Take a look at this month's newsletter from Douglass & Runger!
September 2020
Our Work Family Meet the People Who Make Our Work Possible Each Day
Alexis: The friendly voice you hear on the phone and the smiling face you see at the front desk belongs to Alexis, our receptionist/paralegal. The transition from Karen’s role as a receptionist to Alexis has been seamless. Karen has been able to coach Alexis through this process, and Alexis has shined in this position. Making our clients feel welcome is a vital part of this role. Thanks to Alexis, we haven’t had a gap in that support.
I want to use this space a little differently this month. Typically, my newsletter covers are filled with my own stories, but as we approach Labor Day, I want to shine the spotlight on the Douglass & Runger team. Every day I work with them, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have them, and this pandemic has only caused that gratitude to grow. We’ve put in a lot of effort to create a company culture that is strong, healthy, and collaborative. If I’m being honest, this goal begins in the hiring process. Every potential employee — even the attorneys — must meet with the entire team here at Douglass & Runger before they are hired. If I hear any concerns from our team, I take them very seriously and use them in the evaluation and hiring process for potential new employees. I value the relationships we have built together because I believe they make us stronger for our clients. I’m committed to keeping these connections from being tarnished. Prior to the pandemic, we would go out for lunch together once a month, and during the pandemic, we’ve kept this tradition alive with takeout. We shut down the office and take some time to be more than just coworkers. We strive to become a family.
Megan: From the very beginning, Megan filled her role with grace. As our longest-tenured attorney, Megan tackles big emotional issues and handles a wide variety of family law matters. She is knowledgeable about how to approach her clients’ needs, goes toe-to-toe with some of the so-called highest profile divorce attorneys in Memphis, and regularly obtains outstanding results that her clients need. She’s a fighter. She’s someone you want and need in your corner — someone who
understands that she’s working with your life. Loved by her clients and respected by her peers, Megan is a rising superstar in the Memphis legal community.
So, without further ado, allow me to (re)introduce you to our hardworking, dedicated team.
Joy: There’s nothing I can throw at Joy that she doesn’t handle with ferocity, and she’s skilled at handling probate matters, personal injury cases, and complex civil litigation. Joy is always up for learning and being a great ambassador for our firm. I once put her on the spot to fill in for me at a symposium where she had to be interviewed about the law on animal attack cases. Joy took a few days to learn all she could about dog bite cases — as a big animal lover, this was a big ask for Joy
Karen: As our longest-tenured employee, Karen is the glue that holds our operation together. I may be biased since Karen is my paralegal, but there is no other way to describe her than amazing. She is very patient and consistently puts out top-notch work. Having previously served as our firm receptionist/paralegal, Karen goes to great lengths to train the rest of our staff to ensure that we maintain the level of quality our clients deserve. The fact that our clients have given her Christmas gifts and routinely compliment me on how great she is demonstrates the critical role Karen plays at our firm.
— but she nailed the interview. She spoke like an expert for 45 minutes, and it was a topic she had just begun researching. You would have never guessed that she had been asked to scramble. Joy’s calm and Zen- like demeanor puts her clients’ minds at ease.
Blanca: Though she just joined our team this summer, Blanca has already added so much value to the work we do. She’s fluent in Spanish, which is very beneficial for our Hispanic clients, and she has picked up her role as a paralegal with ease. I believe we’re incredibly lucky to have her on our team. She’s dedicated to the work she does every day and is a model of consistency.
Chelsea: As an attorney who is super methodical, we can always rely on Chelsea for consistency. Chelsea focuses on adoption, divorce work, and probate law with the utmost compassion for her clients, but she adds her own flair to it with her accounting background, Continued on Page 3 ...
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4 DECADES OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE’S ‘SEPTEMBER’ What Happened on the 21st Night of September?
“Do you remember the 21st night of September?”
chorus. Throughout the songwriting process, Willis begged to change the phrase to real words. At the final vocal session, Willis finally demanded to know what ba-dee-ya meant. White replied, “Who cares?” “I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him,” Willis recalled in a 2014 interview with NPR, “which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.”
