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JULY 2018
LegalBetter.com 602-971-1775
HOW A MUTUAL ALIGNMENT OF PASSION Brought Me to Alex & Saavedra
In today’s legal profession, it is becoming increasingly common to see that altruism and self- sacrifice in lawyers with respect to their clients is a lost art. Like so many others, I went to law school with the intent of making a difference and helping people. But after practicing at firms in New York City and Arizona, it became clear to me that the idea of helping people has turned into an idealistic sentiment more than an operating principle by which lawyers guide their practices. So many firms are driven by their bottom line, and they forget about what makes the whole systemwork: people and the need that prompted them to seek legal representation in the first place. What drewme to Alex & Saavedra is the fact that the firm holds true to a set of values above all else. They’re committed to meeting their clients’ needs and making their clients’ lives whole again, which is why I am honored to be the newest member of the team. There is something to be said for a lawyer who genuinely cares about the needs of the clients he or she represents. I am honored to be a member of a team of attorneys who prioritize justice above all else. Andrew, Freddy, Trysta, and all of our support team are people who approach every case they take with integrity and a focus for achieving the best results for their clients. And that, not personal financial gain, is the bottom line. Every one of them is committed to a client-focused philosophy that gets results and resonates deeply with what I hold fast and true as a practicing lawyer in today’s times.
My professional mission is to help slighted individuals who have been injured and their family members get their lives back together and feel whole again. My previous legal experience involved helping clients who suffered violations of their federal and state civil rights find justice. Civil rights, such as the right to life, are guaranteed by our federal and state constitutions. Our governments need to ensure these rights are protected. However, my work in this area exposedme tomany harsh realities and shortcomings of our system. This became brutally evident tome when I was working on a case involving a maximum-security prison. Many prisoners at this facility were being neglected in one way or another. Sometimes the neglect was the lack of proper medical treatment or security, which exposed them to greater risks of harm. I viewed it as my role to get themwhat they deserved. suicide. He had a history of mental illness and had made previous attempts to take his own life. While he was on suicide watch at the prison, he asphyxiated himself with a cord from a lamp that had somehowmanaged to get into his cell. When the prison guards were alerted of the situation and arrived at his cell, they were unable to help him because they had turned in their keys and their radios were not functioning. In violation of security protocol, these guards had prematurely “clocked out” of their shifts before they were supposed to, In one particular case, I worked on helping a family achieve justice for their son who had committed
so they had no means of providing my client with the necessary help to save his life. He died shortly thereafter on his cell floor. Even worse, after the suicide, the prison staff attempted to falsify their time records to shift blame and protect themselves. It was deplorable how recklessly the prison acted with regard to this client’s basic needs, and I felt committed to help the family receive justice for this tragedy. “My professional mission is to help slighted individuals who have been injured and their family members get their lives back together and feel whole again.” Alex & Saavedra’s environment resonates with me because it allows me to carry out the same philosophy of helping people who are injured and have to go up against entities who may make getting the justice they deserve frustratingly difficult. The more time I spend with my colleagues at Alex & Saavedra, the more I appreciate this new opportunity, because I realize that the attorneys here not only have the expertise and insight to take on this fight, but they also have the compassion and integrity that I so admire. I cannot imagine being part of a better team of lawyers, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to learn from them and work here. –Doriane Zwillinger
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IS YOUR CHILD BEING BULLIED? Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore
Somewhere along the line, our society accepted bullying as a social norm for children. “How can kids learn to cope with the real world if they can’t handle a bully?” is a commonmisguided justification. Kids who don’t meet the standards of what they are socially expected to be aren’t accepted among their peers. Rather, they are treated like emotional punching bags for anyone deemedmore culturally acceptable. But the life of a child is truly a special force in this world, and just because someone differs fromphysical, social, or cultural normativity doesn’t give anyone the right to treat thempoorly. Differences should be celebrated, and bullying needs to be eradicated. The best way we can start is by making an effort to notice bullying and put a stop to it. Here are three warning signs. HEADACHES ANDSTOMACHACHES Anxiety is a complex emotion that tends tomanifest itself in physical ways. If you notice your child has stress-related symptoms like headaches, ask them about their emotional well-being. An open-ended question like, “I’ve noticed you haven’t been feeling well a lot lately—can you tell me more about that?” will help open lines of communication. CHANGE INFRIENDS There are bound to be changes in friend groups throughout your child’s life, but that doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t take notice when this happens. When a child expresses disinterest in spending time with specific people, it could be a sign of bullying. Connecting with other parents who have children in the same circle could be a way to gauge the pulse of your child’s friend group. 1. WHOWILL BE MY DIRECT CONTACT? Oftentimes when you hire a lawyer, you also employ their whole team that operates behind the scenes. There are associates, paralegals, secretaries, clerks, and a slew of others who all specialize in different aspects of the law. When you sign on with a firm, it’s important to know who you will be communicating with most and what their expectations are of you. 2. WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THESE TYPES OF CASES? Would you hire a massage therapist to give you a haircut? Probably not. Well, in the same sense, you don’t want to hire a bankruptcy lawyer for a personal injury matter. When it comes to your case, you need a qualified lawyer who is passionate about the nature of your claim. 3. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING LAW? By no means does experience equal quality. There are plenty of lawyers out there who may have been practicing for years but who might not be the best fit for you. On the other hand, having a newcomer on the scenes who’s never tried a case before could present issues as well. The purpose of this question is to find out the qualifications and commitment behind the lawyer. Do You Know Who You Are Dealing With?
