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SEPTEMBER 2018
A few weeks ago, my family moved into our new home. We spent months renovating the house, and now it looks beautiful, thanks to Nicole, who designed everything immaculately — right down to choosing just the right new furniture! WHY WE CELEBRATE THE MILESTONES NEW BEGINNINGS AND SURPRISING LASTS
Packing and moving our entire life made Nicole and me realize how many milestones our family has been through that we didn’t even notice …
Up until the move, Nicole and I had been using the same furniture we each brought into our marriage. Some of the pieces had been with Nicole for at least 15 years! But when we got married seven years ago, we knew we wouldn’t be staying in the place we were at for very long. We wanted to wait until we were settling into our permanent home so we could really make it a fresh
Finn checking out his new big boy bed on move-in day!
entering new stages as a family all the time. Change happens every day as my kids grow up in ways that are big and small. There are a lot of lasts we don’t get the chance to memorialize because they happen in the blink of an eye.
start. I’m glad we waited, because it was pretty cool to go through all the mementos of our life so far and decide what we would bring into the next chapter. It’s crazy how much stuff you accumulate! We threw away at least eight dumpsters’ worth of stuff we couldn’t get rid of or donate, and we still found ourselves keeping things we don’t really need anymore. Nicole held onto one box labeled “A ton of baby clothes I’m too sentimental to let go of.” I certainly don’t blame her. There were plenty of things I wanted to keep around just for the memories. For example, we finally had to donate our baby carrier because we couldn’t remember the last time we had Harlow in it. Packing and moving our entire life made Nicole and me realize how many milestones our family has been through that we didn’t even notice, like Harlow growing out of the baby carrier; or the last diaper we ever changed; or the fact that, at some point, Finn stopped calling flamingos “flingalingos.” I mean, I’m proud of him for learning how to say the word correctly, but his mispronunciation was so cute! As parents, we anticipated a lot of firsts, like the first words or the first day of preschool, but what about the lasts? Moving into our new home signaled a great new chapter in our lives, but the truth is that we’re
It’s important to treat every moment with your family like it’s special, because it really is! And when there’s a moment to celebrate, go ahead and commemorate the big steps. We decided that moving into the new house would be a good time to have Finn move from his crib into his first “big-boy bed.” You can bet we celebrated that milestone.
I love Nicole so much, and this move reminded me that we have such a beautiful life together. Now we’re in the home where our kids will spend their whole childhoods, and I am so excited for the milestones to come. –Case Barnett
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Has a client ever asked you for something you didn’t have the resources to provide? Have you ever had a request to do something that’s against company protocol? Do clients want you to bend over backward on a task that isn’t worth the ROI? On these occasions, you are perfectly justified in saying no. But clients rarely like being turned down, so it’s important to learn to say no without losing a paying customer. Offer Alternatives Maybe a client has asked for something you don’t traditionally offer. Unless this is a rare opportunity to branch out and begin offering a new service to all clients, it doesn’t make sense to run yourself ragged fulfilling a niche request. Avoid the fear of letting your client down by referring them to another place where they can get what they need. This way, you get to say no while still being the person who helps the client get what they want. Ask for Clarification If you have changed anything in your company, be it the software interface on your website or your pricing structure, you may have frustrated clients who demand things go back to the way they were before. Since that’s not an option, try to determine exactly what they are upset about. By asking a client why they prefer the old way, you might learn that they are having trouble WHEN YOU CAN’T SAY Y E S 3 Ways to Say No Without Losing a Customer
accessing important information in your new software or that the new price increase is beyond their budget. Armed with this information, you can hopefully find a solution for what’s really troubling them. This is also a good time to explain the reason behind the change, if possible. Clients can be more accepting when they understand something better. Make Clients Feel Heard In every interaction, people want to feel listened to. Even when you have to say no to a client, making sure they feel heard and respected can go a long way toward maintaining that goodwill. Acknowledge the issue they are having, empathize with their frustration, and make sure your client knows you are listening by using their name and saying, “I understand.” You can’t say yes to every request, but you can remind clients that you value their support and appreciate the effort it took for them to contact you. Saying no is not bad customer service. When you take the time to say it the right way, you’re actually doing the client a favor because it means you aren’t wasting their time.
SUCCESS STORIES “From the very beginning, Case was extremely thorough and mindful of the fact that, as someone who had never been in trouble with the law before, I would need the entire process explained again and again. Case was compassionate about my situation to a degree not normally seen in any capacity, which very much helped to put me at ease during the various legal proceedings. After almost a year-long process and many difficult days in court, we went to trial. As a non-lawyer, I know that I can’t accurately describe how impressive it was to witness Case in trial. What I can say is that he had a mastery of the facts down to the smallest detail, and that required a level of commitment not normally seen in any profession. The jury was out for less than two “I highly recommend Case and his staff for any personal injury lawsuit. Case understands that the insurance companies use delay tactics to frustrate the client into settling for less than their case is worth. Case will fight as long as it takes so that you get a fair settlement.” –Anthony G.
hours before we returned to hear the life-changing verdict. Case dedicated himself to understanding every facet of the case; because of that, my future remains intact. I owe my life to Case Barnett.” –Edward S.
This publication is intended to educate the general public about personal injury and elder abuse. It is not intended to be legal advice. Every case is different.
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Do Clients Have a Toxic Tort Claim? EXPOSING THE TRUTH
over $2,000. However, in toxic tort claims, the challenge isn’t in proving that a client has been hurt, but in proving why they were hurt.
Personal injury cases are usually straightforward. When someone is hurt as a result of another person’s negligence, the responsible party is plain to see. Unfortunately, when it comes to toxic tort claims, the unique nature of these cases means even the client may not be aware that their pain is due to the negligence of another person or company. Ideally, the products we interact with in our homes and workplaces should be as safe as possible. But at Case Barnett Law, we have worked with many clients who have suffered illness, infection, or injury because they were exposed to a harmful substance in their environment. Many toxic tort claims revolve around exposure to the following harmful substances:
Take cases involving asbestos, for example. Once used in everything from clothing to building materials, asbestos was eventually linked to a lung cancer called mesothelioma, so manufacturers cracked down on its use. But asbestos was still present in industrial applications, which put workers at risk. Tragically, many of these workers were sure to develop mesothelioma. When a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma and they suspect asbestos is to blame, it falls on the injured victim and their attorney to prove that they were exposed to asbestos in their workplace. This can be nearly impossible when a person didn’t start showing symptoms of mesothelioma until decades after their initial exposure. Our firm is proud to represent accident victims who were injured due to toxic substances. If you have a client you suspect may have a toxic tort claim and aren’t sure how to proceed, please give us a call at 949-565-4886. We would love to have you as a referral partner and welcome the opportunity to fight for clients who have been the victims of negligence in these challenging cases.
• • • • •
Asbestos
Mold
Toxic pollution
Air contamination Prescription drugs
As a rule of thumb, clients are eligible to file a toxic tort claim if they were exposed to a toxic product that cost themmedical bills or lost wages totaling
SEARCH Word
Inside-Out Grilled Ham and Cheese
Ingredients Ingredients
• • • •
8 ounces ham, thinly sliced
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8 slices of bread (Pullman works best) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, sliced 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
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1/4 cup apricot preserves
Directions
Directions 1. Butter each slice of bread on the outside and sprinkle with Parmesan. 2. Layer ham and cheese evenly on top of 4 slices of bread.
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Barbecue September Harvest Apple Students Homecoming
3. Spread apricot preserves and mustard across the other 4 slices. Press sandwiches together. 4. In a cast iron skillet or large sauté pan over medium heat, grill sandwiches until golden, about 3 minutes per side. 5. Cut in half and serve.
Autumn Equinox LaborDay
Inspired by Food & Wine magazine
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Page 1 Milestones We Miss
Page 2 Can You Say No to a Client?
Hear From Our Clients
Page 3 Toxic (Tort) Truth
Inside-Out Grilled Ham and Cheese
Word Search
Page 4 Falsities You’ve Been Told About Jury Duty
SUMMONED TO COURT J U R Y D U T Y M Y T H S
means by which citizens are chosen. Other ways you’re entered into the pool include buying a home, paying taxes, and getting a driver’s license. Even if you aren’t registered to vote, you’re still liable to be summoned. SERVING JURY DUTY WILL GET YOU FIRED If you’re worried about getting fired for serving jury duty, you can breathe easy. Your employer cannot fire you once you’ve been selected for jury service. In fact, if your boss threatens to fire you for it, they will face the penalties, which include fines and even jail time. Many employers know and understand this, but if yours doesn’t, you can submit a file of complaint to the trial court administrator, and they will take care of the rest for you. The system to select jurors has been around for a while, and those involved know what they’re doing. It’s best to go in with an open mind and be completely honest. After all, it is your civic duty to do so.
There are so many rumors about jury duty that it can be difficult to know which ones are true. Here are three of the most popular speculations, debunked. ADMITTING BIAS WILL ENSURE YOUR DISMISSAL If you admit that you are biased when you serve jury duty, it does not guarantee your dismissal. In fact, a judge cannot dismiss you for being biased — but an attorney can. In addition, attempting to portray yourself as a biased person can put you in a troubling situation. Attorneys and judges have been selecting jurors for a long time and know when someone is lying to them. Your best bet will be to give honest answers to the questions they ask. NO VOTING, NO JURY DUTY According to another circulating myth, if you aren’t registered to vote, you don’t have to serve jury duty. Many people believe this myth because voting enters you into the jury duty pool, but there are other
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