One of the favorite parts of my work week is undoubtedly each Friday when I make the trek up Route 88 to West Liberty University to record the latest episode of the Bordas and Bordas Legal Review. Each week I discuss with viewers legal issues affecting our area, our state, and our nation. It was a little over a year ago that I first hit the airwaves as the host of this weekly television program. I have to admit that despite the fact that I am rarely at a loss for words, I was pretty nervous about being the host of a TV show that would be broadcast to tens of thousands of people each day. After all, I had absolutely no experience in television, or any other form of media for that matter. However, my nerves were quickly put to ease when I met the students at West Liberty who make up the production crew. They were energetic, eager to learn, and obviously up to the task of making even a rookie look good.

One of the things that we are proud to fight for at Bordas & Bordas is the youth of our community. One aspect of this commitment is our dedication to youth sports. This is a very important commitment to me personally. Not only do my own kids participate in various athletic programs in the Ohio Valley, but I also know from my time as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point how important athletics are to the development of our young people. As General Douglas MacArthur (USMA Class of 1903) said, "Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other fields on other days will bear the fruits of victory.: General MacArthur's point was that the lessons of sport, learned on the "fields of friendly strife," teach teamwork, perseverance, and discipline. Those lessons bear fruit no matter what the future holds for our children.

It's finally here! Premiere Week is one of my favorite times of the year. It's the time when I welcome back all my favorite television shows and try to embrace a few new ones. As much as I would love to say that I have an interesting and intellectually stimulating hobby, the simple fact is I love to watch TV. There are a few prime time series that I never miss but I also have to admit that I really enjoy reality television. I can't get enough of American Idol and The X Factor and as much as it embarrasses me to put it in print, I am even hooked on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. And, of course, anyone who knows me will tell you that my absolute favorite show is Dancing with the Stars. Yes, just give me an evening with some of my favorite stars and professional dancers like Derek Hough and at least one of the Chmerkovskiy brothers, and I am one happy girl.

Not too long ago I was scrambling around my kitchen trying to wrap my head around what I still had left to do on what seemed to be a never-ending list of important tasks: make lunches, check homework, wash dishes, find the ankle brace my daughter needed for practice the next day, throw one last load of laundry in the machine, let the dogs out and clean up that big pile of mess that was once my kitchen table (because I KNOW something is there that someone will need before 8am tomorrow). It was already well after 10:00 pm and just when I was about to go into full melt-down mode, my mom casually walked into the kitchen and asked if she could help. That triggered the all-too-common 10 minute rant that I am famous for giving in my house when I'm stressed and want help but feel better yelling about not having it. These special outbursts are usually reserved for my husband, who at the time was somewhere else in the house, so I made sure I yelled loud enough for him to hear. Expecting my mom to say something to validate my feelings and maybe even tell me I should start wearing a cape and insist my kids and husband start calling me some really cool superhero name, I paused long enough for her to respond. Then she said it: "You're going to miss this". I immediately thought to myself, wait, that's it? That's all you have for me?! Isn't that a country song or something? You are a mother and wife too - back me up a little bit!

Autumn, Fall, harvest: to me this means pumpkins, apple cider and falling leaves! I love this time of year. The countryside explodes with vibrant colors of red, yellow and orange. The leaves of the trees and the temperatures begin to drop, the sun shines a little brighter, the days get shorter and the nights get longer. It's my favorite season. From the beauty of the mountains ablaze with color to the smell of apples rotting under the tree, it brings back so many good memories. After my father retired from 22 years of service in the Air Force, we settled in Mill Creek, West Virginia, to be near family. Mill Creek is a small town at the foot of Cheat Mountain in Randolph County, where you can trace heritage all the way from the first battle of the Civil War. We folks from Mill Creek like to call it - "God's country." It's one of the most beautiful places in West Virginia. There's lots of hunting and, in the winter, lots of snow. Randolph County is home to Snowshoe , Spruce Knob and Dolly Sods . God's Country!

New facts continue to come to light about the Upper Big Branch explosion as criminal investigations continue. Gary May, convicted of conspiracy in connection with Massey actions designed to defraud mine inspectors, says that the lawyer Massey hired to defend him actually only defended the company, sacrificing his interests to hide further wrongdoing on behalf of Massey and its successor, Alpha Natural Resources.

This week join Jamie Bordas and his frequent guest, (why is this guy always available?) Chris Regan, for another engaging and lively episode of the Bordas & Bordas Legal Review. This week, Chris and Jamie discuss premises liability, an area of the law dealing with the obligations of landowners to customers, visitors, and even, in very rare cases, trespassers, on their properties. If you own property or visit those who do, you will want to watch this informative half-hour of television on West Liberty's outstanding television station. You can tune in to Comcast Channel 14 or watch this episode in the Vimeo archives .

Approximately 200 million Americans have credit histories on file with the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion), and these bureaus generate and sell more than one billion credit reports each year. Credit reports play a critical role in the economic health of American families. At least a fair credit history is often necessary for consumers to obtain credit, and at a reasonable price. Credit reports are also used by employers to make employment decisions, landlords to make rental decisions, utility providers to establish accounts, and insurers to set premium rates. Because of the importance of credit reports, credit bureaus have a legal duty of maintaining consumer information to the "maximum possible accuracy." Nevertheless, inaccuracies and errors plague credit reports, with estimates of serious errors affecting up to 25% of all reports. The primary protection for consumers involves a dispute process to correct inaccuracies that is mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Unfortunately, the process has become a travesty, with the credit bureaus conducting only perfunctory investigations.

Home remodeling remains so commonplace in the United States that we have at least two entire television networks devoted to it. And come on, who doesn't want to live nicely, cheaply? For a novice carpenter like myself, who wouldn't mind taking a shot at it but wants to make sure it's done properly and safely above all, it's tough to complete any moderate amount of home renovation without paying at least one subcontractor. To try and offset that cost, the one project most DIY-ers end up doing themselves is demolition of old space, to make way for new. I've done it a bunch of times. It's typically dusty, dirty, hot, sweaty and messy work. And although there does seem to be some perverse joy in the destruction of your home, at least for the first 30 minutes or so, it is nothing to screw around with.

My daughter, Jayme, recently sent me a picture of my granddaughter, Melody, being pushed around in an empty box. Melody, who just turned months old, was a little skeptical but clearly enjoying herself. It was an homage to a picture that's been treasured in our family for years--a picture of Jayme herself, wide-eyed and grinning with excitement as she was being pushed by me in an empty box of her own. Seeing Melody sharing this simple joy brought a smile to my face and a flood of good memories. But it also reminded me of a reality that's difficult for any parent to come to terms with: my "little girl" was now raising her own family.