Fargo Litigation & Appeals Law Blog

Most college students experiment with alcohol. Some drink occasionally and some become binge drinkers. Many feel they are able to drive when they have only had a few beers, but that is a bad idea.

Some college-age drivers think a DUI is nothing more than a simple traffic offense, but you should be aware that it is far more serious and can have long-ranging consequences.

If you are finally getting around to giving some serious thought to estate planning, congratulations on your foresight. Not everyone has it. Before you get together with your attorney, it is a good idea to gather as much information as you can about your assets —  investments, banking information and the like — to make the meeting go more smoothly.

You do not want to leave any critical information out of documents that will be so important to your family after you pass on. Here are six things you should remember to include:

• Name your executor or trustee: Give this important task some thought. Choose someone who you believe has sound judgment and who can be counted upon to do a good job, not because he is your eldest child or favorite uncle.
• Select a conservator: If you have minor children, choose a conservator for the money they will inherit in case you pass away unexpectedly.
• Allow for changes: People get married, divorced, become drug addicts or decide to go on a world tour. In other words, circumstances change, so designating heirs is not always easy. Your estate-planning attorney can offer guidance.
• Provide for your pets: Remember to include provisions for your furry friends; by law, they are personal property. Name someone who will give Fido or Fluffy a good home. You can even spell out instructions for feeding or special needs.
• Include your digital assets: You may have considerable digital assets, such as cloud-based accounts and important documents stored online. Think about what should happen to your Facebook or LinkedIn accounts, and remember to pass along important password information.
• Provide updates: Once you have prepared your will and/or trust documents, do not let them become stagnant. As the lives of those named in your estate-planning documents change, you should be prepared to make updates.

Basic estate planning is a necessary fact of life, but it is still something that many people put off or talk themselves out of keeping up with. There are a variety of reasons why that is, but the fact is that solid estate planning is the only way to be sure that one's wishes will be followed after one passes. That means it is a necessary step if you need to take care of dependents like minor children or if you are trying to minimize the financial impact on your spouse in the event of the unexpected.

People who are arrested for driving under the influence are often caught up in a cycle of addiction that is hard to break. While jail may seem like the best option for them to serve their time since they broke the law, there is a newer approach to helping these people that is surprisingly effective. According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 75 percent of people who graduate from drug court are never charged with a drug-related crime again. This highlights the fact that drug courts may be a successful alternative to locking people up in jail or prison.