Check out our October newsletter!
October 2024
THE TRUSTED ADVISOR
Balancing Justice and Wellness Why Mental Health Matters in Personal Injury Law
for them and steer them toward professionals in the community, like therapists or support groups, who can assist them in ways we cannot.
In the busy world of law, the pressure can be relentless. For lawyers like us, balancing fighting for justice and managing stress is a worthwhile but daily challenge. Our clients often face similar battles, grappling with mental health struggles as they navigate life-altering injuries. World Mental Health Day is on Oct. 10, a time to recognize mental health issues so many face worldwide and the resources available to help. Whether dealing with the stress of legal proceedings or simply navigating life’s hurdles, taking care of your mental well-being is crucial. Zac: Our mental health can affect every aspect of our lives, and if you are not in a good place mentally, it’s hard to do much of anything, let alone be happy or prosperous. Often, people get so busy and caught up with whatever they are going through that it’s easy to neglect their mental health altogether. As trial lawyers, we live super busy lives, and our occupation brings high stress. We must care for ourselves to keep operating at the highest level for our clients. The main thing that has helped me stay sane and calm under pressure is getting the proper amount of exercise. When you’re a young lawyer, you don’t always know how to deal with or handle the stressors that come with the territory. In the beginning, many things will stress you out, and as you get older, you will find they don’t bother you as much anymore. I credit much of that to maturing and growing as a person, and as a professional. When I was younger, I worried more, and nowadays, I let things roll off my shoulders.
Nick: The only other job I can think of where someone is on the other side trying to prevent you from accomplishing your goals, besides being a lawyer, is a professional athlete. Our profession is unique that way, and if we don’t succeed against our opponents, we don’t get paid, and our clients don’t get taken care of. It can be a very stressful job because our clients’ well-being and futures mean everything to us. I try to work out every morning to clear my head, and I’ve learned to recognize when I need to take a break. It’s essential to take opportunities to enjoy life outside the work grind to recharge and relax. Burnout rates are high in our industry. Though my ability to de-stress has improved, it can still be challenging. In addition to the stress we deal with as attorneys, Zac and I are business owners, which brings unique pressures. Whether it’s taking time to meditate or run, you must discover tools to find inner peace. About once a year, my family takes a vacation, and my wife won’t let me bring my computer or use my phone so I can totally disconnect. Our clients face a lot of mental stress. They’ve had incidents that have changed their lives, sometimes permanently. They may be unable to do the things physically they used to do, including working to provide for their families. Now, they are in a position where they know they have to heal themselves, but if they don’t work, they can’t pay their bills or mortgages. We always tell them we are here to talk and understand because we have helped countless people through it. As we honor World Mental Health Day, remember that taking time for your mental well-being isn’t just beneficial — it’s essential. At Norden Leacox, we’re committed to supporting you in this journey and ensuring that together, we can face any challenge with resilience and strength.
It can be challenging for our clients whose injuries have often turned their lives upside down. It’s common for them to turn to us for guidance on what they can do for their mental health, and we do everything to reassure them we’re here to guide them through the path to recovery. We will fight
NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000 1 – Zac Leacox & Nick Norden
Battle for Survival TIKTOK IS CHALLENGING THE BAN
The clock is ticking for TikTok, the world’s most popular social media app, as it faces a federal ultimatum: Either the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its stake in the company, or TikTok will be removed from U.S. app stores by Jan. 19, 2025. It is difficult to fathom that an app downloaded tens of millions of times and receiving over $100 million in revenue every month may leave the American market at the start of next year. But this is just the U.S. government’s latest step since TikTok first arrived on the scene. The TikTok Saga Douyin, the predecessor to TikTok, started in China in 2016. In 2017, it merged with Musical.ly, an app for posting lip-syncing videos; at one point, it topped the charts on the Apple App Store and soon rose to global stardom. Then, the app got a new name, TikTok, and a revolutionary algorithm. The algorithm influenced users to binge-watch content and presented videos from various genres and topics to keep them hooked. While gaining popularity stateside, it drew no small amount of scrutiny from government watchdogs and federal agencies. In September 2019, the Washington Post reported that images of democratic protests in Hong Kong were being suppressed, while posts with the #trump2020 tag received millions of views. TikTok denied political favoritism and alleged their app was a neutral platform. Despite TikTok’s reassurance, the Pentagon recommended all U.S. military personnel delete the app from their phones, regardless of whether it was for personal or government work. In January 2020, the Pentagon banned the app entirely on all military phones.
“On its website, TikTok describes the moves it has made to improve data security and privacy. Still, none of these measures have persuaded the federal government of their benign intentions.”
In May 2020, privacy groups began to raise concerns that TikTok posed a threat to children. Just two months later, India banned TikTok following a military clash at their disputed border with China. Despite these hiccups, TikTok claimed to have over a billion monthly users by September 2021. Further problems with the app materialized in 2022 when viral hoaxes and harmful content promoting eating disorders caused outrage nationwide. In December 2022, the FBI warned that the Chinese government could use the app to influence American citizens. In 2024, Congress drafted legislation to ban the app and force ByteDance to sell TikTok officially. The Future of TikTok President Biden signed H.R. 815 into law on April 24, 2024, which contains a provision that “prohibits distributing, maintaining, updating, or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary controlled application (e.g., TikTok).” That is strong language and indicates the government is not likely to back down from its demands. Despite this, TikTok has challenged the law, arguing the ban is unconstitutional. More than a dozen social and racial justice groups recently supported TikTok’s cause. On its website, TikTok describes the moves it has made to improve data security and privacy. Still, none of these measures have persuaded the federal government of their benign intentions. In June 2024, in response to the ban being signed into law, TikTok released a letter alleging that the Biden administration had negotiated with the company using “political demagoguery,” or, in other words, in favor of appealing to voters rather than finding an equitable solution. Their case is headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals later this year.
2 NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000
Gas prices are often a topic of conversation, but usually for less-than-pleasant reasons. Whenever the subject appears in the news, it is most often because prices have become outrageously high. However, this article will take a different approach. Have you ever wondered why gas price tickers include a 9/10 of a cent at the end? It started nearly a century ago but remains to this day for surprising reasons. Great Depression Decisions The 1930s were a time of great economic uncertainty. The stock market crashed in 1929, and the federal government took extensive measures to balance the budget. Among these was the Revenue Act of 1932. This law introduced several tax hikes, including a more than 20% increase in estate and personal income taxes. However, it also introduced a one-cent tariff on gasoline and fuel oil. While this may not seem like a lot in today’s currency — the average cost of a gallon of gas now is around $3.53 — back then, it was a significant burden on motorists. After all, the average price of a gallon of gas in 1932 was just $0.18, so a one-cent tariff represented a more than 5% increase in price. In today’s money, it would be equivalent to a $0.22 tax per gallon of gas. In 1933, the gas tariff accounted for 8% of the federal government’s tax revenue. Fractional Prices Gas station owners paid the new tariff when purchasing their fuel from suppliers, but they had the option of paying the tax themselves, in full or in The Strange Gas Law Why the 9/10 of a Cent?
part, to take the hit in place of their customers. This is where fractional prices first came into play: Gas station owners would advertise that they were paying, say, half of the one-cent tariff on gasoline, which means their prices would only increase by 5/10 of a cent. Over time, the tariff became less relevant, but fractional prices remained. This has largely contributed to the psychological aspect of paying 9/10 of a cent rather than a full cent — the same thinking behind charging $1.99 rather than $2 for a product.
Have a
Pumpkin Pie French Toast
Laugh
Inspired by AllRecipes.com
Ingredients
• 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice • 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil, or as needed • 1/2 cup half-and-half • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin purée • 3 large eggs • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 8 slices day-old bread • Maple syrup, to taste
Directions
1. Lightly oil a skillet and heat over medium heat. 2. Whisk half-and-half, pumpkin purée, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl. Stir in walnuts until evenly distributed. 3. Place 1 slice of bread in the bowl and let it soak briefly to coat both sides. Lift bread to let excess liquid drip back into the bowl, then transfer to the hot skillet. 4. Cook for 2–3 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until done. 5. Stir batter to redistribute walnuts and repeat with other slices of bread, cooking in several batches if necessary. 6. Serve warm with maple syrup.
3
NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000
Published by Newsletter Pro | www.NewsletterPro.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
407-801-3000 NordenLeacox.com 964 Lake Baldwin Lane, Suite 200 Orlando, FL 32814
Inside This Edition
1 Facing Legal and Mental Health Challenges Together
3 2
TikTok’s Appeal Against the Ban
Pumpkin Pie French Toast The Law About Gas Pricing
4
The NFL’s Massive Antitrust Fine
NFL’s Recent Antitrust Ruling What Led to the Historic Fine Over Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket, also known as Sunday Ticket, is a sports package allowing purchasers to view regular season NFL games not carried by local broadcasts in their area. Sunday Ticket has been around since 1994, with DirecTV offering it exclusively until 2022 when the NFL signed a seven-year, $14 billion deal with Google’s YouTube TV. However, the NFL’s exclusive deals for Sunday Ticket have come at a cost. After a trial in June that lasted just three weeks, a jury in Los Angeles awarded over $4.7 billion in damages to the plaintiffs in an antitrust class-action lawsuit against the NFL. The Trial The Mucky Duck sports bar in San Francisco initially filed the suit in 2015; an appeals court dismissed then reinstated the case in 2017 before it became a class- action lawsuit. The lawsuit now covers about 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 business subscribers. The plaintiffs alleged that the NFL’s agreement with DirecTV, and now YouTube TV, violated antitrust laws. Not only did the NFL
allegedly overcharge both residential and commercial subscribers, but it also removed competition. It forced fans to purchase access to all games rather than offering the ability to purchase only the games they were interested in. For instance, if you are a Philadelphia Eagles fan but live in Florida, your local on-air broadcasts are unlikely to show Eagles games. In that case, if you wanted to watch all the Eagles’ games, you’d have to shell out a good chunk of change to access those games. As of 2024, a subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket costs $449 per year. After five hours of deliberation, the jury agreed with the plaintiffs and awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential subscribers and $96 million to the business subscribers. Due to federal antitrust laws, those damages can be tripled. That means the NFL may be liable for up to $14.39 billion in damages. The NFL has appealed the decision, but if upheld, each NFL team could be forced to pay nearly $450 million in damages.
4 NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000
Published by Newsletter Pro | www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator