Law Offices of Michael Ullom

It is a sad fact that those who do evil live among us. While it would strain anybody to be in a state of constant vigilance we must allow for the possibility that sometimes harm is happening. The biggest tell to me (other than their malnourished daughter) is that the 'parents' claim they had a warning system to 'protect' their daughter from eating spoiled food. Or you could throw away the spoiled food in the house. It's frustrating to see behavioral problems used in the defense claims when such problems, if any existed to that extent, were more than likely caused by the parents' ill behavior.

Tips for dealing with Security Deposits One of the ongoing battles in life for renters is the arguments that pop up on the security deposit. Tenants are tasked with ensuring that the landlord's withdrawals from the deposit are appropriate. As security deposit battles often do not find their way to court, many landlords may not have an exact knowledge of what they are entitled to withdraw, and what they are not allowed to charge. 0) Obtain a move-in checklist and diligently...Continue reading

Today I am writing about an uncomfortable subject, child molestation. I am writing about it in the hopes that a few key ideas are made clear: Most acts of child molestation are not by strangers, but rather family, friends, or seemingly trusted individual in the child’s life. While child molesters are not easily pigeonholed, there are common patterns and techniques they use to ensure access to their victims. ...Continue reading

I was briefly awakened last night by an AMBER Alert, the first I ever received. For those of you who don't know, such alerts are triggered by the abduction of a child, sometimes in risk of injury or death. In my case, I received a text message detailing the kidnapper's vehicle and license plate. The idea is to notify the populace and use the eyes of civilians to lookout for the kidnapper's face or vehicle. The case from which it sprang is linked to below, and is rather ghast...ly. The ideal of the AMBER alert is problematic in practice; a Washington State review of child kidnappings found that 75% of children murdered by their kidnappers were murdered within three hours of the kidnapping. This does not give the police much time to react to a crime, determine the truth or falsity of the kidnapping and then notify the appropriate people. I do not wish to malign such a program, but I believe the effort required for success is rather high. My personal suggestion is that if you want to change lives around you, the issue of domestic violence is one worth paying attention to. The leading cause of injury for women 15-44, it is often easy to overlook. Even a few words can make a difference. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/60639 In addition to knowing how to treat a victim, you can fight domestic violence by ensuring the people around in your life know how to treat their partners-not as possessions, but as independent and equal.