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OFFERING SUPPORT IN THE MIDST OF CATASTROPHE
How My Brother-in-Law’s Accident Taught Me to Understand My Clients’ Struggles
wake up, and we felt completely uncertain about his future and the future of our families.
to go to work. When somebody steps into my office utterly distraught, I’m reminded of those hours I spent in their shoes, beside my comatose brother-in-law, filled with doubt and anxiety. I think of my friends and family sending food and how important that was in the midst of chaos. And then I get to work doing everything I possibly can to put the client at ease and to let them know that — unlike my family with that first, terrible attorney — I’m in their corner, ready to give everything I’ve got to fight for their well-being. “When somebody steps into my office utterly distraught, I’m remindedof those hours I spent in their shoes, besidemy comatose brother-in-law, filledwithdoubt and anxiety.” It’s this opportunity to ease even a small part of my clients’ crushing burden that keeps me coming to work every day. When we weren’t sure whether my brother-in-lawwould ever wake up, our friends and family were there for us with support and warm meals. I want to be able to be there for my clients in a similar way, shouldering as much of the weight as possible so that they can put all their energy into getting better and moving on.
I remember those terrible feelings all too well, but I also remember the kindness of our friends and family. Many people brought us comfort food that we could enjoy together as a family. Those simple gestures meant more than I can put into words. In the end, my brother-in-lawwoke up. But there was still the matter of the mountingmedical bills, the lack of justice in regard to the other driver, and the long road of recovery. My family found an attorney, and, for almost two years, he floundered and accomplished nothing. It was clear he just didn’t knowwhat he was doing. As the statute of limitations approached, my family decided to fire him and find an attorney who could actually get things done. Luckily, this time they found a competent litigator. Almost immediately, our entire world changed. He fought for us every step of the way and settled the case within a few short months. It was incredible. These days, my brother-in-law is stronger than anyone predicted. He’s up to about 80 percent of his regular function. Nonetheless, his life has been changed forever, and there’s no going back to his condition before the accident. When a client visits our firm, their life is upside down. They’re in terrible pain and uncertain about their future, without a vehicle, and often unable
Years back, my brother-in-law suffered a traumatic accident that would forever alter the course of his life. He was turning left in a regular intersection, just going about his day, when another driver ran the red light and slammed into him at a high speed, crumpling the vehicle and inflicting catastrophic injuries. For weeks, we lived by his bedside at the hospital, hoping beyond hope that, one day, he’d snap out of his coma. Those days of sitting in a sterile hospital roomwere some of the worst of my family’s life. As we whiled away the hours, an overwhelming array of emotions flashed through our minds. We were overcome with fury directed at the carelessness of the other driver, we were afraid that my brother-in-lawmight never
–Freddy Saavedra
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WHAT ‘LEGAL. BETTER. ® ’ MEANS TO US
At Alex & Saavedra, our team has long been equipped with a vast amount of experience. From our managing attorney Andrew R. Alex, who’s been practicing for over 40 years, to our paralegals, all three of whom have been working in the law for at least 20 years, the sheer number of years our team has spent in the field is completely unparalleled. This has resulted in a stellar reputation, honed during many years of aggressive, understanding client representation. When Freddy Saavedra joined the team three years ago, he saw an opportunity to leverage the firm’s robust body of experience, implementing the latest technologies to usher the practice into a new era. Over the past two years, he used his IT knowledge gleaned from11 years as a telecommunications expert in the U.S. Army to completely upgrade every aspect of our infrastructure. From the fax machines and the computers to the mice, we replaced everything with cutting-edge equipment that enables us to be more efficient than ever before. Perhaps most dramatic, though, has been our shift to an entirely paperless office. Through our newly installed virtual private network, we can take our laptops on the go and access absolutely any file in our database. This means, for example, that we can go out to a tow yard to take pictures of a damaged vehicle and upload them straight to the system on-site, mailing them to the adjuster within minutes.
Driving Diversity in the Law Freddy Saavedra Receives Award From HNBA
As the first kid in my family to go to college, I didn’t have a ton of models showing me the possibilities and paths my career might take. Growing up, nobody was telling me I could be a lawyer one day; it just wasn’t something any of us would have imagined. After all, no one I knew had an attorney in their family. So, when I decided that I would pursue law, I knew it would be extremely difficult. I had to conquer nagging doubts that I would fail. No matter what, I knew I would do anything to pass the bar exam and realize my dream. Now that I’m a successful attorney, I want to help other kids with unrealized potential by showing them that they, too, can become a lawyer. To this end, I volunteer my time as the Region XIV President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, working with young students and providing them with opportunities to truly succeed in the law. For so many of these kids, I’m the
first attorney they’ve ever met. It’s my job to open up that possibility to them, educate them on the process, and if they’re interested, help them build networks so that they don’t feel like a complete outsider stepping into the profession. Last September, at the annual HNBA national convention in Kansas City — the largest gathering of Latino attorneys, law students, judges, and legal professionals in the country — I received the “Regional President of the Year” award from the organization. I was deeply touched to be recognized for being involved in a project that I’m truly passionate about, working to increase diversity and opportunity for young people that were just like me growing up. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve, and I look forward to many more years helping kids and law students connect with the tools they need to realize their potential.
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With a 99 percent success rate in thousands of client cases, Alex & Saavedra, P.C. is a proven firm dedicated to fiercely advocating for our clients’ best interests in order to get them the just compensation they deserve. Read some of our many case results below. PLEASE NOTE: Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Every case involves its own facts and laws and has inherent risks, including the risk of loss. CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS $2,500,000.00 recovered from a business and forklift rental company when a 19-year-old suffered a traumatic head injury and multiple fractures as a result of a job site accident. Top-Rated Phoenix Personal Injury Attorneys CASE RESULTS
These streamlined processes enable us to serve our clients even more effectively. If a client has a burning question, all of our attorneys can simply pop open their laptops, log into the VPN, and answer the query aided by everything in our entire database. In the end, everyone ends up more informed — no more lost papers and no more miscommunications. We’re free of all the issues that plague firms based on paper. At Alex & Saavedra, we’re not just another law firm. We’re a cutting-edge practice, backed by the latest technology and methodologies that put us leagues ahead of the competition. That’s our promise: Legal. Better.®
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS $200,000.00 recovered for a woman suffering a heel fracture requiring surgery resulting from a motor vehicle accident.
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS $200,000.00 recovered for a 29-year-old motorcyclist who sustained a pelvic fracture as a result of a motor vehicle accident.
CLIENT REFERRAL
NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE $200,000.00 recovered for a 39-year-old mentally-challenged woman who was negligently supervised by a day care program, which resulted in a puncture wound to the ankle that became infected and caused reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD).
Here at Alex & Saavedra, nothing is more important to us than helping people. We care about our clients and the community, and we want to help as many people as possible reach a settlement they deserve. The opportunity to touch lives is just one of the reasons we’re so grateful for your referrals! To us, a referral is the highest compliment, and we want to say thank you to everyone who has trusted us enough to send family and friends our way.
DOG BITES $147,000.00 recovered against a homeowner for a dog that jumped on a 60-year-old woman, which caused her to fall backward and damage her shoulder.
TRUCKING ACCIDENTS $900,000.00 recovered against a driver and trucking company in favor of the wife for the death of her husband after lengthy litigation on the issue of liability. $250,000.00 recovered against the owner of a shopping mall and management company for a 50-year-old woman with pre-existing arthritis who tripped on protruding nails in a parking lot, which resulted in a cervical injury.
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602-971-1775 | legalbetter.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 2
Support in the Midst of Catastrophe
What ‘Legal. Better.®’ Means to Us
Driving Diversity in the Law
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Client Referral
Case Results
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Good News About Bad News
The Effects of Negative News
They Say Ignorance Is Bliss … But Is It Healthy?
WHY IS THE NEWS SO NEGATIVE? As news media revenue goes down and people become desensitized, news organizations feel the pressure to show emotionally relevant material such as crime and accidents. At a basic level, for something to be “newsworthy” — negative or not — it needs to be the exception to the rule, not the norm. That means watching the news might give you an inaccurate view of what daily life is like in the world. HOW TO FIGHT THE NEGATIVITY It’s important to understand important issues of the day. But when the news becomes too much, psychologists encourage you to take a break with some good news — or no news at all. Advances in medicine and technology happen all the time! Seek out those stories, or take a break from news altogether. That’s when no news can become good news.
It’s nearly impossible to log on to social media or turn on the TV without seeing something distressing. Instead of dwelling on what’s troubling, let’s focus on how to protect our mental health. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BAD NEWS A study by Psychology Today found that people who watch negative news feel worse about pre-existing worries than people who watch happy or neutral events. That means people watching the news don’t just feel anxious about the world — they feel more anxious about their own lives. British psychologist Dr. Graham Davey, who specializes in the effects of media violence, says negative news can affect how you interact with the world around you. As you consume threatening news, you’re more likely to spot threats in your day-to-day activities that aren’t there, which leads to anxiety.
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