Premi er Law
captain’s log
Mar 2020
The Captain Kirk of Lawyers
Fortunately, somebody took me under their wing, and I learned the ins and outs of injury law. In the “Arena” episode, Kirk is forced to fight a Gorn Captain. Fortunately, Kirk had a long history of being “a walking stack of books,” so he was ready. All the reading he did at the Academy prepared him well, and he built a shotgun using just his wits and the materials on hand to defeat the Gorn. Now, I’m just a wannabe Starfleet officer, and the battles I fight are mostly in the courtroom. But I do love learning, and when that first firm didn’t work out, I was no closer to giving up than Kirk was. I went back to the books and worked at three different firms, where I learned everything I could about injury law. Then, in 2007, I started Premier Law Group. When you’re injured, it can feel like a real Kobayashi Maru situation, a test scenario given to students in Starfleet Academy. It is a true “no win” scenario. Like those cadets, my clients feel stuck, hopeless, and beaten up by the system. But with strong legal representation, it doesn’t have to be that way.
When Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Mr. Spock touched down on Cestus III in the “Arena” episode of “Star Trek: The Original Series,” they expected hospitality. Instead, they found a destroyed colony
with many dead. Alien forces attacked Kirk and his crew, and after suffering a red-shirt fatality, they were forced to come up with a plan. When you’re injured, reaching out to insurance companies can be a lot like touching down on Cestus III. My clients expect service and fair treatment, but instead, if they don’t have a plan, the insurance system is designed to minimize payments to clients and make things very difficult. Insurance companies are like those alien forces, and like Kirk on Cestus III, I’ve spent my whole career helping my clients plan and execute their best possible response. I got into injury law almost by accident, no pun intended. When I was attending Pepperdine School of Law, I was in a car accident. It was nothing serious, but I hired an attorney to represent me. Eventually, I started working for that attorney, and I knew almost right away that I wanted to do injury law. Insurance companies can be unscrupulous, and injury lawyers get to fight the good fight against them every single day. Like Kirk, I love a challenge. I have strong values, and I like my actions to align with them. When I graduated law school, I had no desire to stay in Southern California, so I moved back to Seattle, took the bar, and tried to open up my own law firm straight out of law school.
These days, I get to go to work and do the only kind of law I know: where my interests and my clients’ interests are 100% aligned. As a contingency- free injury lawyer, I don’t ever have to worry about how much time I’m putting into a case, just the results. Like Captain Kirk working to defend the Federation, I get to come back again and again to push back against the systemic greed and exploitation perpetuated by insurance companies.
Live Long and Prosper,
As you can imagine, that didn’t go so well.
-Jason Epste in
Bracket Madness!
Dominate Your Bracket With March Madness Technology
HowSocial Media Posts Can Harm Your Injury Case change your privacy settings Make sure your privacy settings are set so that only friends and family can see what you post, but remember that even if you do that, nothing on social media is truly private. censor your posts Make sure to avoid posting images of yourself drinking or partying. These images are notorious for being taken out of context and harming injury cases. Google Cloud’s Student-Led Analytics It’s one thing to know the numbers; it’s a whole other ball game to understand what they mean. That’s where Google Cloud’s analytics team comes in to help. In 2018, Google partnered with the NCAA to offer live gameplay analysis, and in 2019, the tech giant hired more than 30 college students to contextualize the numbers throughout the tournament. Google’s steps for 2020 remain a mystery, but you can view past records and data at Cloud.WithGoogle.com/marchmadness. The NCAA’s Original Bracket Challenge In 1939, Oregon University became the first team to win March Madness, defeating Ohio State University 46-33 in an eight- team tournament. By 1985, the tournament had grown to 64 teams, and the bracket was born. With that kind of history, there’s no better place to create your bracket than with the hosts of spring’s best sporting event: the NCAA’s digital hub. NCAA.com offers you team analysis, real-time updates, and a home for your bracket. With an easy-to-use platform, you don’t have to be a college basketball expert or technology whiz to make your choices and follow your team all the way to the championship. always double-check friend requests Finally, don’t accept any new friend requests unless you personally know the person and can verify their identity. Nobody wants to be injured and nobody wants to worry about insurance companies twisting, manipulating, and using images posted to social media against them. If you’ve been injured, give Premier Law Group a call at 425-247-3333 to learn more about how we can help you settle your claim as quickly and painlessly as possible.
It takes some serious basketball knowledge — and a lot of luck — to successfully predict the outcome of March Madness. Whether you’re an average hoops fan or an expert, it’s more difficult than you might think. The Smithsonian estimates the odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quadrillion. But gone are the days of relying on the most intimidating mascot to make your decisions. Try to beat those odds with these March Madness technologies. Adobe’s Hack the Bracket What if there was a tool that could compare free-throw percentages or shot accuracy between opponents? Well, now there is! For the past two years, Adobe has offered its data analytics software with a simple-to-use system, Hack the Bracket. The program breaks down points, mistakes, fouls, win percentages, and other statistics into side-by-side comparisons. The software also calculates the percentage of a team winning or losing, giving users a closer look at the game.
When you bring an injury case, insurance companies use three main avenues to damage your case: your credibility, the legitimacy of your injuries, and the causal relationship between your injuries and the crash. Insurance companies will use anything they can as evidence against you, including anything you post on social media. It’s important to remember that things you post to social media can be taken out of context and used against you in a courtroom. Unfortunately, even if you do the best possible job configuring your privacy settings to protect yourself, insurance companies can easily turn what felt like a harmless status update into a reckless mistake. Attorneys from the other side can easily access anything you post once it is determined to be “relevant” to your injury case. Once a post is out there, they can and will use it against you. These days, it can be tough to stay off social media entirely. But if you’ve been injured and you’re filing a lawsuit, you should do the following: limit your posts and check-ins Tell your friends and family to avoid posting about your accident and injury too. 2 www.premierlawgroup.com | 206-285-1743
Premier Picks: Upcoming Seattle Events
Your Guide to Spring- Greening
From pop-up cocktail bars to cosplay, Seattle offers a lot this time of year. Here are a few of our top picks: What: Cocktail District: The Carnival of Cocktails Where: Bell Harbor International Conference Center When: March 7 Come sample over 100 spirits at this weekend-long celebration. Taking place during Seattle Cocktail Week, this event will feature sections like the “Whiskey Woods,” the “Gin Garden,” and the “Vodka Village.” The event will feature pop-up cocktail bars, tastings, brand-sponsored competitions, educational presentations, food trucks, and take-home spirits. If you appreciate a fine nightcap, come partake in the Pacific Northwest’s premium spirits tasting! To purchase tickets or learn more, visit SeattleCocktailWeek.com. What: Emerald City Comic Con Where: WA State Convention Center When: March 12–15 Emerald City Comic Con is a four-day event loaded down heavy with panels, celebrity guests, parties, and an Artist Alley featuring over 500 creators from near and far. Featuring big names like Aaron Lopresti (“Wonder Woman,” “Ms. Marvel,” “X-Men”) and Brian Azzarello (“Dark Knight III: The Master Race”), Emerald City Comic Con is a celebration of all things comic. It is sure to offer something for anybody who has ever loved a superhero — or a super villain! To learn more, go to EmeraldCityComicCon.com. When: March 12 to April 5 The Moisture Festival is a nonprofit built around the mission to encourage comedy and variety shows in the Seattle area. Featuring jugglers, magicians, comedians, dancers, musicians, clowns, acrobats, and more, this festival pays all performers equally, regardless of notoriety, and is mission-driven to both encourage the arts and educate the public about the history of performance arts. To learn more, go to MoistureFestival.org. What: Moisture Festival Where: Hale’s Palladium
It takes a special kind of person to enjoy spring-cleaning. For most of us, the satisfaction of a clean house doesn’t quite outweigh the hours of scrubbing, sorting, and slogging through heaps of unnecessary stuff. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to start your spring- cleaning, try flipping the paradigm: Instead of spring- cleaning, think of what you’re doing as spring-greening, and make some eco-friendly swaps along the way. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 1. Swap your plastic spray bottles for bulk or DIY cleaning products. According to a Statista report, in 2019, the household cleaners market was worth more than $31 billion, and it’s continuously growing. You can save money on cleaning supplies by taking the green route. When your current stock runs out, try buying bulk cleaners or making your own. Both options will save plastic because you can reuse your bottles, and they can help you avoid the harmful chemicals found in most cleaners. Visit UnderATinRoof.com and read the blog post “Zero Waste Cleaning Supplies + Recipes” to get started. If you’re used to using a plastic jug of liquid laundry detergent, it’s time to step out of your comfort zone. This spring, try exploring greener alternatives like plant-based bulk laundry powder (Molly’s Suds is an excellent source). Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even try adding all-natural cleaners like soap nuts or English ivy to your laundry loads. For more on the former, search “soap nuts” on 1MillionWomen.com, and read up on ivy detergent at Permacrafters.com/English-Ivy-Laundry-Detergent. Paper towels are a mainstay in American homes, but do we really need them when a good old-fashioned rag can do the job? According to the Ocean Conservancy, 13 billion pounds of paper towels are tossed in the U.S. each year! This spring, quit paper towels and keep a stash of dish rags under the sink to do your dirty work. When you’re cleaning out your closet, you can even cut up old T-shirts and add them to your rag stash! If you’re brave, try giving up tissues, too — an old-school hanky does the trick. If you’ve made all three of these swaps, don’t stop there! To continue your green journey, visit any of the blogs mentioned above and start browsing. 2. Explore alternative laundry detergents. 3. Say goodbye to paper towels.
3 www.premierlawgroup.com | 206-285-1743
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On Screen
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The Captain Kirk of Lawyers March Madness Tech to Make You a Predicting Genius How Social Media Posts Can Harm Your Injury Case Premier Picks: Upcoming Seattle Events 3 Eco-Friendly Home Swaps to Make During Spring-Cleaning
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This publication is intended to educate the general public about personal injury, insurance claims, and small business issues. It is not intended as legal advise. Every case is different. Our newsletter may be freely copied and distributed as long as the newsletter is copied in its entirety.
HolodeckAdventures
Whatcom Falls Park is located just 10 minutes from downtown Bellingham and offers something for nature lovers, kids and history buffs alike. This 241- acre park features multiple waterfalls and a well-known stone bridge that was originally constructed in 1939. For visitors interested in learning about the area’s history, there is an observation area of the site where, in 1999, a pipe containing gasoline burst and spilled 200,000 gallons of gasoline into Hannah and Whatcom Creeks, destroying 1.5 miles of riparian habitat almost instantaneously. If you’re traveling with kids, Derby Pond is stalked with seasonal fish for youth ages 14 and younger. There is also a swimming hole, picnic area, and playground. And if you’re a pet lover, there is a dog training and exercise area in the park as well. Whether you’re looking to take in the history or simply want to stroll along the well-maintained trails that parallel the creek, Whatcom Falls Park has something for everyone.
Whatcom Falls Park
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