509-495-1246 www.AlbrechtLawFirm.com
May 2019
Springtime on the Ranch What Helping My Grandparents Taught Me About Law
May always makes me think of childhood visits to my grandparents’ranch inWyoming. Growing up in Montana, it was only a couple-hour drive to their place, which included a large vegetable garden and a small apple orchard. I remember meals made from scratch by my grandmother, and to this day, as a dear friend of mine says, you just can’t explain the taste of homegrown produce to someone who has never had it. In fact, when I was younger, I didn’t even know you could get spaghetti sauce in a can from the grocery store. I had this revelation when I slept over at a friend’s house and watched his father pour store-bought sauce over our noodles. It just wasn’t the same as Grandma’s. If it was planting season, I would help my grandfather plant and prepare their garden for the season ahead. Then we’d sneak back into the garden each summer to eat peas like they were candy. Of course, we had to be careful to maneuver around the electric fence I had helped my grandpa install to keep the deer out. About 35 years ago and not 10 minutes after helping Grandpa install the fence and heeding his warning to not step over it, I did it anyway. An electric jolt surged through my body as I tried to slip through the strands. Grandpa had to shut the fence off and pull me out, and I still have the scar and vivid memory to prove it. I had already made that mistake once.
Suffice it to say, the electric fence worked, and rather than waiting for the deer to munch on their harvest, my grandparents actively took measures to prevent damage. Sadly, this can be difficult for some people to do, especially when they are facing a situation far more dire than protecting vegetables from scavenging deer. For example, it’s not uncommon for our firm to first meet clients months beyond when it would have been ideal. Sometimes, the first call comes within weeks or months of the statute of limitations. Whether it’s confidence in the system, fear, or shame, some people avoid seeking legal help after an accident, and this can make them susceptible to insurance company complacency. One of the most common questions I hear is:“Can I trust my insurance adjuster?”My answer is always:“Sure. You can trust them to save the insurance company money.”That is their job, and they are not working for you. As personal injury attorneys, we work for our clients, and the sooner we meet you, the better we can help. In a recent case, we were facing a tangled mess of fault in a car accident. Our client was driving along the highway when someone turned left in front of him, causing our client to hit the other driver’s trailer. The insurance company was refusing to compensate our client because their experts had calculated that our client had enough time to stop. Ironically, this insurer probably spent more on experts trying to avoid liability than our injured client spent on medical care. This was ironic because the insurer ended up paying both. But we came into the case early enough to find security footage from a nearby gas station. The crash was only visible through the reflection of the shaded window on the station, but with the help of an excellent retired police officer expert, the findings were clear. Our client could not have
stopped in time. If this client had not contacted us as early as he did, and if we had not been able to do our due diligence, this video may have been erased. Instead of being trapped into accepting the insurance company’s zero offer, this client received a fair arbitration award. Sadly, sometimes the reverse of this happens. In a different case, a client with a solid, obvious case of negligence found herself facing a defendant willing to lie and claim the injury never happened. Prior to our involvement, she tried to get security footage on her own, but when she couldn’t, she asked us for help. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the footage had been erased. Without the video evidence, her case became high-risk and ended up in a jury trial. She still won, but it was too close for comfort. It’s always upsetting when we cannot help someone because of poor timing. We will always do our best to fight for our clients, but coming in early is a lot like eating fresh produce instead of store-bought. You only know the difference when you try it.
This Month’s Happiest Client!
“Matt Albrecht is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and I would recommend him to anyone needing legal assistance! His character is second to none!” -Kevin K.
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THE GOLDEN ERA OF ATHLETES ON SOCIAL MEDIA Out of the Dark and Onto the Web
It’s not an overstatement to say that social media has revolutionized the way we live our lives today. But with that massively powerful platform comes a massive responsibility, especially if you’re already in the spotlight. Athletes have taken the opportunity social media affords them to build their personal brands and engage in community outreach with the fans who look to them as role models, but there’s a downside to cataloging years of unfiltered thoughts on the internet. For better or worse, social media is here to stay, and we have full access to all the drama that unfolds for our entertainment. Despite the web’s potential for good, some pros can’t seem to get the message that every post falls under the scrutiny of their public. PR firms representing players have now made it a top priority to keep their clients’ images in line by scrubbing old posts that could be offensive and land them in hot water. Still, though, it seems like there’s a new controversy every week. One of the best examples comes courtesy of former football star“Johnny Football”Manziel. The former HeismanTrophy winner was notorious for posting embarrassing images of himself partying when he should have been practicing, and he often blasted his private issues in public, seemingly
with no filter. He’s out of a job now, most recently having been banned from the Canadian Football League. For every bad apple, though, there is a bushel of athletes who use their platforms for the greater good. HoustonTexans defensive end J.J. Watt, five-time Pro Bowler and NFL star, has used his social media“juice”to spread the word about his charity, raising over $4.6 million for youth athletic programs and organizations.
Philanthropy aside, part of the beauty of celebrity social media is that the people who seem so much larger than life become accessible because of it. In decades past, you might have written a letter that, if you were fortunate, got a response from some unpaid intern. Today, fans can reach out directly to their favorite athletes. It is a personal connection unparalleled in history. What a time to be alive.
Leaving a Legacy of Giving MAKING CHARITY A PART OF YOUR ESTATE PLAN
Your estate plan is far more than just a set of documents. It’s a declaration of what you find most important and a road map of the legacy you’d like to leave. Not only does a proper estate plan ensure that your loved ones will be taken care of when you’re gone, but it also allows you to make an impact on the wider world through charitable giving. Many avenues exist for making planned gifts to nonprofits, but here are some of the basics on how to make giving a part of your plan.
notify an organization about what you are planning to give. Smaller philanthropies may not accept complex assets, such as stocks or real estate. On the other hand, some charities may specialize in specific assets. For example, if your home is considered a historic site within your town, you may want to gift it to a preservation society so that it stays properly maintained.
DECIDE HOW TO GIVE
NAME A CHARITY IN YOURWILL
There are different ways to structure a charitable bequest, giving you the flexibility to make sure your estate planning goals are met. If you have a set sum of money or a particular asset you wish to leave to a charity, you can make a specific bequest in your will. However, if you want to ensure your loved one’s needs are met before giving a portion of your estate to charity, you can make what’s known as a residuary gift. With a residuary gift, once debts have been paid off and your other beneficiaries have received their bequests, a specified percentage of your remaining estate will go to a charity of your choice.
The most basic way to give to a charity is by naming it in your will. Simply name the charitable organization you wish to support among your beneficiaries, and specify the assets you wish to give. If estate or income taxes are a concern, ensure your chosen organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. These are the charities the IRS deems tax-exempt.
MATCH THE ASSETS TO THE CHARITY Almost all charities will accept cash bequests, though
OTHER AVENUES
Depending on your income level and the kinds of assets in your estate, more complex means of making a planned gift may be available to you. Talk to your estate planner to see if creating a charitable trust or establishing a foundation is the right move for you.
it is always a good idea to
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TAKE A BREAK
How to Cultivate Valuable Customer Reviews THE GOOD KIND OF GOSSIP When you’re thinking about buying a new product or service, what’s the first step you take? If you turn to the WorldWide Web in search of reviews, then you’re in good company. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 85 percent of consumers regard the customer review to be the single most credible and trustworthy source of advertising. That same survey found that 68 percent of customers surveyed were willing to provide feedback for a company. So, how do you get your customers to write the glowing reviews that help close deals? Don’t rely on customers to go to your website to leave reviews. There are numerous websites you can utilize that make leaving feedback more convenient for your clients. What’s more is that these other platforms are highly trafficked. BrightLocal found that Facebook and Yelp were consumers’ most trusted sources of user reviews in the U.S., but you can also use Google My Business or the Better Business Bureau. Most importantly, be sure you are active on all the platforms you use. DIVERSIFY YOUR PLATFORMS
SHRIMP SAUSAGE SKEWERS
Ingredients
OFFER INCENTIVES
CREOLE SEASONING
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1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 pound cooked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
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2 tablespoons paprika
Give your clients a reason to write reviews. Consider offering incentives like a discount or coupon code, coffee gift card, or an entry to win a contest for an even bigger prize.
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1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
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1/2 tablespoon onion powder
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2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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1/2 tablespoon cayenne or chili powder
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Think of the review process as a conversation rather than a request to be met, and use open-ended questions to start. Before you even request a review, you can ask customers questions like “How was your recent experience with us?” or “How are you liking your product?”That way, you can gauge their satisfaction before they leave any feedback.
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1/4 tablespoon dried oregano
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1/4 tablespoon 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). Inspired by Food Network
RESPOND, RESPOND, RESPOND
The last thing you want to see is a scathing one-star review. But no matter how hard you work, they are still bound to happen. When you receive one, take the time to respond thoughtfully —without being defensive — and try to come up with a possible solution to the complaint. And be sure to respond to your positive reviews as well. When you show that you engage with all of your customers, prospective ones will be more likely to give you a shot.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
509-495-1246 www.AlbrechtLawFirm.com 421 W. Riverside Ave., Ste 614 Spokane, WA 99201 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Timing Is Everything
The Golden Era of Athletes on Social Media Making Charity a Part of Your Estate Plan
Shrimp Sausage Skewers The Value of User Reviews
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Genealogy Sites Provide Breakthroughs in Cold Cases
GENEALOGY SITES AND THE WARMING OF COLD CASES The Revolution in Forensic Science Continues to Captivate the Masses
We’ve come a long way in the field of forensic science since 1986, when DNA was first used to convict someone in court. In 2019, criminals who would have gotten away with their crimes in the past are now put behind bars where they belong. The advent of genealogy testing has been thrust into the spotlight with high- profile cases that were solved by sequestering information from sites like 23andMe and Ancestry.com. With this revolution in DNA testing on the rise, there’s really no end to the impossible-to-solve cold cases that can finally be put to rest. Whatever the motivation was behind genealogy sites in the beginning, they’re now some of the most sought-after databases in the world and are worth billions for their collection of the most personal consumer data in existence. Using these websites’ data, investigators can make DNA matches with potential offenders. The most famous recent case is the successful apprehension of Joseph James DeAngelo, otherwise known as the Golden State Killer.
After 13 murders and dozens of assaults, he was finally brought to justice after investigators matched his DNA to the evidence found at the crime scenes. They gained access to his DNA from the personal genomics site GEDmatch.
to its customers, law enforcement agencies successfully subpoenaed the companies to hand over the requested data. With the ability to theoretically solve any crime with preserved DNA, law enforcement and websleuths alike are foaming at the mouth at the possibilities genealogy testing has to offer. If only we’d preserved some of Jack the Ripper’s DNA!
Although access to the data of popular sites like 23andMe and Ancestry.com is restricted
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