A settlement has been reached between the city of Houston and red-light camera manufacturer ATS, Mayor Annise Parker’s office confirmed Saturday.

According to officials, city council could vote as early as Wednesday to pay American Traffic Solutions about $4.8 million for breaking the parties’ red-light camera contract.

“Red light camera legal fight is over,” Janice Evans, spokeswoman for Mayor Annise Parker said on Twitter. “All cameras coming down.”

The agreement brings to an end the legal fight that began when Houston City Council approved ending the city’s red-light camera program.

The city will pay ATS using money from collected fines that are in escrow and the approximately $25 million the city is still owed in outstanding red-light tickets that were issued when the cameras were still operational.

“I am thankful that traffic violators, not Houston taxpayers, will be paying for this,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “This is a reasonable settlement and I thank the City legal department for its diligence in getting it done.”

Under the terms of the agreement, ATS will be paid $2.3 million up front. The rest of the money will be paid out over the next three years.
The settlement money is around what ATS would have received under its original contract with the city.

In exchange for the money, ATS has agreed to remove all of its cameras from city intersections within 60 days of approval of the settlement by Houston City Council. The City ordered the cameras turned off and stopped issuing red light camera violations last August.

Voters decided in the November 2010 election to turn off the red-light cameras, which sparked a huge controversy as the city’s contract with ATS goes through 2015.

Story Courtesy of KHOU Houston: http://www.khou.com/home/125M-settlement-proposed-over-Houston-red-light-camera-controversy-137823994.html

Free Legal Advice and Help Android Application

AB Small Business Marketing has created the app “Ask a Lawyer: Legal Help” as a free Android App. The app allows people to ask any legal question and receive a free response from professional lawyers. The question can be related to any area of the law.

“With so many mobile apps on the market place people are looking for apps that can fill a need. In this instance people can now receive free legal advice or help and ask any legal question they may have.” (Larry Addles) For that reason, AB Small Business Marketing has created a brand new android app.

The app is called “Ask a Lawyer: Legal Help” and allows people to submit any question about any legal subject. Whether its related to criminal justice, family law, or business law a person can ask the question and get a direct response. The question is answered by professional lawyers and the response is given back to the person through their email. The app has had huge initial success seeing over 200 downloads in the first 2 days of being active. The app also currently holds a 5 star rating on the android market place.

The company worked with a local law firm to design the app to help people through the confusing legal process. The law can be hard to understand and a very confusing process to figure out what to do next. With “Ask a Lawyer: Legal Help” people can take some of the uncertainty out of the industry and ask any legal question they may have.

Willis Law made the app with the mindset that sometimes people just have a simple question and should not have to pay extremely large legal fees for a simple answer. It is currently free to download the app, ask a question, and get a response.

People are encouraged to download the app and give it a try for themselves as you never know when you might need a lawyer or legal advice.

You can view the App on the android market place here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.absmallbusinessmarketing.askalawyer&feature=search_result

For more Information about the company you can visit their website: www.willislawyers.com or you can look into the app development company at: http://www.kzoomarketing.com.

*This application is not a part of www.houstonlawyerlistings.com. We do not in any way contribute to the legal information that is given.*

Find The Best Lawyers In Houston

Finding one of the best lawyers in Houston to represent you in court can be one of the most important things that you do while preparing to go to trial or a hearing. Here are some very important tips that you need to follow while searching for a high quality lawyer. Remember – this person is representing you and your case, and you want them to make you look better, not worse.

• Make sure that the lawyer you have in mind is a licensed professional. You should also check to ensure that he or she hasn’t been expelled or suspended during their career as a lawyer. You can check for this information with your state’s bar association.

• Ask around for some recommendations, and be sure to ask the people that you trust. Usually neighbors, friends, and family can provide you with valuable information about different lawyers they have used in the past. Business referrals are also an excellent source for finding a lawyer that you can trust your future to.

• Have a face-to-face interview with your potential lawyer. Ask them as many questions as you can think of, and make sure that you share the same points of view when talking about your legal situation. If you ask the right questions, you can figure out how knowledgeable they are in their field, how trusting they can be with your case, the past experience they have acquired, and their style of handling cases, especially ones similar to yours.

• Discuss billing options and pricing as well and make sure that you have this information down in writing. This is routine for most lawyers, so you shouldn’t hire one that doesn’t put it in writing. Remember a contract is not only to ensure that you will pay, but also to make sure that they will handle their duties as your lawyer, after all you are looking for one of the best lawyers in Houston so you want to make sure that all the proper paperwork is completed from the start.

• Take some notes about the lawyer’s office as well. How was his or her staff? Were they polite and helpful? Was he or she organized? These things can also tell you a lot about their personality, and how they will conduct themselves when it comes time to enter the courtroom.

• Make sure that the lawyer actually cares about your case. You both should be talking and listening for the same amount of time. If he is only trying to get your to buy their services, they probably aren’t the best choice of representation. Your lawyer is there to represent you, and guide you through your legal battles. It is their job to act in your best interest. Keep in mind that this does not mean you have to like what they say, but you should be comfortable with hearing their point of view.

Be sure to do your research when searching for quality representation for your case or legal matter. Dealing with any trial or legal matter can be a stressful time in anyone’s life. By ensuring that you have one of the best lawyers in Houston, you are making sure that you have a fighting chance, after all the quality of your lawyer that you have can be the difference between winning and losing your case.

View Some of The Best Lawyers in Houston

Welcome to Houston Lawyer Listings.com. Even though we are just starting out, we strive to bring you the most comprehensive list of attorneys in the Houston ans Surrounding Areas. If you can’t find what you are looking for, feel free to contact us, and we will do our best to guide you in the right direction. Thank you for visiting.