In 1978, Maurice White of the band Earth, Wind & Fire first asked this question in the song “September,” a funky disco song that quickly topped the charts. While disco may be dead today, “September” certainly isn’t. The song is still featured in movies, TV shows, and wedding playlists. On Sept. 21, 2019, the funk hit was streamed over 2.5 million times. It’s no wonder that the Los Angeles City Council declared Sept. 21 Earth, Wind & Fire Day. The story behind “September” is almost as enduring as the song itself. It was co-written by White and Allee Willis, who eventually became a Grammy-winning songwriter and Tony nominee. But before any of that, Willis was a struggling songwriter in Los Angeles living off food stamps. When White reached out and asked Willis to help write the next Earth, Wind & Fire hit, it was truly her big break. White and Willis proved to be excellent songwriting partners, but they clashed over one key element of the song: the nonsensical phrase “ba-dee-ya,” which White included in the
The groove is why “September” has stood the test of time, right from that very first lyric. For decades, people have asked Willis and members of the band about the significance of Sept. 21. As it turns out, there isn’t much beyond the sound.
“We went through all the dates: ‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth …’ and the one that just felt the best was the 21st,” Willis explained.
The truth is that nothing happened on the 21st night of September — except a whole lot of dancing.
Put Down Your Devices Social media is a pretty spectacular thing. It allows us to connect with people and places around the world and stay in touch with loved ones easily. The wealth of information that flows through social media sites is astounding, but that’s exactly why it can be so detrimental to your personal injury case. Check-Ins
HOWSOCIALMEDIA CAN HARM YOUR CASE
Many social media sites allow you to check yourself into a location, like restaurants or parks, but these check-ins can also betray your reliability. If you’re claiming limited mobility due to an accident, you shouldn’t be checking in to your weekly yoga class, so make sure you have those capabilities turned off on your social media profiles.
Contradicting Testimony
If you say something online that works against your claims, it can hurt your chances of compensation. For example, if you claim you suffered a broken arm but post on social media about going bowling, the defense is going to challenge the severity of your injuries. When you make a claim, you have to be completely honest about your injuries. Otherwise you harm your credibility.
Advertising Your Abilities
Social media posts can inadvertently show what you’re physically capable of doing after an injury. If you post a picture of your children skiing and reveal to the opposing side that you took the picture, even though you aren’t skiing, you’re still proving that you were able to get onto a ski slope, which demonstrates mobility that is contrary to your claims.
Harmful Comments
Your family and friends may not be aware of what is or isn’t appropriate to post on social media in relation to your case, so don’t share posts that give them the chance to say anything about it. They may contradict what you’ve said about your injuries, your treatment, or your limited mobility.
If you’re filing a personal injury claim, refrain from posting anything on social media during the process. It’s even better to put your profiles on temporary pause so no one else can post comments either. If you’ve been injured in an accident and want to learn more about the next best steps to take, reach out to Douglass & Runger so we can help.
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... continued from Cover
which helps out tremendously in her practice areas. She’s logically focused and great at keeping everything in line. I always joke with Chelsea that I knew from the minute I met her that I had to hire her, but I also had to pretend that I was still interviewing other associates. From the moment I met her, I knew she was incredible.
Psonya: I still can’t believe Psonya is working for our team as “of counsel” and feel truly blessed to have her on board. Psonya — the “p” is silent — has been practicing law for 20 years. She was the first African American attorney to serve as a staff
Friendly, But Not Your Friend
attorney for the Mississippi Supreme Court and is the first African American president elect of the Tennessee Lawyer’s Association for Women. Psonya also served in a leadership position on the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section. She’s a tremendous leader, and to have her on our team when we need her guidance is powerful. Psonya is so humble that she would never brag about all of her accomplishments, but that’s okay, because I certainly will! We could not accomplish the goals we set at Douglass & Runger every day without our amazing team supporting our clients with me. Thank you, all, for the work you continue to do each day. It’s a privilege to serve with you.
