Creating a new product, a new machine or launching a business with its own distinct lines is a crapshoot. It's hard to tell what ideas will take off and sell and which ones won't. But the odds in an inventor or businessperson's favor can be greatly reduced if their products and/or ideas aren't protected. This is where the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can make a real difference.

For an inventor, getting a patent on an idea can mean the difference between finding good investors that will help launch a company or a design or running into a hornets' nest of people who would prefer to grab the idea, run with it and leave the inventor empty handed.

If you're of the creative type, it's quite likely you've made something you'd like to protect from others. Whether it's the creation of a novel, a new fabric softener or you're trying to launch a new business that will have its own unique brand, hiring an attorney to help may be in order.

Each state has their own laws regarding when creditors may sue debtors for failing to pay or violating a written contract. This would include credit card accounts, accounts set up for buying a car, rental leases, and other contracts involving debt. If a debt is older than the state's law, the collector has no legal authority to truly collect on the debt.