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      All reports — page 11

      The full archive in alphabetical order, across every desk.

      Probate & Estate Law

      Unclaimed Property: Finding and Claiming Assets

      After a statutory dormancy period, banks, insurers, employers and utilities must report unclaimed balances to the state, which holds them until the owner or an heir claims them. Claims on behalf of a deceased owner require proof of death and proof of entitlement, and most states cap what a finder may charge.

      5 min readState rule

      Professional Licensing Law

      Unlicensed Practice and Cease-and-Desist Enforcement

      States enforce licensure requirements against unlicensed persons through administrative cease-and-desist orders, civil penalties and criminal prosecution, often in parallel. Licensed practitioners face separate exposure for aiding unlicensed practice, for inadequate supervision and for holding out under a protected title.

      5 min readState rule

      Utilities & Telecom Law

      Utility Line Locates and Damage From Digging

      State one-call statutes require excavators, including homeowners, to notify a notification center before digging, wait a prescribed period, and hand-dig within a tolerance zone around marked facilities. Failure to notify shifts liability for damage, restoration and consequential loss to the excavator and can carry civil penalties.

      5 min readFederal and state

      Workplace Injury & Safety Law

      Utilization Review and Denied Medical Treatment

      Utilization review evaluates requested treatment against evidence-based guidelines before authorization. Denials are appealed through internal reconsideration and, in most states, an independent medical review, both on short deadlines. Successful appeals address the guideline criteria directly rather than the patient's distress.

      6 min readState rule

      Utilities & Telecom Law

      Vegetation Management and Tree Removal by a Utility

      Utilities clear vegetation under recorded easements, statutory franchise rights and mandatory reliability standards that require defined clearances around conductors. Owners retain remedies where work exceeds the easement, where notice rules are ignored, or where trimming is performed negligently, but they rarely prevent the clearing itself.

      5 min readState rule

      Workplace Injury & Safety Law

      Vocational Rehabilitation and Retraining Benefits

      Vocational rehabilitation provides assessment, retraining, education and job placement where a permanent restriction prevents return to the pre-injury job. Availability and generosity vary widely by state, benefits are time-limited or capped, and refusing suitable modified work generally ends wage benefits.

      6 min readState rule

      Election & Public Records Law

      Voter Registration Deadlines, Purges and Challenges

      Registration deadlines are set by state law within federal limits, with same-day registration in a growing number of states. Federal law restricts how and when voters may be removed from a roll, requires notice, and forbids removal for non-voting alone. Challenges to a voter's eligibility have procedures that vary widely by state.

      6 min readFederal and state

      Criminal Records & Expungement Law

      Which Convictions Can Never Be Sealed

      Relief statutes exclude categories of conviction permanently: typically serious violent offenses, sexual offenses and those requiring registration, offenses against children, and in many states driving offenses involving impairment. Where sealing is unavailable, certificates of relief, pardons and time-based screening limits remain.

      5 min readState rule

      Workplace Injury & Safety Law

      Whistleblower Protection After Reporting a Hazard

      Federal whistleblower protection is spread across many statutes with deadlines ranging from thirty days to several years. A claim requires protected activity, employer knowledge, adverse action and a causal link. Choosing the right statute determines both the deadline and the remedy available.

      6 min readFederal and state

      Election & Public Records Law

      Why an Agency Withholds a Page: Records Exemptions

      Federal law provides nine exemptions, with state analogues, covering national security, internal rules, other statutes, trade secrets, deliberative and privileged material, personal privacy, law enforcement, banking supervision and well data. Agencies must segregate and release non-exempt portions, and must justify what they withhold.

      6 min readFederal and state