Take a look at our newsletter!
K T C O
CH I CAGO TR I AL L A W Y E R S
Chute O’Malley Knobloch & Turcy
llc
TRIAL ATTORNEYS
JULY 2021
ALL BACK: THE FOURTH OF JULY, THE OLYMPICS, AND
(312) 775-0042
(HOPEFULLY) JURY TRIALS Plus, the Biggest Risk I Ever Took
theNapervillelawyer.com
Naperville Office 475 River Bend Road Suite 101 Naperville, IL 60540 Chicago Office 218 North Jefferson Suite 202 Chicago, IL 60661
While the first half of this year may have just felt like an extension of 2020, July is the month I believe things will really start turning around. Summer is at its zenith, Fourth of July celebrations are everywhere, and the Summer Olympics are back on track. I have a lot of fond memories of the Fourth of July, most notably when we would take our kids to the parade in downtown Hinsdale. When they were all around ages 5–10, they absolutely loved it, which meant we loved it, too. And, of course, no Fourth of July celebration would be complete without fireworks. I’m really looking forward to this year’s display! After they were canceled last year, I’m also eager to finally watch the Olympics. Some of my favorite events to watch are basketball and track and field (particularly the sprints). My wife really enjoys the women’s gymnastics events. Whatever events the Olympians are participating in, though, you really just have to admire the sheer display of athleticism. Beyond just those two hallmarks of our country’s (and our world’s) slow but steady return to normal, however, we’re very optimistic about our chances for returning to the courts for jury trials again this month. We’ve done our best to manage our clients’ cases up until this point through the pandemic, but at some point, we have to get back to what we do best: trying cases in the courtroom on behalf of our clients. Regardless of how crazy this past year has been, I’m confident we can continue to be successful as a law firm and find our clients’ success for their cases as well. After all, this whole firmdid start with me taking a pretty big risk —maybe the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life!
Besides the Fourth of July and the Olympics happening this month, we have a much lesser-known holiday coming up called All or Nothing Day on July 26. It’s the perfect time to share the all-or-nothing story behind how our firm started out. In January of 2008, around 13 1/2 years ago, I left the law firm I worked for previously to start my own firm. At the time, I was 39 years old and my wife and I had three kids ages 12, 10 and 5. While I can personally affirm it’s not ideal to leave a steady paycheck while you have three young children at home, a few things made me take the risk of leaving my job: It had always been my dream to have my own law firm, I wasn’t getting any younger, and by starting when my kids were all still young, it gave me plenty of time to build up my business before they went to college. In my mind, it was now or never. Looking back, I’m so glad the risk paid off. Even though it wasn’t an easy decision to make, I would make it again in a second. Our firm started with just me. Nowwe have six lawyers (many of whom also left well-paying, stable positions at large firms) and five support staff. We love having the freedom to work with clients in the way we feel is most beneficial to their cases, rather than deferring to a boss on how to proceed. I’m sure many of your decisions this past year have probably felt risky but don’t worry: I speak from experience when I say those decisions can absolutely pan out for the best. If you work as hard as an Olympic sprinter toward your goals, you’ll be celebrating your success like it’s the Fourth of July in no time!
PERSONAL INJURY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION WRONGFUL DEATH
–Tom Chute
1
Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy | theNapervillelawyer.com
GET YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT BACK ON TRACK
Recovery Hacks
Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation, presentation, or debate, stringing together thoughts in a way you hope is coherent and insightful when — poof! — you lose your train of thought? It’s frustrating. You just want to make yourself understood, but your brain has other plans. What if there were a way to keep your train of thought on track? Well, the good news is that recovering your train of thought is easy with the following hacks in mind.
don’t want to be bogged down by a chorus of “ums” escaping from your mouth.
Write it all down. This hack works well when you know beforehand that you’ll be speaking with someone or in front of people. Even if you never refer to your notes while speaking, simply writing down a road map for your train of thought can help you recover from a detour and speak more confidently. Remember your overall point. The easiest way to drive your train of thought into the weeds is to forget your
Repeat, repeat, repeat yourself. Paraphrasing your last few thoughts out
loud can help you remember where you were going. Think of it as retracing your steps: You go back to the last words you remember saying, and more often than not, you’ll find your direction again. Take a short pause. Pausing briefly is a great way to make recovering your train of thought seem natural. This hack works really well if you’re answering a question and you need time to think, and you also
overall point — or not to have an overriding point at all. Always have a short, overarching point you can use to recenter yourself and get back on track. With these hacks, your brain will have to work a lot harder to make you lose your train of thought! Now you’ll be more prepared to tackle any subject matter, no matter how deep or technical, that comes your way.
POOR SAFETY MEETS MOLTEN ENAMEL
Nothing Cold About These Refrigerators
If you don’t know what enamel is, you’ve probably seen it around: It’s the colorful, protective coating that covers tiles and all kinds of fancy cookware. But how does it get on to things? For that, you need heat
It’s a miracle that Adams wasn’t killed, although he lived in severe pain for the rest of his life. His employer attempted to dodge all responsibility, and Adams was forced into the courts to
get some kind of justice. As you can imagine, the judicial system took note of the incident and, after examining everything in detail, came to some groundbreaking conclusions, at least for the day. The chief one was that Adams’ injury could not have been foreseen by an average person, because although he had experience, he lacked understanding of the materials he was working with — an understanding that his employer had not provided.
