December 22nd, 2021 by admin
As some of you know, I have been privileged to write a monthly column on North Carolina law for the Winston-Salem Journal for many years. Its purpose in part is to simplify and explain key laws and legal concepts that affect people’s lives, and from time...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
December 13th, 2021 by admin
JANET AND I RECENTLY enjoyed a small gathering among friends in Winston--Salem. By chance, three of the invited husbands are from West Virginia, including me. We talked about our growing up days, among other things, and the comments our parents would...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
December 6th, 2021 by admin
One of the encouraging trends in our society today is that more people are considering charitable gifts during their lifetimes or at their deaths.Interestingly, however, while 70% of Americans give to charities during their lifetime, fewer than 6% give...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
December 5th, 2021 by admin
AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, I have been privileged to write a monthly column on North Carolina law for the Winston-Salem Journal for many years. Its purpose in part is to simplify and explain key laws and legal concepts that affect people’s lives, and from time...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
December 2nd, 2021 by admin
This column is the third in a series aimed at helping citizens who have been in a motor-vehicle wreck resolve their claim fairly, sometimes without the need to hire an attorney. But when should you consider hiring an attorney? Attorneys...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
December 1st, 2021 by admin
Question: I wanted to see if you could guide me in the right direction to get my personal last will and testament redone. My current one is 20 years old and it definitely needs to be updated. Due to my limited income, where could I get one redone that...
Posted in: Ask SAM
November 23rd, 2021 by admin
Most every television market in the South provides a steady stream of the old black and white Andy Griffith shows. Part of this is regional pride and the sheer entertainment of them, but deep at the heart of them is a series of enduring value stories...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
November 8th, 2021 by admin
When citizens do not have the physical and mental ability to engage in gainful employment, despite their strong will to do so, how will they support themselves?The Social Security system is an insurance system created not only to help people after retirement,...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
October 22nd, 2021 by admin
Prequel to On the Way to the CourthouseMy Courthouse pieces are sent to a wide circle of friends and other readers. One of those readers asked me to submit a piece for a podcast series with which he is associated, Luck and Opportunity. I am pleased a...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
October 6th, 2021 by admin
One of the smartest people in the world in our lifetime was Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple. He was a brilliant and driven leader who had the innate ability to see around life’s corner and see matters before others saw them, and who seemingly...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
September 5th, 2021 by admin
The next two columns will address basic employment laws in North Carolina.Unless one has a written contract, North Carolina generally follows the doctrine of “employment at will.” Even if the employer has an employee handbook or a progressive discipline...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
August 25th, 2021 by admin
When I was in high school the city where I grew up had been given a real deal on a nine-hole golf course that was owned and operated by a country club in the heart of the city. The course was in a very nice and established neighborhood. The club was...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
August 6th, 2021 by admin
In the late winter of 2020, we began to feel the full brunt of COVID-19. But through the vision of President Trump, and others, Project Warp Speed brought us the life-saving vaccines months ahead of any projected time estimate. The collective effort of...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
August 1st, 2021 by admin
This is the third of a three-column series to discuss commonsense ways to plan your estate and to avoid many unforced, and sometimes very expensive, errors. Do you know where your original documents are? Many people do not realize that just a copy of...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
July 7th, 2021 by admin
Question: I enjoyed your column about the Electoral College, but I have a follow-up question. According to state election law, the slate of Republican electors had to be submitted to the Secretary of State’s office. I have been trying to find the list,...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 7th, 2021 by admin
Question: I contracted with a local small business owner to handle two projects for me. The first was completed in a satisfactory manner. With the second, I paid a deposit with the balance due upon completing. I am quickly approaching the time I need...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 7th, 2021 by admin
Question: I recently tried to buy a car and during the closing paperwork was given an “Agreement to Arbitrate Disputes” that I found too restrictive and would not agree to sign. I was told this was required with all auto sales and they would not sell...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 6th, 2021 by admin
