Summer is finally here, and in Western New York, the coming of summer yields more hours of daylight for us to relish before another long winter approaches.
 
We've certainly put these extra rays to good use and accomplished a lot here at HoganWillig. Along with the launch of our brand new website, we've also developed a new monthly podcast series, LegalEasy, that we hope will provide our clients with some amusement, as well as some interesting and useful information about what we do best.  In addition, s tay tuned for our flat fee menu that we will be unveiling shortly on our website. 
 
Furthermore, our new Ellicottville office hosted an Open House this month, which received a great turnout. A sincere "thank you" goes out to all who attended; we enjoyed meeting you and hope that the relationships we formed will continue to grow. 
 
Here's to a happy and healthy summer to all,
 

Attorney Tips
Don't Let the Swimming Pool Ruin Your Summer Fun

by Rebecca Kujawa

With the warm weather finally back in Buffalo and summer quickly approaching, property owners  need to keep in mind the injury risk swimming pools pose to children. 

Under the rules of premises liability, property owners in New York have a duty to those who enter their property to keep the property reasonably free from known hazards that could lead to harm. If property owners fail to keep their property safe or to warn of known dangers, they generally bear legal responsibility for resulting accidents on their property.             
   
A swimming pool in a property owner's backyard is considered part of their property. Therefore, a property owner may be held liable for accidents related to their swimming pool. While certain obvious hazards, like a slippery surface around the pool's edge, will not create liability for the property owner, other less obvious conditions can. For example, if it is not obvious that the pool is too shallow for diving or if there is some sort of hidden obstruction inside the pool, then failing to warn a user of the pool of the condition could make the property owner liable.

In addition to the duty to warn of dangerous conditions, a homeowner must comply with certain safety regulations when it comes to maintaining their swimming pool. Most importantly, residential swimming pools must be:
  • Completely enclosed by a fence at least four feet high that obstructs entry to the pool
  • Equipped with an audible pool alarm capable of detecting a child entering the water (if the swimming pool was installed, constructed or substantially modified after December 14, 2006)
Property owners can also take some other basic steps to make their pool safer and reduce the chance of swimming pool liability. These include:
  • Locking any gates and doors that lead to the pool
  • Using a pool safety cover
  • Keeping a telephone near the pool in case of an emergency
  • Watching when swimmers are in the pool


Orders of Protection
by Michael Colletta

An order of protection is a court order directing an individual to stay away and refrain from communicating with another, or to refrain from "offensive conduct" toward another.   Link

Good Samaritan Laws
by Brett Tokarczyk

If you have driven on Buffalo's I-190 in recent weeks, you probably are familiar with the Department of Health's new billboard campaign to promote New York's "Good Samaritan Law."  Link

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Firm Updates
New Website!  HoganWillig Attorneys at Law is proud to announce that we have launched a brand new version of our website! Our hope is that this completely revamped website will better represent us to our clients and potential clients.

We hope you enjoy the new website as much as we do! If you peruse our website and come across a question on any particular topic or if there is a feature you would like to see, please call us at 716.636.7600. We'd be happy to speak with you. http://www.hoganwillig.com/
Senior Expo
We had a great time meeting many of you at the  The GreenFields Continuing Care Community 's Senior Expo on Wednesday. Pictured is HoganWillig attorney J. Michael Kelleher with one of the many new friends we made.

Ellicottville Open House
Thank you to everyone who attended our Open House in Ellicottville! We had a great turnout and it was so nice to meet you all! 
Follow Us Online!

"We've come a long way since 2002! We now have 5 locations and over 100 employees, but our receptionist Darlene has been with us since the very beginning! #ThrowbackThursday"






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2410 North Forest Road
Suite 301
Amherst, NY 14068