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Chroniclesl COUNCIL
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JULY 2018
FOR SOME REASON, I HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA TO BEGIN MY OWN PRACTICE WHILE I WAS PREGNANT WITH MY FIRST CHILD. NOT LONG AFTER OUR WONDERFUL BABY GIRL, ELAINA, WAS BORN, I SET UP SHOP AT MY KITCHEN TABLE AND GOT TO WORK. ”
FROM MY K I TCHEN TABLE TO A High Rise THE JOURNEY OF GROWING MY PRACTICE
A
lot of lawyers get into the profession because their parents have dreams of their child
to help people directly and make an impact on their lives for the better. The promise of helping people through difficult, stressful times felt very
things at once. It’s definitely served me well, because now Council & Associates has grown from a one-woman-operation based out of a kitchen to a thriving practice. These days, Elaina is 9 and has a little brother, P.J., who’s 6. The days of working next to a stove are long gone. We recently moved into a brand new high rise office at 50 Hurt Plaza in downtown Atlanta. As a practice, we’re busier than ever before, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. When I’m not working, I love to go out to eat with my husband and spend time with my kids. We like to joke that I’m the family taxi driver because most of my weekends are spent shuttling the kids from one location to the next. Does anyone know if there’s an app like Uber specifically for parents and their kids? I may be busy, but I consider myself fortunate to be so. Helping clients never gets old — I thrive from learning their stories, alleviating their anxieties, and exceeding their expectations. I may not have known that I wanted to be an attorney when I was a child, but I know it for sure now. –Lashonda Council-Rogers, Esq.
becoming an attorney. Others spent hours staying up late watching “Law & Order” reruns and decided at an early age that it was the only job they wanted. Neither of those are my story. I found my career path more gradually, but I’m very happy I did. After studying economics as an undergraduate, I wasn’t exactly sure what the future held for me. On a whim, I decided to apply to law school. Once I started, I immediately fell in love with the
natural to me. Once I had the chance to help injury victims on a regular basis, there was no turning back. For some reason, I had the bright idea to begin my own practice while I was pregnant with my first child. Not long after our wonderful baby girl, Elaina, was born, I set up shop at my kitchen table and got to work. I remember hoping that
law, but I still didn’t know exactly which type of law I wanted to practice. After graduating and passing the bar exam, I decided to get a job at a traditional law firm because it seemed like that’s what many of my classmates were doing. At that point, I was still following the tide. It wasn’t until I worked my first personal injury case that I had the “Aha!” moment so many people talk about. I quickly realized that practicing personal injury law would allow me
she wouldn’t wake up while I was on calls with clients. Imagine having to explain to somebody who has just been in a serious accident that you need to put them on hold because your newborn is wailing in the next room. Those were hectic times. I was a sleep-deprived new mother starting my first business. But day by day, things began to fall in place. Looking back on it now, I think that experience allowed me to become an expert at juggling a lot of
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HOW MUCH SUNSHINE IS TOO MUCH? KEEP YOUR FAM I LY SAFE
To many people, summer is all about heading outside to enjoy the weather. But getting too much sun can be dangerous. To have a fun-filled summer with your family this year, remember that it’s essential to protect yourself from harmful UV rays. COVER UP Covering your skin is one of the best ways to avoid skin damage. Wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants or skirts can protect your skin from direct exposure to UV rays. While this tactic protects you from the sun, it offers poor defense against the heat. So, if you opt for cooler attire, it’s important to cover all exposed skin with a copious amount of sunscreen. Be sure to reapply every two hours for maximum skin protection. SPEND LESS TIME IN THE SUN If you’re planning to spend a significant amount of time in the sun, consider your environment. Will there be plenty of shade? Will you have to bring your own umbrella? What’s the best way to step out of the sun for a few minutes? Wearing sunscreen and protective clothing are great ways to shield yourself from UV rays, but it’s important to avoid being in direct sunlight for long periods. Taking a break from the sun gives your body the time it needs to recuperate and helps prevent sunburn and heatstroke. COMMON MYTHS ABOUT SUN EXPOSURE Many people think that a tan is better than a sunburn, but the result of tanning is still sun damage. When your skin tone changes due to the sun, regardless of whether it tans or turns red, it’s a result of the epidermis reacting to damage caused by UV rays. Both are symptoms of harmed skin. While vitamin D is important, the sun does not contribute to its creation as much as you might think. Doris Day, a New York City dermatologist, explains that if your skin were to constantly produce vitamin D from being in the sun, it would reach toxic levels. Vitamin D is the only vitamin that your body can produce on its own, through a common form of cholesterol or 7-dehydrocholesterol. Spending time in the sun does help vitamin D form, but you need far less exposure than you think.
HOW WE HELP VICTIMS OF TRUCKING ACCIDENTS
All auto accidents are serious, but those involving semi-trucks can be particularly devastating. It’s not hard to see why. The average tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. Even the largest automobiles are a tiny fraction of that weight. When one collides with the other, you can guess which party is more likely to sustain serious, life-altering injuries. Given that driving a truck is such a dangerous profession, you would think that trucking companies would do everything
possible to hire safe drivers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. In a normal car accident, fault usually lies with one of the two drivers involved. While that may be the case in some trucking accidents, there
is often blame to be placed on the trucking companies themselves. Did they hire a driver who has no business behind the wheel? Did they force the driver to drive excessively? Did they perform routine maintenance to ensure that the vehicle was safe to drive? These questions, along with many others, are at the center of every truck accident case. If you or a loved one are injured in an accident with an 18-wheeler, it is important to work with a law firm that is knowledgeable about handling complex truck accident cases. Council & Associates, LLC has years of experience with these cases, and we won’t stop fighting until you get the result you deserve. Call us today to find out how we can help.
Knowing how to protect yourself from UV rays is the first step to having a safe, fun-filled summer!
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This American Grub
HOW HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS BECAME NATIONAL TREASURES
If your plans for this Independence Day involve firing up the barbecue, you’ll probably be cooking two American classics: hot dogs and hamburgers. Come the Fourth of July, families will grill burgers and dogs from sea to shining sea, but it wasn’t always this way. The story of how beef patties and sausages became culinary symbols of our nation will give you plenty of food for thought.
the identity of the man who took the hot dog’s popularity to a national level: Nathan Handwerker.
is lost to history. Once again, it was German immigrants who brought their recipes for “Hamburg steak” with them across the Atlantic, but reports vary as to who first sold the meat patty inside a bun. Multiple diners and fairgrounds across America claim to be the home of the first hamburger. All of these claims date to the turn of the 20th century, a time when our nation was faced with feeding a growing working class quickly and cheaply. By the 1950s, the burger had become a symbol of the American everyman. Both the hot dog and hamburger embody the history of our nation. Immigrant traditions merged with blue-collar needs to create two uniquely American foods. It’s fitting that we celebrate America’s birthday with the grub that has grown along with it.
A Jewish immigrant from Poland, Nathan sliced buns for a hot dog stand on Coney Island. After scraping together enough money, he quit his job and opened a stand of his own, undercutting his former employer’s prices by half. Not only did Nathan’s hot dogs outsell the competition, but the Great Depression made them the perfect food for a nation suddenly living on a tight
The Hot Dog It was German immigrants who brought the “frankfurter” and the “wienerwurst” to American soil in the 1800s. There is much debate over who first decided to place one of these franks in a bun, but by the opening of the 20th century, hot dog stands had popped up all over the Eastern Seaboard. We do know
budget. By the 1930s, hot dogs had become so unquestionably American
that Franklin Roosevelt famously served them to King George VI during his royal visit in 1939.
The Burger Like the hot dog, the exact origin of the beef patty’s eventual “sandwiching”
Local Business Spotlight
MONTGOMERY FOODS CATERING When you need catering for a wedding, business event, or any other type of party, consider turning to Montgomery Foods Catering. Montgomery Foods is a locally owned one-stop shop for delicious, savory and sweet spreads. Whether you’re having a casual get-together or need to pull out all the stops, Montgomery Foods has you covered. They will work with you to customize a menu based on your tastes and they are happy to accommodate dietary restrictions. No matter what you’re hosting, we recommend you try some of their hand-painted cake pops. Montgomery Foods is so good that they once got an on-air shoutout from TNT’s “Inside the NBA” host, Ernie Johnson. Given how much those guys love to eat, that’s no small endorsement. Head to MontgomeryFoodsCatering.com for more information about their catering services and their full-service event venue located in Tyrone, Georgia. Also, check out their Facebook page (@montgomeryfoodscatering) for pictures of their awesome creations.
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50 HURT PLAZA SOUTHEAST SUITE 650 ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 30303 404.526.8857 WWW.OURFIRMCARES.COM
Inside
MY ‘AHA!’ MOMENT 1 BATTLING THE SUMMER SUN! THE TRAGEDY OF TRUCKING ACCIDENTS 2 THE HISTORY OF HOT DOGS AND BURGERS SPOTLIGHT ON MONTGOMERY FOODS CATERING 3 THE STATE OF TRAFFIC IN ATLANTA 4
WHY IS
Atlanta Traf fic
SO BAD?
TOO MANY DR I VERS , TOO FEW ALTERNAT I VES
Ask people what they love about Atlanta and you’ll get a laundry list of great qualities. The culture is vibrant and diverse. The weather is great. The city is growing. The food is delicious. But, ask them what they dislike about Atlanta and you’ll likely get the same answer over and over again: the traffic. By all accounts, Atlanta traffic is horrific and doesn’t seem to be getting any better. It’s enough to make you smack your steering wheel, throw your hands up, and ask “Why?” According to the 2017 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, Atlanta has the eighth-worst traffic in the world, with the average driver spending 70 hours in traffic per year. If you drive in the city
often, you don’t need statistics and reports to know about the traffic dilemma.
serves too few neighborhoods. If you need to go from downtown to the airport, MARTA works great. However, using MARTA to travel to other locations throughout the city can be difficult. The Beltline is an awesome project, but will it get the mass transit component that’s been promised to residents? We can only keep our fingers crossed and hope. In the meantime, we just have to deal with the traffic. Don’t let it make you frustrated or think it’s an appropriate time to check your texts or take a selfie while you’re experiencing traffic delays. Highly congested roads lead to many accidents. If you are injured in a car accident, you can call Council & Associates, LLC for help.
The biggest reason for our traffic headaches is that our roads and highways simply aren’t equipped to deal with the number of drivers on the roads. To make matters worse, Atlanta is an extremely spread- out city so you probably have a serious commute to work. In some cities, you can avoid traffic most of the time. That’s just not the case here. The Atlanta government officials are trying desperately to improve things, but it probably won’t get much better anytime soon. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) currently
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