Check out our May newsletter!
The LEGAL LEDGER
P E R S O N A L I N J U R Y A N D T R I A L L A W Y E R S
I n college, I was a criminology major because, originally, my plan was to get into federal law enforcement. I did an internship with the Secret Service, and at the same time, I started taking a bunch of prelaw classes. I loved them. I liked reading the case studies and seeing different court outcomes. One of my professors was an attorney, and with his encouragement, I decided to attend law school. Even while I was signing up for law school classes, I still thought I wanted to stay in law enforcement. In law school, I started doing trial competitions and even did an internship with Roger Mills, who consulted with Michael Connelly for his book “The Lincoln Lawyer.” When I graduated from law school, I went to work as a prosecutor at the state attorney’s office, and that’s where I met one of our partners, Lee Pearlman. Lee and I were both prosecutors. We started around the same time, and we bonded over our shared love for trial work. Everybody at the office thought we were crazy, but Lee and I loved doing trials together, and we were winning them left and right. I met my husband, Christian Denmon, while I was prosecuting a case against him. He drove me crazy because he was so good at what he did. I tried a few more cases against him, and he beat me every time. When we started dating, of course, we stopped battling in court against each other. DENMONPEARLMAN.COM OVERCOMING ADVERSITY SHAPES OUR FIRM
MAY 2020
888.714.2571
In 2009, right after Christian and I got married, I quit my job at the state so we could open up our own shop. In the beginning, Christian and I did predominantly criminal defense work. This was back in 2009, and everybody thought we were crazy. It was a recession, and everybody wanted a government job. We started Denmon Pearlman with nothing more than a $10,000 loan from my dad and our credit cards. To say the least, we did everything on a shoestring. Back then, we just divided the work. We named the firm Denmon and Denmon and focused primarily on the tri-county area. Thankfully, after a few months we started to get a ton of referrals and things picked up. Christian was an early adopter of digital marketing. Right from the beginning, we had our own website. In 2009, most attorneys didn’t have a digital presence. Most firms put advertisements in the phone book, and people told us we were giving the legal profession a bad name with our internet marketing. In those early days, about half of our leads came from referrals and the other half came from our digital marketing efforts. We saw that what we were doing with our website was bringing us success, so we stayed the course. Between our word-of-mouth leads and our digital leads, Denmon and Denmon grew exponentially. About three years ago, Lee Pearlman joined our firm, and we rebranded as Denmon and Pearlman. During our firm’s period of growth, Christian and I practiced probate, family law, and estate planning. Today, while we still do criminal defense, we focus primarily on personal injury law. We like injury law because it allows us to focus on people and what we can do to mitigate their pain and suffering. When I was in law school, my sister was diagnosed with cancer. For a large portion of the time I was training to be an attorney, she was dealing with cancer. She passed away at age 31. I almost dropped out of law school to go take care of her when she was
“ALL THREE OF OUR FIRM’S PARTNERS — CHRISTIAN, LEE, AND I — HAVE
PAST EXPERIENCES THAT GAVE US THE DESIRE TO HELP PEOPLE.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 ...
1
DENMONPEARLMAN.COM
888.714.2571
THE PERFECT PUSHUP TIPS TO STEP UP YOUR GAME in one fluid motion, with the bend of your elbow pushing outward. (Pro tip: While form should be your main focus, the faster you go, the easier pushups will be.) Once you master this style of pushup, you can begin to increase the difficulty. drop to the ground, watch your body for proper form and remove the blocks as you progress.
PRACTICE Rest days are essential to any fitness routine, but when your rest days are more frequent than your fitness days, your body isn’t going to adapt and grow. Keep practicing and tweaking your pushup technique. Set small goals, such as not dropping your hips, and make plans to meet them. Asking a friend to monitor your form is a helpful way to improve too.
Have you ever noticed how military personnel can drop to the floor and crank out 30 pushups effortlessly? Believe it or not, so can you! All it takes is a little practice. Follow these tips to perfect your pushup. FOCUS ON FORM There’s a variety of pushup forms, and they vary both in difficulty and in which muscles they target. However, there is one pushup form that sets the foundation for the more technical and challenging moves. For the standard, military-style pushup, keep your torso lengthened in a straight line and your hands directly underneath your shoulders. When you drop to the ground, keep your body rigid and drop
GET ON THE FLOOR After a quick stretch and warmup, start your pursuit of the perfect pushup by limiting the distance your elbows have to drop. Try doing pushups with your hands placed on the seat of a stable chair and your legs stretched into a pushup position behind you to train your body for the form you need on the ground. Next, get into a standard pushup position with two yoga blocks underneath your chest. As you
With a little patience and plenty of practice, you’ll be doing pushups like a pro in no time!
How Constitutional Is a QUARANTINE?
As COVID-19 continues to spread, many countries and states have issued quarantines, leaving people with the question: Is this constitutional? The short answer is yes. According to Vox, every state in the United States has the constitutional right to issue a quarantine. In Florida, once the state health officer declares a public health emergency, quarantines become constitutional. The law requires public health officials to develop a plan that uses private and nonstate public hospitals in the provision of treatment, hospitalization, and isolation. Some states, like Georgia, have laws that allow the issuance of penalties, like misdemeanors, should a quarantine be ignored. In other states, like Idaho, the law allows for the quarantine of individuals,
and it also allows for cities to create their own board of health and assign it powers and duties to control the spread of communicable diseases. Given the diversity of state laws around quarantining, the federal government’s ability to issue a quarantine at the federal level is limited. The government is able to quarantine people seeking to enter the country or cross from one state to another, but beyond that, the decision to limit or allow for travel is largely left up to the states. Of course, there is a provision that allows state governments to ask for federal help, in which case, federal officials could potentially provide assistance in containing an infectious disease outbreak.
2
DENMONPEARLMAN.COM
888.714.2571
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
GREENSTOCK
Inspired by PaleoLeap.com
CREOLE SEASONING INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
• •
2 tbsp paprika 1/2 tbsp garlic powder 1/2 tbsp onion powder
•
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 lb cooked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
•
•
•
•
1/2 tbsp cayenne or chili powder
•
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
•
1/4 tbsp dried oregano
•
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
•
1/4 tbsp dried thyme
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat your grill to medium-high. 2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for creole seasoning. 3. In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, zucchini pieces, and sausage pieces and cover them with the olive oil. 4. Add creole seasoning and mix well until all ingredients are covered. 5. Load up skewers with alternating pieces of shrimp, sausage, and zucchini until they’re full. 6. Grill skewers until shrimp are well cooked (6–8 minutes).
At Denmon Pearlman, we love the high-quality ingredients, generous portions, and great atmosphere at Greenstock. Their service is excellent, and we also love the concept of having fresh, healthy food you can customize and grab on the go. Led by Chef David Benstock, who’s been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, Greenstock came to fruition based on a concept from Chef Dave’s wife and business partner, Erica. Erica grew up in New York City, and she missed the fast-casual, health-conscious options she had access to back home. Of the options available in St. Petersburg, she couldn’t find one that was quite hitting the mark. She and her husband, who also own Il Ritorno in downtown St. Petersburg, decided to open a restaurant to scratch Erica’s itch. The Benstocks reached out to husband and wife entrepreneurs Brooke and Peter Boyd. Together, they formed a partnership: The Benstocks run the restaurant side of things, and the Boyds constructed the restaurant and do the marketing. Today, Greenstock offers sustainably sourced and fresh ingredients. The menu is heavily focused on takeout orders and features five chef-created salads or the option to create your own salad by selecting from a range of protein, grain, veggie, and fruit options. As of writing this article on March 20, Greenstock is offering curbside pickup, delivery, catering, and takeout. Under normal circumstances, their hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
... CONTINUED FROM COVER
sick, but she wouldn’t let me. Now, ironically, I spend all day looking at medical records and helping my clients who are injured. All three of our firm’s partners — Christian, Lee, and I — have past experiences that gave us the desire to help people. I’ll let Christian and Lee tell their own stories. As for me, I know that the time I spent by my sister’s side in the hospital made me a better, more empathic attorney. My sister wouldn’t let me drop out of law school when she was sick, and now I consider it my calling to use my training to serve our community and improve the lives of the people around me.
3
DENMONPEARLMAN.COM
888.714.2571
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
520 2ND AVE SOUTH ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33701
P E R S O N A L I N J U R Y A N D T R I A L L A W Y E R S
INSIDE 1 2 3 4 Business Spotlight: Greenstock Shrimp Sausage Skewers Technology Saves the Day
888.714.2571
DENMONPEARLMAN.COM
How Overcoming Adversity Shapes Our Firm
Perfect Your Pushup With This Guide How Constitutional Is a Quarantine?
HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
WHILE FOLLOWING SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES
T he Centers for Disease Control and coronavirus, or COVID-19, it also means that social interactions will be minimal. In addition to impeding many industries and businesses, this has significant impacts on families and friends who can no longer visit each other in person. Luckily, the technology we have today allows us to stay in touch while still practicing social responsibility. Spruce up everyday activities. Hopping on the phone or your laptop to video chat is a great way to reach out and catch up with loved ones. While folding laundry or doing other mundane chores, give a friend or your parents a call to idly chat; it can make your tedious tasks much more enjoyable. Video calls are also beneficial if, for example, you’re missing out on your daily workouts with a friend. Hop on a video chat to practice yoga, cardio, or other simple exercise routines together. Prevention are encouraging communities across the U.S. to practice social distancing. While this will help prevent the spread of the Let your kids chat with friends. Kids can benefit from video chatting by staying in touch with their
friends while school and other activities are canceled. Letting your kids connect to social media is a pretty big step, so consider signing them up for Yoursphere or Kidzworld, kid-friendly networks that let them keep in touch with their friends while you can monitor their activity. Get in touch with other parents to set up virtual play dates over video chats for your kids. They can even watch a movie or TV show together. Host a movie night. Speaking of movies, Netflix developed a unique way for people to watch movies and shows together: Netflix Party. If you have a desktop or laptop with a Chrome browser, visit NetflixParty.com to download the application. Once downloaded, open the movie or TV series you’d like to watch, create or join a “party,” then relax and enjoy the show while chatting with friends. These are only a few examples of how we can stay in touch during these concerning times. Talk with your family and friends and see what other creative ideas you can come up with together. Even though you may be apart from loved ones right now, virtual communication has never been easier or more plentiful.
4
888.714.2571 DENMONPEARLMAN.COM
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter