say is, misery loves company. We’re all hooked… and Michael isn’t writing nearly fast enough!
Ha ha ha ha!!! You GO, girl! I seriously laughed out loud and spewed wine on my laptop! Damn, I hate wasting good wine. Wait – can I sue you? 😉
Sue, yes. Win a suit, collect damages? Um… no.
My (adult) son wondered why I was giggling at the computer and when I told him “I’m reading Judy Russell’s latest blog post,” he said “Of course. I should have known.”
Oh, you have so much fun with your passions!! Cheers (clink) to another fascinating year.
And my regards to your entire clan!
so well said. if everyone’s terms of use were so clear, this would be a better internet and world. looking forward to more posts in 2015.
Thanks for the kind words.
Awesome, Judy! Thank you for your blog!!!
Thank YOU for the kind words!