Check out our January newsletter!
LouisBerkLaw.com 407-906-0500 January 2026
Car Accidents | Truck Accidents | Pedestrian Accidents | Slip & Fall/Premises Liability | Wrongful Death
New Faces, New Home, Same Mission Looking Back on a Transformative Year
What a year it was! When I look back at everything we’ve accomplished, the moments that challenged us, and the people who made it all happen, I can’t help but feel both humbled and inspired. As we head into the end of the year, I keep thinking about how far we’ve come, not just as a law firm, but as a community. It’s easy to talk about “finishing the year strong,” but for us, that phrase has taken on a deeper meaning. It’s about celebrating growth, resilience, and the incredible team that makes Louis Berk Law what it is. Looking back at 2025, I see a timeline marked by both triumphs and tests. Growing a business is never a straight line. It’s more like a winding road full of unexpected turns, potholes, and scenic views you didn’t see coming. We definitely had moments when things didn’t go as planned and times when we had to make tough decisions about who fit within our culture and who didn’t. But with every challenge came an opportunity to grow stronger, refine what we stand for, and build something meaningful. By the middle of the year, something shifted. We began to notice a new kind of energy in the office, a contagious sense of unity and pride. We welcomed new faces, strengthened our core team, and found our rhythm. From intake to litigation, from bookkeeping to marketing, every department began operating like gears in a well-oiled machine. I’ve always said that Louis Berk Law Firm isn’t just “Louis Berk.” It’s every single person who shows up each day ready to give their best. It’s the people who answer client calls with patience, prepare cases late into the evening, balance the books, organize files, or strategize our next big move. Together, we’ve built something much bigger than any one of us could have built alone. And then came one of the most exciting milestones of all: moving into our new office. After months of planning, we officially opened the doors to our 6,500-square-foot facility right in the heart of downtown, just steps from the courthouse. I’ll never forget the first time I walked through those doors after the renovation. What used to be a dark, dated space had transformed into something bright, modern, and full of life. The sunlight pours in through the windows. The furniture is sleek and comfortable. Even the cubicles are designed for connection. They’re just a few inches high so everyone can see and collaborate with their neighbors.
This is our new home. It’s where ideas come to life, laughter fills the break room, and our team continues to grow closer. While carrying boxes up to the new space, I was sweating and smiling at the same time. Someone saw me with a cart full of stuff and asked what it was. I laughed and said, “It’s for the break room!” I’d brought things like a coffee maker, and I had a ping pong table on the way. After months of settling in, I finally brought in something personal: my diplomas. My law school and undergrad degrees had been sitting in a box in my garage for years. The day I hung them up, it hit me: I’m really moving in. So, as the year comes to a close, I’m filled with gratitude for the people who believed in our mission, every late night, every brainstorming session, and every laugh shared in the office. Looking ahead, I know we’ll keep evolving. We’ll face new
challenges, welcome new faces, and celebrate new victories. But if this year taught me anything, it’s that when you have a team like ours, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. Here’s to finishing strong and an even brighter year ahead!
Happy New Year!
-Louis Bernardo Berk
LouisBerkLaw.com | 1
Published by Newsletter Pro • NewsletterPro.com
HOW TO MODEL CONFIDENT CARE FOR KIDS The Power of Hearing in Healing
No matter what station of life someone is in, they deserve to feel safe. Of course, physical safety is always paramount, but what about emotional safety? In our often busy and complex lives, ensuring our loved ones feel safe on the inside can be overlooked. This is especially true if you’re a working parent, juggling obligations to your young ones and your own sense of stability and peace of mind.
