Arbitrations Are Not As Confidential as You Might Think

A federal appellate decision warns that arbitration might not be as confidential as the parties in business disputes prefer it to be. If the winner of an arbitration wants to enforce their award by obtaining an ordinary court judgment, they must run the risk of losing confidentiality.

How You Approach a Disagreement Matters

While the pandemic has impacted everyone, it has impacted some families more than others. It is not surprising that a family where one or both parents have lost their job (or now have a reduced income), work on the front lines or have different risk tolerances have a few more hurdles to get over. See…

5 Smart Financial Tips To Plan for a Divorce

Divorce is one of the most stressful things that a person will ever undertake. Oftentimes, people are so intent in formally ending a relationship that their decisions are often made under severe emotional distress. Here are some tips from Denise French, a certified divorce financial analyst, that can help you prepare financially for a divorce.…

about Aric J. Garza

Aric J. Garza has extensive litigation experience, having represented both plaintiffs and defendants in multi-party litigation matters for over 20 years. He has represented businesses, governmental entities and individuals in such cases as consumer law claims involving colleges and universities, non-profit corporation claims against multinational banks, individual claims against major franchises, breach of contract claims involving large and mid-sized companies, property claims against governmental entities, and cases involving class action claims in bankruptcy adversarial litigation.

Unemployment Benefits for Workers Affected by COVID-19

On March 17, 2020, Texas Governor Greg Abbott instructed the Texas Workforce Commission to waive the waiting week for Unemployment Benefits. In addition to waiving the waiting week, the Texas Workforce Commission is exercising its authority under the Governor’s declaration of a Statewide Disaster to waive Unemployment Insurance work search requirements effective immediately. Those seeking…

Help for Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently granted Texas’ Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) assistance declaration, making loans available statewide to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations to help alleviate economic injury caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Small businesses who believe they may be eligible for an SBA EIDL, should visit the SBA’s website where they…

Can COVID-19 Excuse You From Contractual Obligations?

COVID-19 has brought about many horrible scenarios relating to public health and serious financial stress on our incredibly complicated financial system. But small businesses are confronting a specific issue–can COVID-19 excuse small businesses or individuals from their contractual obligations? The answer depends on the language contained in the contract, local and state law (including Emergency…

Proposed Legislation on Texas Property Taxes Could Affect You

A great article in The Texas Tribune (by Chris Essig, Ben Hasson and Brandon Formby) concerning proposed legislation to modify how property tax rates are set: “Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2 — both dubbed the Texas Property Tax Reform and Relief Act of 2019 — won’t provide across-the-board cuts to property tax bills.…

Consumer Arbitrations

Small firms and solo attorneys–consumer arbitrations are here to stay. Here’s the basics of what you need to know, courtesy Aric J. Garza Law, ABA GP/Solo Practice and ABA Dispute Resolution http://bit.ly/2o53fJl

Many contracts do not allow you to go to Court

Many contracts (employment agreements, lease agreements, credit card agreements, warranty disputes, contractor agreements, service contracts, etc.) include an arbitration provision. They require that you arbitrate disputes instead of litigating them in Court. Know what arbitration is, how it works and what it means for your contract.

Texas Durable Power of Attorney and Form

A financial power of attorney is a legal instrument that gives another person (called an attorney-in-fact) the authority to make personal and financial decisions on your behalf.  A financial power of attorney can be as broad, or as specific as you want it to be.  For example, a power of attorney can authorize someone to…