Bruce McKinley

Owner of McKinley Law Online, LLC
Licensed Mississippi Attorney

Online Legal Services

You have access to your file through a secure portal
24/7 anywhere you can access the Internet.

For a full description of each service listed below, click on the link:

Wills/Estate Planning and Probate:

Having a last will and testament is the easiest way to ensure your property goes to whom you wish after you pass away. Like all other states, Mississippi has specific laws establishing how a person can make a will and what it must contain. In Mississippi, if you depart this life without a will, your property will be distributed according to state "intestacy" laws. Mississippi's intestacy law gives your property to your closest relatives, beginning with your spouse and children. If you have neither a spouse nor children, your grandchildren or your parents will get your property. This list continues with increasingly distant relatives, including siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and your spouse's relatives. If the court exhausts this list to find that you have no living relatives by blood or marriage, the state will take your property. Maybe more importantly, no parents want to imagine that they might pass away while their child or children are still young. Consequently, many parents procrastinate when it comes to writing a will, which means that many parents have not taken the legal steps to name a guardian for their children in the unfortunate event they die. Should this happen, there is no standard formula for determining who becomes guardian to their children. A judge is responsible for deciding who would make the best guardian. Parents should think carefully before selecting a guardian for their children. This isn't a popularity contest. Nor should you pick someone simply because they might be angry, hurt or mad if they weren't selected. Get started by clicking here.

Advanced Health Care Directive:

The Uniform Health Care Decisions Act of Mississippi allows you to name an agent to make health care decisions for you if you become unable to do so. It determines the type and extent of medical care you desire in the event that you become incapacitated. Executing an Advanced Health Care Directive will ensure that, in the event you become incapacitated and need health care or medical treatment, the person most trusted to make such decisions for you will have been named and given any written guidance or instructions based on your personal values. An Advance Health Care Directive is the best way to make your medical and health care wishes known and to ensure that those wishes are followed, including directions regarding the use of life-prolonging equipment and procedures. Get started by clicking here.

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Power of Attorney:

A Power of Attorney is a document that allows you to appoint a person or organization to handle your affairs while you're unavailable or unable to do so. For example, when you are traveling out of the state or country or when you are physically or mentally unable to handle your affairs. A Power of Attorney is frequently included as part of an estate plan to make sure that you has addressed the possibility that you might need someone to handle your financial affairs if you are unable to do so. In many cases the Power of Attorney is very broad and provides extensive powers to the person or organization you appoint as your agent. These powers commonly include handling banking and security transactions, buying and selling property, settling claims, entering into contracts, handling matters related to government benefits, making various financial decisions, and making gifts, just to name a few. Get started by clicking here.

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Small Business/Corporations:

When starting a business, preparation is just as important as execution to ensure that the business you start can prosper and thrive for years to come. There are four primary legal forms of business from which to choose: sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company, and other corporate entities such as a C or S Corporation. Tax treatment varies with these legal forms of business. You may also need to determine, among other things, if you need a business license, a sales tax number, how will the responsibilities and liabilities of company will be spread among the principal owners and the investors in the business and who will be the officers. Get started by clicking here for general businesses and here for Corporations and LLCs.

Landlord/Tenant:

Landlords and tenants have rights and responsibilities granted to them under Mississippi's Residential Landlord Tenant Act. These include notice of tenancy termination, return of security deposits and the responsibility of both parties to properly maintain the rental unit. For example, landlords are required to maintain their properties according to code and ensure that heating, cooling and plumbing systems are operational. Tenants are required to pay their rent on time and to keep their homes clean, sanitary, and to not cause damage to the home or its appliances. It's important to understand your rights and responsibilities before you draft or sign a rental contract or leasing agreement. You also need someone who can back you up if you need to go through tenant screening, evictions or breaking a lease issues. Get started by clicking here.

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Real Estate Transactions:

Buying and selling real estate is generally more complicated than buying or selling other expensive goods, such as cars or boats. For example, many different people can have an interest in the same property, tax consequences are more complicated, and possession is not necessarily indicative of ownership. For most people, real estate consists of their home and the lot surrounding it. Commercial real estate may include factories, equipment, and other facilities. Resources existing on (or under) the land, including minerals and gas, are also part of real estate. Deeds indicate, and are generally required to transfer, ownership of real estate. A deed contains the names of the old and new owners and a legal description of the property and is signed by the person transferring the property. The different kinds of deeds, such as the warranty deed or quit claim deed transfer different interests in property. For example, a seller conveying property by a general warranty deed assures good and marketable title to the buyer and will defend the tile to the property from all persons. In contrast, a seller conveying property by a quit claim deed conveys only what title the seller may have to the property, with no warranty as to ownership or defects in the title. Get started by clicking here.

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Family Law:

This includes a variety of family issues which are some of the most central and personal aspects of society such as guardianships, prenuptial agreements, adoption, name changes, paternity, property division, divorce, spousal support, maintenance and child custody and annulment. It is difficult to give simple answers to many of the legal questions that a person may have about marriage, parenthood, separation, or divorce. MLO deals with these potently highly emotional issues objectively and legally despite the strength of emotion in many family law cases. Get started by clicking here.

Basic Legal Guidance:

Sometimes in order to make a decision, resolve a legal matter or move on to the next step in a legal action the only thing you need is an answer to a question. However, many times it requires advice from a licensed Mississippi attorney. MLO's Legal Advice by Phone or Email Service gives you an affordable, convenient way to obtain the professional advice you need and peace of mind you want. To determine if this service is right for you, feel free to use the Get Started link below to provide a brief summary of your situation. Someone from MLO will promptly respond. Get started by clicking here.

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Legal Research:

McKinley Law Online provides legal research for attorneys and clients. Completed legal research will be compiled into legal memoranda. Get started by clicking here.

Basic Document Review:

Read and understand documents before you sign McKinley Law Online will review and help you understand legal documents before you sign and provide guidance and suggestions which are in your best interest. MLO will review lease agreements, contracts and other documents where you believe you need assistance understanding the legal terms and your rights and protections as they are presented in that document. Get started by clicking here.

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Preparation of Documents:

Examples of basic legal documents that can be prepared for you are:

  • Advance Healthcare Directives
  • Adoptions
  • Affidavits
  • Assignment of Leases
  • Bills of Sale
  • Business Sales
  • Contracts
  • Deeds
  • Divorce Complaints (Irreconcilable Differences "no fault")
  • Guardianships
  • Leases (Residential and Commercial)
  • Partnerships
  • Power of Attorney
  • Prenuptial Agreements
  • Wills

This list is not exhaustive. Please contact McKinley Law Online for information on other documents you may need and specific pricing.

Get started by clicking here.

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