Here are two quick but valuable tips for making the journey emotionally safer for you and them. Not every problem requires a solution. We’ve all had days when we need to vent to someone close to us. While the recipient of our woes may immediately start suggesting ways to solve the problem, all we really want is for someone to hear and understand us. It’s the same with children, who sometimes just crave the security of someone who listens to them. In these instances, saying, “Wow, you’ve had a tough day,” may be more helpful than proclaiming, “Here’s what you’re doing wrong and how to fix it.” Of course, adding something that elicits a smile or chuckle from a stressed child never hurts. Above all, be sure to validate their emotions. Even if their negative
situation seems minuscule by adult standards, acknowledging it may still mean the world to them in that moment. Calm can be found in chaos. It’s a Monday morning. Everyone is running late, the toast is burnt, a glass of orange juice has just spilled all over the kitchen table, and your little ones are talking a mile a minute. While these moments may make you want to shout on the inside, keeping a calm, gentle demeanor outside will help reduce tension for your kids before they head off to school and set a strong example of how to react under pressure. Frustrating situations are inevitable, but how we respond to them is our choice. By remaining calm and showing compassion even in challenging times, we comfort our children as much as we show them how to comfort themselves.
Despite his rightful place in history books as one of the world’s greatest minds, legendary inventor Thomas Edison was a consistent failure … and that was a great thing. By the time Edison died in 1931 at 84, he had experienced a life steeped in as many devastating defeats as world-changing ambitions. That he’s remembered today for his scientific milestones and not his epic misfires represents the spirit of “failing forward,” the concept of embracing failure as an opportunity to pursue new ideas and directions for success. EDISON’S IRON WILL From Rock Bottom to Reinvention
“I have not failed,” Edison famously insisted. “I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Here’s one example of how he turned a significant misfire into an unmitigated triumph.
From Iron to Insolvency Edison held more than 1,000 patents in his lifetime, and many of his inventions toward the end of the 1800s relied heavily on iron as a source material. When the cost of the metal began to rise, he attempted to address the problem by investing more than 10 years and $2 million in his own iron mining operation in northern New Jersey. Unfortunately for the maverick inventor, several other iron plants launched around the same time, which caused the value of iron to drop considerably and led to severe financial losses. Cement Seals Success Instead of accepting defeat when his iron operation went under, Edison turned his attention to another critical material: cement. While running his iron mine, he regularly sold waste sand to cement makers for additional revenue. Seeing an opportunity to expand further into this market, he launched the Edison Portland Cement Company, repurposing
equipment and technology he had used for iron mining. The venture was a huge success, allowing Edison to pay off his massive debts and become one of the leading forces behind the use of cement in American infrastructure. While the catastrophic failure of his iron mining endeavor would have crushed most entrepreneurs, Edison thrived by pivoting to new ventures. He never gave up. His inventions proved his brilliance, but his fearlessness in the face of failure demonstrated his resilience.
2 | 407-906-0500
Published by Newsletter Pro • NewsletterPro.com
There are several ways to become a millionaire in this country, but suing a fast-food chain over a napkin isn’t one of them. In 2014, a McDonald’s restaurant in Pacoima, California, became the focus of a national discussion on how the legal system addressed frivolous lawsuits. It all started with a customer named Webster Lucas, who complained to the manager when he discovered that he had been given only one napkin with his meal. Lucas claimed the manager had “developed a nasty attitude and mumbled a few words” before cursing at him. He also alleged that the manager’s behavior was racially motivated. The verbal altercation prompted Lucas to file a $1.5 million suit against the McDonald’s Corporation and the Pacoima store’s manager and general manager for (as reported by NBC News at the time) mental anguish, emotional distress, and discrimination. Despite being offered free food from the corporation to make things right, Lucas moved forward with his litigation. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Lucas had sued a major restaurant for an unsatisfactory experience. According to court documents obtained by NBC News, he had previously filed two separate suits against Jack- in-the-Box without receiving an award for his claims. Additionally, he filed suits against Denny’s and Walmart, which were ultimately dismissed. Fast-Food Folly A Napkin Sparks a Legal Storm
TAKE A BREAK
SLOW COOKER BIRRIA TACOS
Due to his habitual
• 3 dried guajillo chiles • 2 dried ancho chiles • 1 medium onion, chopped • 4 garlic cloves • 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes • 3 lbs beef chuck roast • 2 cups beef broth • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar • 1 tbsp dried oregano Ingredients Directions 1. Soak dried chiles in hot water for 15 minutes.