DEALING WITH INSURANCE ADJUSTERS
Let’s say you’ve been rear-ended when you were stopped at an intersection waiting for your turn to go. The driver who caused the accident exchanges information as they should, and you two go your separate ways. You start to feel some neck pain that night, and after a day or two, the pain gets severe enough that you need to see a doctor. But that’s when the phone rings. It’s the other driver’s insurance adjuster, and they’re firing off a list of questions that you haven’t even had time to consider with your new injury stealing all your focus. What should you do? If your answer is to tell them that you will only speak to them with your lawyer present, then you’ve made the right choice! The truth is that even though the adjuster may seem friendly and concerned about your well-being, their job is to try and get you to say anything that will help relieve their client of liability and avoid paying you the compensation you deserve. One of the biggest mistakes many people make when they’re involved in an accident is giving a statement to the negligent party’s insurance company without having an attorney. The adjusters provide a false sense of concern and trust with phrases like “I want to take care of this for you” so that they can keep you talking and use your words against you later on. It’s necessary to have a lawyer present during discussions with adjusters because they keep the adjusters in check by knowing which questions you should or shouldn't answer. For example, an adjuster may ask you to describe all your injuries and pain levels, but if it’s only been a day or two since the accident, you likely don’t know the full extent of your injuries. So if you only tell them about your neck pain but a few days later realize you're also experiencing back pain following the wreck, the adjuster will claim it’s unrelated. A lawyer will help protect the value of your case by guiding you through answering the adjuster’s loaded questions.
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” –Winston Churchill INSPIRATION
If you’ve been injured in car accident and aren’t sure how to navigate the steps that come next, we can help. Visit DouglassRunger.com to schedule an appointment with our team.
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2820 Summer Oaks Drive Bartlett, TN 38134 901-388-5805 www.DouglassRunger.com
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Advertising Material
Inside This Issue
1
A Thank-You to My Douglass & Runger Team
2
The Truth Behind the 21st Night of September How Social Media Impacts Your Case
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Don’t Be Fooled by Insurance Adjusters
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Is Stress Making You Forgetful?
IS STRESS HARMING YOUR MEMORY? How to Cope With Daily Triggers
Stress can cause more than just a bad mood and low energy. Over time, mental exhaustion from stress can lead to forgetfulness and reduced cognition. This can hamper your ability to do your job and enjoy life. Though stress is unavoidable, there are steps you can take to mitigate some of the negative effects of mental exhaustion, including forgetfulness. First, consider the source of your stress. These days, a common stressor is social media. If your feeds are full of bad news and negativity, shut them down. Many researchers suggest that spending less time on the internet leads to better health. Several studies have found that constant internet use, including time spent on social media, is negatively impacting our memories. Research from Harvard, Oxford, King’s College London, and Western Sydney University all confirm this: Too much internet use is a bad thing. Of course, it can be easier to delete a social media app than it is to eliminate other types of stressors. Coping with a stressful coworker, for example, can be difficult. You have to figure out why they’re causing you stress and how the
situation can be remedied. Dealing with a work- related confrontation can be hard, but having that difficult conversation and resolving the problem can ultimately lead to less long-term stress and improve your mental health. Another thing you can do to reduce stress is avoid multitasking. Taking on multiple projects or doing too much in too little time can leave you feeling overworked. Plus, studies have found that multitasking is not effective. You cannot deliver the same results when your attention is scattered as you can when you are focused on one thing. To make matters worse, multitasking takes a major toll on memory and cognition, according to a study from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
If stress is impairing your memory, judgment, or cognition, take the above steps to reduce it. If
you find your memory and cognition aren’t improving, consider speaking with a mental health professional to discuss your best next steps. Mental health and stress management are important, and the more we do to improve these areas of our lives, the healthier and happier we will be.
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