CONFIDENCE ISSUES Bullying has the potential to drop kids into a volatile cycle of confidence-killing self-talk. Bullyingmay produce external damage, but what goes on internally can be catastrophic for children. The continually progressing, technology-based environment our children live in nearly outpaces their ability to adjust and cope. Children often internalize their emotions, and when they are being bullied by someone online, their distress can be even harder to detect. The best way to be aware of how your children are feeling is to talk to themopenly about their social interactions both online and offline. Summer is the perfect opportunity to discuss these issues with your child because they likely will be relaxed, comfortable, and out of school, where bullying often occurs. Then they can approach the new school year with confidence and self- worth. What parent doesn’t want that?
5 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE HIRING A LAWYER
4. HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITHMISCONDUCT? Ethics are a foundational element for what qualifies a good lawyer. Without guiding principles, our court system could run rampant with corruption. Hiring an attorney who has encountered problems with their methods before could prove to be a costly factor in a trial. If your lawyer has been proven guilty of misconduct, ask them about it. 5. WHAT IS A VIABLE TIME FRAME FOR THIS CASE? Setting clear expectations is the best way to find mutual success. It’s essential that you know if your case is going to take years or only a couple of months. Your lawyer may not have a definite time frame, but a good one will always keep you in the loop as the case progresses. At Alex & Saavedra, we welcome an open dialog with our clients. We want you to know that we will fight for you to the fullest extent of the law. Reach out to us today with any potential questions you might have.
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LegalBetter.com
TAKE A BREAK
DON’T LET A POOL TURN INTO A DEATH TRAP
Independence Day
3 Safety Tips You Need to Know
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The easiest job in the history of careers is the Phoenix summertime weather forecaster. It’s either sunny and hot or blazing and hotter. During some summers, glimpsing a cloud in the sky becomes the daytime equivalent of seeing a shooting star. With all that sunshine, there’s usually only one place for desert dwellers to relax: the pool. But this oasis can be a safety hazard that threatens the lives of our children. Kids in our area are often involved in pool-related accidents that result in emergency care or worse. With that in mind, here are three ways you can stay safe at the pool this summer. TEACH KIDS HOW TO SWIM The days of just tossing your kid in the pool and having them figure out how to swim have passed. Children need a strong foundational knowledge of how to tread water and swim correctly. Without this understanding, summertime at the pool can be more of a risk than a good way to beat the heat. DESIGNATE AWATERWATCHER Parents with small children should always designate a “water watcher” when they are at the pool. This adult will keep a close eye on the kids in the water to ensure they are free from any potential harm. Even if a lifeguard is present, a water watcher is still necessary. Pools can be crowded, and the lifeguard’s vantage point may hinder them from seeing all the risky areas. USE A POOL COVER Just because a pool isn’t in use doesn’t mean it’s not a threat. For private pools, a cover is necessary when you have young children. If you’ve ever had a rambunctious kid who doesn’t quite yet understand how to keep themselves out of harm’s way, then you know how quickly they can find trouble. The probability of a child falling in unintentionally is high, so when your pool is unattended, make sure to have it covered. In some cases, a pool accident results from faulty mechanical issues or the negligence of the pool owner or operator. If you’ve had a child harmed in a pool-related accident, contact us today. Our team of legal experts is here to give you accurate representation.
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CLIENT REFERRAL
Here at Alex & Saavedra, nothing is more important to us than helping people. We care about our clients and the community, and we want to help as many people as possible reach a settlement they deserve. The opportunity to touch lives is just one of the reasons we’re so grateful for your referrals! To us, a referral is the highest compliment, and we want to say thank you to everyone who has trusted us enough to send family and friends our way.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Welcome, Doriane!
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How to Tell if Your Kids Are Being Bullied
Ask These Questions Before Hiring a Lawyer
3
Safety Tips for This Summer at the Pool
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The History of Hot Dogs and Burgers
This American Grub How Hot Dogs and Hamburgers Became National Treasures
If your plans for this Independence Day involve firing up the barbecue, you’ll probably be cooking two American classics: hot dogs and hamburgers. Come the Fourth of July, families will be grilling up burgers and dogs from sea to shining sea, but it wasn’t always this way. The story of how beef patties and sausages became culinary symbols of our nation will give you plenty of food for thought. THE HOT DOG It was German immigrants who brought the “frankfurter” and the “wienerwurst” to American soil in the 1800s. There is much debate over who first decided to place one of these franks in a bun, but by the opening of the 20th century, hot dog stands had popped up all over the Eastern Seaboard. We do know the identity of the man who took the hot dog’s popularity to a national level: Nathan Handwerker.
A Jewish immigrant from Poland, Nathan sliced buns for a hot dog stand on Coney Island. After scraping together enough money, he quit his job and opened a stand of his own, undercutting his former employer’s prices by half. Not only did Nathan’s hot dogs outsell the competition, the Great Depression made them the perfect food for a nation suddenly living on a tight budget. By the 1930s, hot dogs had become so unquestionably American that Franklin Roosevelt famously served them to King George VI during his royal visit in 1939. THE BURGER Like the hot dog, the exact origin of the beef patty’s eventual “sandwiching” is lost to history. Once again, it was German immigrants who brought their recipes for “Hamburg steak” with them across the Atlantic, but reports vary as to who first sold the meat patty inside a bun.
Multiple diners and fairgrounds across America claim to be the home of the first hamburger. All of these claims date to the turn of the 20th century, a time when our nation was faced with feeding a growing working class quickly and cheaply. By the 1950s, the burger had become a symbol of the American everyman. Both the hot dog and hamburger embody the history of our nation. Immigrant traditions merged with blue-collar needs to create two uniquely American foods. It’s fitting that we celebrate America’s birthday with the grub that has grown along with it.
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