The law touches most every controversy or significant disagreement, but that does not mean one has to hire a lawyer to resolve many of them. Most of the relatively minor issues people face can be resolved without venturing into a court of law, but by taking your issues to the court of common sense.
Here are some recommendations:
1. Watch out for a “Jimmy Hoffa” attitude. This labor leader regularly said: “I may have my faults but being wrong ain’t one of them.” If you have that kind of attitude, you are not going to get many disputes resolved reasonably, and you generally miss a good chance to put the dispute behind you.
2. Disputes with your neighbors. These generally involve common boundary-line issues, trees on or near the boundary line, or limbs that overhang on to your neighbor’s property. If you want your next-door neighbor to be a good neighbor, you have to be a good neighbor, too. There are legal responsibilities on both sides. “What if the shoe were on the other foot?” is not a legal rule, but it falls squarely into the court of common sense.
3. If you cannot solve your problem on your own, consider contacting Mediation Services of Forsyth County. (P.O. Box 436, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-0436, 336-724-2870 or email fcmediation@aol.com). This nonprofit can help you solve many relatively minor disputes cheaply and efficiently and hopefully save a friendship/relationship.