use of the California legal system, Lucas became known as a “vexatious litigant.” To earn this dubious designation, one has to file a minimum
• 2 tsp ground cumin • 2 bay leaves • 1 tsp salt • Pepper, to taste • Corn tortillas • Fresh cilantro and diced onion for garnish
of five non-small claims suits that have been settled against them or have been pending for at least 24 months without a hearing or trial. Additionally, an individual can be deemed a “vexatious litigant” by repeatedly filing or relitigating meritless cases. Despite online reports to the contrary, court documents confirm that Lucas’ case against McDonald’s was dismissed by the end of 2014. Unsurprisingly, little has been heard of him in the California legal system since.
2. Process chiles, onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a blender until smooth. 3. Place beef in a slow cooker and pour the chili mixture over it. 4. Add beef broth, vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. 5. Cook on low for 8–10 hours or until the beef is tender. 6. Shred the beef using forks, then mix back into the sauce. 7. Fry tortillas in oil until crispy, then assemble tacos as desired.
Inspired by SimpleWhisk.com
LouisBerkLaw.com | 3
Published by Newsletter Pro • NewsletterPro.com
Referrals Welcome We thank you so much for referring clients to us over the years. We are grateful that you have trusted us with taking care of those who need our services.
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
407-906-0500 | LouisBerkLaw.com 4700 Millenia Blvd., Suite 175, Orlando, FL 32839
Facebook.com/AbogadoLouis
New address? New phone number? New email? Help us stay current by letting us know. Notify Louis at 407-906-0500.
Instagram.com/AbogadoLouis
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Our Team Made 2025 Our Strongest Year Yet
1 2
Parenting to Empower Emotional Calm in Kids
Cement Saves a Scientific Legend
3
Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
A Laughable McLawsuit Misfire
The Legal Minds Behind Moon Missions
4
Who Makes the Rules in Space? COSMIC COUNSEL
The phrase “space lawyer” may conjure images of an intergalactic courtroom setting in a “Star Trek” film, but the term and profession are rooted in reality here on Earth. Simply put, space lawyers are legal professionals specializing in international law and drafting agreements between countries regarding their activities throughout our galaxy. Instead of brokering peace treaties between humans and Klingons, these attorneys work to establish policies that outline rules and obligations nations must follow when conducting themselves beyond our clouds. For example, treaties negotiated by space lawyers were instrumental in getting the Soviet Union to spend millions to clean up radioactive debris deposited over northern Canada by its Cosmos 954 satellite in the late 1970s. Utilizing Article 7 of the Outer
Space Treaty (via the 1972 Space Liability Convention), the Canadian government argued that the Soviet Union was on the hook to cover the majority of the cost of Operation Morning Light, an extensive cleanup operation by the U.S. and Canada
to remove nearly 50,000 square miles of hazardous material dropped from space.
Thanks to space lawyers, no nation can claim ownership of Earth (or any other planet), the moon, or any other entity discovered in the galaxy. However, recent debates have raised an intriguing question: Who would own the resources derived from the moon or another planet? If Russia were to one day discover a life-saving nutrient on the moon’s surface, would it have the right to claim exclusive ownership of this medical marvel? Would this discovery need to be shared with other nations involved in space-related treaties? While it may take years (or the invention of a good time-traveling warp drive) for us to resolve these questions, it’s clear we need space lawyers to tackle these and other questions in a legal frontier that no Earth- bound lawyer has pondered before!
4 | 407-906-0500
Published by Newsletter Pro • NewsletterPro.com
LouisBerkLaw.com 407-906-0500 Enero 2026
Car Accidents | Truck Accidents | Pedestrian Accidents | Slip & Fall/Premises Liability | Wrongful Death
Caras Nuevas, Hogar Nuevo, Misma Misión Una mirada retrospectiva a un año de transformación
¡Qué año fue! Cuando recuerdo todo lo que hemos logrado, los momentos que nos desafiaron y las personas que hicieron que todo sucediera, no puedo evitar sentirme tanto humilde como inspirado. Mientras nos acercamos al final del año, sigo pensando en lo lejos que hemos llegado, no solo como bufete de abogados, sino como comunidad. Es fácil hablar de “terminar el año con fuerza”, pero para nosotros, esa frase ha adquirido un significado más profundo. Se trata de celebrar el crecimiento, la resiliencia y el increíble equipo que hace que Louis Berk Law sea lo que es. Al mirar hacia atrás en 2025, veo una cronología marcada tanto por triunfos como por pruebas. Hacer crecer un negocio nunca es una línea recta. Es más bien un camino sinuoso lleno de giros inesperados, baches y vistas panorámicas que no esperabas. Definitivamente tuvimos momentos en los que las cosas no salieron según lo planeado y momentos en los que tuvimos que tomar decisiones difíciles sobre quién encajaba en nuestra cultura y quién no. Pero con cada desafío llegó una oportunidad para fortalecernos, refinar aquello que defendemos, y construir algo significativo. A mediados de año, algo cambió. Empezamos a notar un nuevo tipo de energía en la oficina, un sentido contagioso de unidad y orgullo. Dimos la bienvenida a caras nuevas, fortalecimos nuestro equipo central y encontramos nuestro ritmo. Desde la admisión de casos hasta los litigios, desde la contabilidad hasta el marketing , cada departamento comenzó a operar como los engranajes de una máquina bien engrasada. Siempre he dicho que Louis Berk Law Firm no es solo “Louis Berk”. Es cada persona que se presenta todos los días lista para dar lo mejor de sí. Son las personas que responden las llamadas de los clientes con paciencia, preparan casos hasta altas horas de la noche, equilibran las cuentas, organizan archivos o planifican nuestra próxima gran jugada. Juntos, hemos construido algo mucho más grande de lo que cualquiera de nosotros podría haber construido solo. Y luego vino uno de los hitos más emocionantes de todos: la mudanza a nuestra nueva oficina. Después de meses de planificación, abrimos oficialmente las puertas de nuestras instalaciones de 600 metros cuadrados (6,500 pies cuadrados) justo en el corazón del centro, a solo unos pasos del juzgado. Nunca olvidaré la primera vez que crucé esas puertas después de la renovación. Lo que solía ser un espacio oscuro y anticuado se había transformado en algo brillante, moderno y lleno de vida. La luz del sol se filtra por las ventanas. El mobiliario es elegante y cómodo. Incluso los cubículos están diseñados para la conexión. Son
solo unos pocos centímetros de alto para que todos puedan ver y colaborar con sus vecinos. Este es nuestro nuevo hogar. Es donde las ideas cobran vida, la risa llena la sala de descanso y nuestro equipo continúa acercándose. Mientras subía cajas al nuevo espacio, estaba sudando y sonriendo al mismo tiempo. Alguien me vio con un carrito lleno de cosas y me preguntó qué era. Me reí y dije: ¡”Es para la sala de descanso”! Había traído cosas como una cafetera, y tenía una mesa de ping pong en camino. Después de meses de instalarnos, finalmente traje algo personal: mis diplomas. Mis títulos de la facultad de derecho y de la universidad habían estado guardados en una caja en mi garaje durante años. El día que los colgué, me di cuenta: realmente me estoy mudando. Así, a medida que el año llega a su fin, estoy lleno de gratitud por las personas que creyeron en nuestra misión, cada noche, cada sesión de lluvia de ideas y cada risa compartida en la oficina. Mirando hacia adelante, sé que seguiremos evolucionando. Enfrentaremos nuevos desafíos, daremos la bienvenida a caras
nuevas y celebraremos nuevas victorias. Pero si este año me enseñó algo, es que cuando tienes un equipo como el nuestro, no hay límite para lo que puedes lograr. ¡Brindemos por un final fuerte y un año aún más brillante por delante!
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! -Louis Bernardo Berk
Published by Newsletter Pro • NewsletterPro.com
LouisBerkLaw.com | 1
Cómo Modelar el Cuidado Confiado para los Niños El Poder de la Escucha en la Sanación
No importa en qué etapa de la vida se encuentre alguien, merece sentirse seguro. Por supuesto, la seguridad física es siempre primordial, pero ¿qué pasa con la seguridad emocional ? En nuestras vidas, a menudo ocupadas y complejas, se puede pasar por alto asegurar que nuestros seres queridos se sientan seguros por dentro. Esto es especialmente cierto si usted es un padre o madre que trabaja, haciendo malabares entre las obligaciones con sus hijos pequeños y su propio sentido de
estabilidad y tranquilidad. Aquí hay dos consejos rápidos pero valiosos para hacer el viaje emocionalmente más seguro para usted y para ellos. No todo problema requiere una solución. Todos hemos tenido días en los que necesitamos desahogarnos con alguien cercano. Aunque el receptor de nuestras quejas pueda comenzar inmediatamente a sugerir formas de resolver el problema, todo lo que realmente queremos es que alguien nos escuche y nos entienda. Sucede lo mismo con los niños, que a veces solo anhelan la seguridad de alguien que los escuche. En estos casos, decir: “Vaya, has tenido un día difícil”, puede ser más útil que exclamar: “Esto es lo que estás haciendo mal y cómo solucionarlo”. Por supuesto, agregar algo que provoque una sonrisa o una risita en un niño estresado nunca está de más. Sobre todo, asegúrese de validar sus emociones. Incluso si su situación negativa parece minúscula para los estándares de un • 3 chiles guajillos secos • 2 chiles anchos secos • 1 cebolla mediana, picada • 4 dientes de ajo • 1 lata (411 g / 14.5 oz) de tomates cortados en dados • 1.4 kg (3 libras) de carne de res para estofar (chuck roast) • 2 tazas de caldo de res Ingredientes
adulto, reconocerla puede significar mucho para ellos en ese momento . La calma se puede encontrar en el caos. Es lunes por la mañana. Todos llegan tarde, la tostada se ha quemado, se acaba de derramar un vaso de jugo de naranja por toda la mesa de la cocina y sus pequeños están hablando a mil por hora. Aunque estos momentos pueden hacer que quiera gritar por dentro, mantener una actitud externa tranquila y suave ayudará a reducir la tensión de sus hijos antes de que se vayan a la escuela y establecerá un fuerte ejemplo de cómo reaccionar bajo presión. Las situaciones frustrantes son inevitables, pero la forma en que respondemos a ellas es nuestra elección. Al mantener la calma y mostrar compasión incluso en momentos difíciles, reconfortamos a nuestros hijos tanto como les mostramos cómo reconfortarse a sí mismos. • 2 cucharadas de vinagre de sidra de manzana • 1 cucharada de orégano seco • 2 cucharaditas de comino molido • 2 hojas de laurel • 1 cucharadita de sal • Pimienta, al gusto • Tortillas de maíz • Cilantro fresco y cebolla picada para decorar
Tacos de Birria en Olla de Cocción Lenta
Instrucciones 1. Remoja los chiles secos en agua caliente durante 15 minutos. 2. Procesa los chiles, la cebolla, el ajo y los tomates en una licuadora hasta obtener una mezcla suave. 3. Coloca la carne de res en una olla de cocción lenta y vierte la mezcla de chiles sobre ella. 4. Agrega el caldo de res, el vinagre, el orégano, el comino, las hojas de laurel, la sal y la pimienta. 5. Cocina a fuego lento (low) durante 8 a 10 horas o hasta que la carne esté tierna. 6. Deshebra la carne con tenedores, luego mézclala de nuevo con la salsa. 7. Fríe las tortillas en aceite hasta que estén crujientes, luego arma los tacos como desees.
Inspirado en SimpleWhisk.com
2 | 407-906-0500
Published by Newsletter Pro • NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator