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JANUARY 2019
I ’M NOT CORPORATE
Family Vacation Hawaii | October 2018
A BETTER WAY TO BE A LAWYER
off than the lawyers who’d been there four or five years. Sure, they were making more money, but over time, they’d built up a lifestyle that relied on that paycheck. They’d trapped themselves financially. These lawyers had lost the freedom to leave that job and do something that would actually make them happy because they had a mortgage to pay or a family relying on them. When they’re in law school, aspiring attorneys are told a lot of things about how to be a lawyer that are not accurate of the industry as it is — nor as it should be. They’re told they should make $90,000 a year right out of the gate, but wide-eyed law students don’t realize the misery they could be about to jump into. Practically everyone in the industry does things the same way, and they’re almost all miserable. It doesn’t have to be this way. This year, Nicole and I are establishing a program to educate young lawyers who don’t want to be in the corporate sector, billing thousands of hours — young lawyers who want control over their lives in order to support themselves and do the kind of work they love. In 2019, we’re starting a group called INC, or I’m Not Corporate. Our goal is to help young lawyers get the tools they need to achieve a better work-life balance. That way, they don’t have to work for a big firm and live under the boss’s thumb. We don’t want INC to be us alone. We would love to work with attorneys in other areas of practice, entrepreneurs from other fields, and industry leaders who have built a life outside of the box. If you have ever wanted to be part of something that exists to help make people happy, email info@casebarnettlaw.com. We’ll get you on our exclusive mailing list for the first year of INC.
I am incredibly blessed to enjoy the life I have. I get to spend each day with the amazing woman I’m lucky to call my wife and our beautiful children. At my office, I am surrounded by a team I enjoy being around while working on cases we believe in at a place where I can prioritize my clients’ and team’s
happiness. This kind of work-life balance is rare in my industry, where the workaholic attorney is a well-earned stereotype. But no one goes into law school dreaming about being trapped in an office while working long hours and missing out on life with their family. Many hopeful new attorneys fall into the corporate trap because they’re told that’s the only way to learn the ropes. There are a lot of things they don’t teach you in law school, like how to start your own firm, attract clients, run a business, and do trials. New lawyers often turn to the corporate sector and big firms in order to learn these vital skills. They tell themselves they will only go corporate for a few years, gain experience, and then go out on their own. But more often than not, the good ol’ golden handcuffs are applied and they are stuck. The reality is that small firms, like ours, are actually much more likely to give them real-world experience. We hire good people that are the right fit for our company culture; we train them to take depositions; we work closely to breed actual trial lawyers, not just paper pushers or cogs. The myth that you have to start down the corporate path in order to make something of yourself as a lawyer is why we have so many stressed-out, unhappy, workaholic attorneys. Lawyers are 3.6 times more likely to be depressed than nonlawyers. It’s easy to get trapped in that corporate system. I worked in a very large corporate firm right out of law school, and I was miserable. It wasn’t the work I wanted to be doing. But I was better
It is possible to have an industry of attorneys who truly love what they do and are fulfilled personally and professionally. In 2019, we start down that path.
–Case Barnett
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PUTTING THE ‘PAIN’ IN CHAMPAGNE
Spontaneously Ejecting Cork Causes Lawsuit
For many people, preparing for the New Year’s countdown is the most exhilarating part of the holiday season. You tune your TV to the Times Square ball drop, hand out party hats, confetti, and noisemakers, and meticulously line up some champagne flutes. What’s left to do? Pop open the champagne! There are many partiers who pop the cork with enthusiastic and careless abandon, while others point the bottle away from their faces and anxiously twist the cork until they hear those bubbles surge to the surface. Turns out, while the latter practice may be slightly less fun, it’s certainly the safer approach. On April 8, 1978, Charles J. Murray was injured when a natural cork stopper spontaneously ejected from a bottle of previously unopened Almaden Blanc de Blancs champagne and struck him in the left eye. He was preparing to serve the bubbly to a party of 40 people, so he placed 12 bottles on a rolling cart and removed the foil and wire retainer from three or four bottles — including the one that eventually injured him. Once he started to roll the cart toward the guests, the cork shot out of the bottle all on its own.
that they were responsible because they failed to include a proper warning label on the bottle. The defendants, however, argued that the cork stopper did not and could not spontaneously eject unless Murray had handled the bottle improperly. The case was argued by both sides for two years, but eventually, Murray won. Almaden Vineyards now prints the following on its bottles: “WARNING: THIS BOTTLE IS UNDER PRESSURE. THE STOPPER WILL EJECT SOON AFTER THE WIRE HOOD REMOVAL. TO PROTECT AGAINST INJURY TO FACE AND EYES, POINT AWAY FROM SELF AND OTHERS WHEN OPENING.” When it comes to bubbly-induced mayhem, the greatest potential trouble lies in the eye of the beholder — literally. With an estimated velocity of 60 miles per hour, uncontrolled corks do in fact fly faster than the blink of an eye. To avoid having to explain a not-so-fashionable eye patch at work on Monday, handle those fizzy drinks with care.