— enough to melt enamel into a workable, molten-hot liquid. It’s dangerous stuff to work with, which means facilities need to provide
extensive training, personal protective equipment, and proper maintenance.
The Grand Rapids Refrigerator Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, had not met its duty in any of those three areas when Harry Adams, an employee, was working for them in the early 1900s. The company used enamel to line the inside of its refrigerators in a process that involved introducing molten enamel to water, a hardening reaction that had a high potential for disaster.
Molten enamel has similar properties to lava, and an exploding tank full of the stuff is not a hazard anyone should have to deal with in the workplace. The shockwaves of Adams’ near-fatal injury have reverberated for over a century now and provide valuable precedence when it comes to the duty employers have to their employees, whether that person has experience or not, which is why even today, when we attend ongoing, yearly safety training, we benefit from the hard lessons learned in Adams v. Grand Rapids Refrigerator.
And disaster struck in November 1906 when, in the course of Adams’ normal duties, the holding tank full of molten enamel exploded while he operated it at close distance — at the instruction of his foreman who was overseeing the operation.
2
Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy | theNapervillelawyer.com
3 REASONS TO GO WITH A SMALLER LAW FIRM
To Represent You in Court
Large law firms may have the marketing budget to make sure the people in their city know they exist and bring clients to their doors, but how much can they really help you beyond that point? The fact is that a large law firm’s cookie-cutter approach to dealing with their clients’ cases doesn’t always end up helping them as much as their billboards suggest. Here are a few reasons why choosing a smaller, boutique firm may be more helpful to your case. A Personal Touch An army of lawyers can sound like a formidable weapon in the courtroom, but would you rather a large group of people all have a surface-level knowledge of your case, or for one attorney to know both the nuances of your case and you as a person? The fact is,
small firms can get to know you and craft a more personalized and, therefore, more compelling case on your behalf that will trump a legal army’s case every time. No Room for Misunderstandings Larger firms mean more (often unnecessary) channels of communication through which to funnel more information about your case. However, the more channels that exist, the more opportunities for important pieces of information to be lost, thus weakening your case. If you know how the game telephone works, you get the idea. At smaller law firms, a more streamlined communication channel means fewer opportunities for miscommunication to create havoc. A Greater Level of Expertise The bigger the law firm, the less specialized their knowledge will be about certain types of cases. Your case is unique to you, so you deserve a lawyer who has the specific knowledge necessary to give you a fair day in court. That’s why we focus specifically on personal injury and workers’ comp law — so we continually build on our expertise and serve each client better than the last.
If you’re looking for a boutique law firm to handle a PI or workers’ comp case, call Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy today at (312) 775-0042.
PLANT-BASED BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
BRAIN GAME!
It’s blueberry season! Whip up this simple muffin recipe to celebrate in style.
Inspired by MyDarlingVegan.com
Ingredients
• • • • • •
1 cup soy milk
• • • • •
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp canola oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp salt
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a muffin tin and set aside. 2. In a bowl, combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside. 3. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 4. In a third bowl, combine sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Add milk mixture and stir, then add flour mixture. Stir to combine until well- incorporated but not smooth. Fold in the blueberries. 5. Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each well 3/4 full. Bake 20–25 minutes, cool, and enjoy!
3
218 N. Jefferson, Ste. 202 Chicago, IL 60661
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
K T C O
Chute O’Malley Knobloch & Turcy
llc
TRIAL ATTORNEYS WHAT’S INSIDE
Reflecting on Past Risks and Future Rewards in July
1 2
Life Hack: How to Recover Your Train of Thought
Poor Safety Meets Molten Enamel
3 Reasons Small Law Firms Beat Large Law Firms
3
Chicago Is Back! Plant-Based Blueberry Muffins 4
CHICAGO IS BACK!
Summertime Events to Enjoy
Admission: Free! TimeOut Chicago once called the Southport Art Fair one of the “Best Festivals in Town.” And why wouldn’t it be? Attendees can see all kinds of different art from a variety of artisans across the city, including works done with oil, acrylic, watercolor, jewelry, photography, glass, and metal. There is even a special kids’ area, so you can bring the whole family! Lollapalooza Where: Grant Park When: July 29–Aug. 1 Admission: $375 (other more expensive options are also available) This event might not be for everyone, but it’s worth mentioning that one of the most high-profile concerts in the country is back this year! Headliners include the Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Tyler the Creator, and over 150 other bands spread across eight stages. Every modern music lover needs to attend this concert at least once in their lives.
At this point in time, about half of the United States population is vaccinated against COVID-19. And, as the warm weather continues, more and more fun summer events are falling back on the city’s calendar. So, if you’re not sure what to do with yourself after a long hiatus from public gatherings, these local events might be a good place to start! Grant Park Music Festival Where: Millennium Park (Pritzker Pavilion) When: July 2–Aug. 21; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. Admission: Free (if you reserve seats beforehand) The Grant Park Orchestra is back this season, albeit with a few safety precautions for concert attendees to keep in mind. The venue will only be filled to 25% capacity (roughly 3,000 available seats), and masks will still be mandatory. You can choose to sit in the seating bowl or on one of the Green Lawn pods in the grass. To reserve seats, visit GrantParkMusicFestival.com.
Southport Art Fair Where: Waveland Ave. and Southport Ave. When: July 10–11, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
We hope you’ll find events you love and reengage with your community and your city this summer. Have fun and stay safe!
4
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator