Happy Anniversary
Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I want to thank you for your support and assistance with joining me as a guest or providing me with my guests for my shows. As always, I’m grateful and I am available to provide any assistance whenever you need it. I want to give a special thanks to those who have read my post on my BLAWG, “The LegalBEAT”, and I hope I have provided some meaningful and product insight for you.
This coming October 2009 is an exciting time for me. Effective October 1, 2009, my law firm will celebrate its TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY. In addition, October 2009 will constitute my TWO AND A HALF YEAR anniversary of “IN THE KNOW with Tony Reeves”. And FINALLY, my BLAWG “THE LegalBEAT” will celebrate over THREE YEARS of postings! To celebrate these great milestones, I am RE-vamping, RE-packaging, and RE-PRESENTING my firm, my blogs, and my shows starting October 7, 2009! As always, I am reaching out to you because YOUR contributions are the main reasons that I have been successful.
As I prepare my schedule for the upcoming Fall, I want to be the first to extend to you the opportunity to return as a guest on my show in order to share with me some of your great updates. Feel free to provide me with any new music you have. Also, now is the time to give me the chance showcase some of your fabulous colleagues. Please don’t be shy about letting me know WHO YOU think the WORLD NEEDS to KNOW ABOUT and I will make sure that the world is “IN THE KNOW”. And finally, please let me know if my postings have been helpful. I want to make sure I’m giving some meaningful contributions.
Again, thanks for your time and your contributions. Of course, I know that know that technology can be a beast sometimes so I want to make sure you have the ability to contact me. If you have any difficulty with this e-mail, I can, also, be reached ‘anthony@reevesfirm.com’.
Welcome to my anniversary celebration and I look forward to growing with you.
Sincerely,
Anthony
Please keep a COPY for yourself
Why is it that we get mad when WE throw away something that we SHOULD have kept a copy of for our records? I know, I know, you don’t want all of that extra paper work laying around the house and getting in the way.
And then, guess what happens?? As soon as you DON’T need it, then the search begins.
Listen, it’s important that you take the opportunity to keep copies of certain paper work (i.e. contract, policy changes, employment records) just in case you need them. It may be a pain in the backside but it’s better to have them and not need them as opposed to needing them and not having them.
Oh, and be careful, don’t think that just because your employer has a copy of something that they are going to just give it to you automatically. Most people don’t realize that documentation in your file is NOT your property. This information is the property of the employer. Now, if you’re going to sue them, then you can definitely get the information through discovery. However, don’t get it twisted and think you can merely ask for your information and they will just GIVE it you (some employers might but don’t hold your breath).
Now, I know that this may seem obvious but make it a practice of keeping a copy of documents. You never know when you may need them.
Don’t just sit around WAITING on the money
Part of the problem that some people have with a law suit is this notion that all they have to do is SIT back and let the money ROLL in to them. They have already decided that their case is ALL that and a bag of chips that all they need to do is sit back and let the money flow.
Well, be careful if you take THAT approach. If you have an attorney, you will want to have a heart to heart discussion about what you should do while your case is pending. The reason I this is that in some case, you are expected to ‘mitigate’ your damages.
Ok, I Know you said ‘mitigate? huh?’. Here’s how it flows. You’re not suppose to make your situation worse. For instance, if you get wrongfully fired from your job, it is in your best interest to start looking for another one while your claim or lawsuit against your employer is pending. Why? Well, if you’re not working, clearly, you’re probably hoping to be reimbursed for lost wages as a result of you not being employed. However, it is really unfair to the employer for you to sit on the couch and let the days RACK up because you figure that once you win your case, the employer will reimburse you. Yes, yes, yes, I know you could give a damn about that employer who stuck it to you but the court will give a damn.
Ultimately, you don’t want to do anything that makes your situation worse.
Here’s another scenario. Imagine that you’re applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Of course, you want to show the government how disabled you are. So what do you do? You may go to the doctor but you don’t necessarily do what the doctor says. The doctor tells you to stop smoking but you keep smoking. The doctor gives you exercises but you ignore her. And why do you do that? Ohhh, because you’re disabled. Well, if you’re not doing what the doctor told you to do in order to improve your health condition, how can you expect to receive disability benefits?
Just remember, that every type of case and every scenario is a little different so I encourage you to talk to your attorney about what you should do while your case is pending. Just recognize that sitting on your couch eating Haagen Daas ice cream and watching soap operas may not necessarily HELP your situation as much YOU think it will.
It takes TWO to Tango (Help your attorney out)
It’s fascinating the amount of times people call and blast their attorney when things aren’t moving fast enough or things happening the way they expect them to happen. However, there are times when people don’t stop and see what part they played in the delay. In some instances, attorneys rely heavily on the responses and information provided by their clients. As a result, the delay may be caused by the client as opposed to the attorney.
When attorneys ask you for your information, the sooner you can get it to them, the sooner they can use it to help you with your case. The fact of the matter is that if YOU drag your heals, you can’t really be mad if your attorney tells YOU that he or she is waiting on YOU!!
It gets even more frustrating when clients fail to reveal particularly useful information that 1) you’re MOVING, 2) you’ve given up your case and don’t want to go any more or 3) something that can materially affect your case but YOU decided it wasn’t important to tell your attorney.
Listen, in the legal process, the attorney has the responsibility for the strategy of the case but it’s STILL your case. Don’t drag your ass on things that the attorney needs in order to represent you more effectively. Contrary to popular belief, you are NOT handling this case on your own.
Confirm the information
So many times, people receive these blanket e-mails from individuals talking about ‘warnings’ or ‘cautions’ about things that may or may not be true. As a result, if the e-mail is INFLAMMATORY enough, people will forward these e-mail to as many people as they know.
The problem with the technological age is that too many times, we don’t stop and take a moment to confirm the validity of the information that is provided to us in these e-mails. In an instant, an e-mail can be spread to thousands of individuals without any one taking a moment to confirm the validity of this information.
Here’s some food for thought, the next time you get an e-mail that gets you FIRED up, check the validity of the information. Do a little research and determine if the contents of the e-mail are true before you start e-mailing the information to EVERYONE on your contact list. We all have busy days and the last thing we need to have to worry about is some crazy e-mail that comes through our inbox.