If you pay an attorney who dismisses you as a client when the time comes to go to court, and then you find out he was not the type of attorney you needed in the first place, can you dismiss him? ~ O.B.Answer: We forwarded your question to local lawyer...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 6th, 2021 by admin
Question: Two years ago, my husband and I purchased a resort condominium package. We would like to sell our package. We have retired earlier than expected and do not want the burden any longer. ~ J.R.Answer: “If you Google ‘selling a timeshare,’ the names...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 6th, 2021 by admin
Question: Now that the widening of Union Cross Road is complete, who is responsible for mowing the medians and grass by the sidewalks? It actually could look quite nice if this were maintained. ~ D.B.Answer: “Unfortunately, the power company’s easement...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 6th, 2021 by admin
Question: Due to stricter banking regulations, I had a problem depositing my tax-refund checks into my savings account at my credit union this year. On my birth certificate, I have one name. For example, if it were “Sally Jane Olsen,” but I went by my...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 6th, 2021 by admin
Question: Isn’t there a law against being harassed on the phone for overdue bills?Answer: Local attorney Mike Wells said there is a reason a business may have such a policy — North Carolina’s lien law.“If a contractor provides labor and materials which...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 2nd, 2021 by admin
Q: If a property is foreclosed on by the bank and this causes the dwelling doors to be padlocked before personal property is removed, what happens to the personal property left inside?P.T.Answer: Again, SAM turned to Mike Wells.“This would be up to the...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 2nd, 2021 by admin
Q: If a family member dies but has no will and the family members left are siblings only, are the siblings required by law to go through the clerk of court to settle the estate? What happens if an attorney has advised that, in his opinion, there is no...
Posted in: Ask SAM
July 2nd, 2021 by admin
We find ourselves on the better end of COVID-19 these days, but with a pesky variant nipping at our heels.While so many contributed to our successful virus efforts, the heroes in this time of challenge are the health care workers who walked the halls...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
June 24th, 2021 by admin
Winston-Salem, N.C., June 24, 2021 – R. Michael “Mike” Wells Sr. was recently inducted the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society for 2020 by the Supreme Court of North Carolina.Wells concentrates his legal practice in the areas of estate planning, estate...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
June 4th, 2021 by admin
You and the Law: Send Mike Wells a QuestionMondays at 6 p.m. on WTOBAttorney Mike Wells of Wells Law practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, elder law planning, complex civil litigation, workers’ compensation, personal injury...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
June 1st, 2021 by admin
Here are some best practices for handling an estate administration/asset distribution, with proper direction in wills and trusts, which will save money and maybe some hurt feelings in your family.The parents’ homeplaceParents often want to leave their...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
May 21st, 2021 by admin
One of the most valuable lessons I learned about being a lawyer I learned before I started law school.I worked as a runner for a law firm in college. One of the lawyers was particularly bright, and he was well regarded for his intellect. He had graduated...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
May 4th, 2021 by admin
Will Rogers (among others) is credited with saying it’s not the things we know that are the problem. It’s what we think we know “that just ain’t so.”Daniel Kahneman, a brilliant analyst and psychology professor at Princeton, later won a Nobel Prize for...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
April 6th, 2021 by admin
The best legal problems, we often underscore in this column, are the ones which never occur. When we plan, the law can help us avoid many pitfalls.There is another insight which is like unto it: Legal remedies cannot solve what are at the heart personal...
Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse
April 6th, 2021 by admin
Retirement planning for years has included tax-deferred plans that allow a person to put money into a plan and avoid paying the income-tax rate to which the money would otherwise be subject in the year earned (35%, for example). Your personal plan contribution...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
March 1st, 2021 by admin
Do you have a legal question you would like answered without charge? This Friday, March 5, you can do just that during the 14th 4ALL event, a public service program of the N.C. Bar Foundation. N.C. citizens can talk to a N.C.-licensed lawyer for...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
January 3rd, 2021 by admin
Years ago, I was asked to host a pro bono radio show on the law on Sunday afternoons. Although 3 p.m. was not an ideal time, I agreed to do so.But the show caught on, and in time it was moved to a higher listening weekday slot. New advertisers followed.I...
Posted in: WS Journal Articles