Due to the severity of his injury, Murray sued Almaden Vineyards, Inc., National Distillers and Chemical Corporation, and Carbo, Inc., alleging
OUR CLIENTS SAY IT BEST
“Mr. Case Barnett is GREAT! The people are very nice, friendly, sweet, and very professional. I absolutely recommend Case Barnett Law Firm; they will take good care of you and will help you every step of the way. Mr. Case & Nabeel, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for everything.” –Marilou B.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate Case and the entire team at CBL. I’m almost at a loss of words to describe how amazing your team is. The attention to detail and consistent updates always brought ease to my mind. I always felt I knew what was going on. Celeste, my case manager, is top-notch. She really cares about her clients and her work, and her efforts show it. I also can’t believe the generosity that Nicole and Case have shown me. You better believe I’ll be referring people to you! Thank you again!” –Michael C.
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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3 Strategies for Success How to Draw the Best New Hires in a Record-Breaking Labor Market
2. Give new hires the chance to grow. The best employees constantly hunger for new growth and development opportunities. Show prospective hires the potential heights they can reach at your organization. First, your business has to have a growth mindset that promotes loyal employees and empowers them to step into exciting new roles. Then you need to present prospective employees with challenging, rewarding projects and responsibilities and show examples of how those who’ve come before them have succeeded. Annual reviews and raises are a start, but you should also explain how a job at your business will improve your prospect’s skills, career, and life. 3. Get them in the door. If you already offer a legitimately competitive salary, an expansive benefits package, and a good work environment with opportunities for growth, the only challenge left is to get on your ideal candidate’s radar. One of the best ways to do this is to implement an employee referral program. Ask your team if they know anyone who’d fit the empty role. If you end up hiring their prospect and they stay on the team for, say, six months, then reward the referrer. Cash, PTO, and other benefits will encourage your loyal employees to bring in their skilled friends.
Finding good employees has always been hard, but in the economic environment of 2019, it can feel downright impossible. At the end of 2018, U.S. unemployment was the lowest it had been since 1969. For months, unfilled jobs outweighed the number of people seeking employment. In a market where job seekers have the pick of the litter, employers face stiff competition when courting prospects. Here are three strategies to draw in top performers and keep them. 1. Pay more. Excellent benefits, fancy perks, and flexible hours are important items on any job seeker’s checklist, but virtually every prospect’s top priority is adequate pay. Workers today have unprecedented bargaining power, and yet, according to ADP, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees boosted wages only a little over 3 percent last year, an amount quickly swallowed up by inflation and increasingly steep living costs. There’s just no way around it. To attract top-tier talent, competitive compensation is paramount, especially in 2019.
LAUGH Have a
Citrus and Avocado Salad
INGREDIENTS
• • • • •
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•
1 blood, cara cara, or navel orange, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded
1 bunch arugula
•
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves 1 avocado, cut into wedges Salt and pepper, to taste
• •
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss citrus slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus until lightly charred and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine onion and lemon juice. Season with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Add citrus, arugula, and mint to onion mixture. Drizzle with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly. 5. Add avocado, combing very gently to not crush avocado.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Page 1 What You Don’t Learn in Law School Page 2 Watch Out for Rogue Champagne Corks This Year
Testimonials
Page 3 3 Essential Strategies to Court New Hires in 2019
Citrus and Avocado Salad
Have A Laugh!
Page 4 Have a Cold? Recover Faster!
3 EASYWAYS TO R E C O V E R Q U I C K LY F R O M A C O L D
EUCALYPTUS If you’re suffering from congestion or can’t stop coughing, eucalyptus may offer the relief you’re looking for. Available in several different forms, including syrup, oil, and dried leaves, eucalyptus can be used as an expectorant or as a way to relieve a sore throat. When you’re at home and sick, try adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the water in a humidifier. The results are remarkably soothing! ZINC While many people turn to vitamin C to hurry through a cold, that’s not the supplement you should be focusing on. In fact, an overwhelming number of studies show that vitamin C does absolutely nothing to help shorten a cold. Instead, take zinc. You can find it as a nasal spray or lozenge, or even as part of a vitamin C supplement. One study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that those who took zinc reduced their recovery time from a cold by half. Cold symptoms among those taking a zinc supplement lasted about four days, while symptoms among those taking a placebo lasted about eight days.
During the winter months, colds and the flu can spread like wildfire. Getting sick at least once during the season can be hard to avoid, and once you are sick, you want nothing more than for it to be over and done. While there is no way to completely avoid getting sick, there are ways to speed up your recovery. Next time you’re suffering from a cold, try these remedies to get back on your feet a little bit faster. ELDERBERRY SYRUP Also referred to as elderberry extract, this syrup is made from a plant called European elder. It can be purchased at many health food stores or made at home (but use caution when doing this, since raw and undercooked elderberries are toxic). Many people swear by the berries’ ability to ease congestion and relieve a number of other cold symptoms. Plus, elderberry syrup is known for having anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, making it an ideal tool for fighting the common cold. Some research even suggests that it can shorten flu symptoms by up to three days.
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