Check out the latest edition of our newsletter!
THE BRASHER
BULLETIN
October 2023
Beaumont Office (Main Office) 1122 Orleans St. Beaumont, TX 77701 (888) 989-2889 New Orleans Office 1555 Poydras Street, Suite 1600 New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 527-8291 Lake Charles Office 2201 Oak Park Blvd, Suite B Lake Charles, LA 70601 (337) 284-9998 Houston Office 1415 North Loop West, Suite 1000 Houston, TX 77008 (713) 714-5014
HOW A HURRICANE MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY Meet Clint, the Attorney Behind Brasher Law Firm
It wasn’t until I experienced my first hurricane in 2005 that I knew this was the line of work for me. I was born and raised in Southeast Texas, and my family has lived here all their lives. You might remember how badly Hurricane Rita hit Texas in 2005. My wife was pregnant with our fifth child at the time, and we had to evacuate to Mississippi. What I didn’t know was that I would come back to our family home severely damaged, and my insurance wouldn’t have my back. We had missing shingles exposing decking on one side of our house — where that happened, we had water damage inside. Our home was just a few years old and our builder gave us an estimate of $90,000 to repair it. You could probably imagine my face when my insurance only paid less than half that cost. At the time, I had been practicing law for nearly five years and was a board-certified personal injury lawyer with over 10 jury trials. So while my focus was on personal injury, I knew something wasn’t adding up. My insurance company told me to pay the expenses and that they would reimburse me later. All I could think was that I was grateful to be able to do so, but there were probably
countless people in my community and throughout the country who didn’t have that comfort. Since 2006, I’ve worked with clients all over the nation. It’s been 17 years since this journey began, and the Brasher Law Team has become one of the top firms in the country. I think the key to our achievements is that we genuinely want to help others and know we are always on the right side. I still practice personal injury law, and I even had a case last year that became one of the top verdicts in Texas! Despite how far we’ve come, I continuously evaluate what I can do better. As a Keenan Trial Institute (KTI) faculty member, I’ve instructed lawyers from Manhattan to San Francisco. Ultimately, I want to ensure that I practice law as best as possible and uplift other attorneys to do the same. Work aside, I’m the youngest kid in my family and the first to finish high school and graduate college. It took hard work to get where I am today. Brasher Law Firm now has multiple offices in Texas and Louisiana, and we plan to open new locations in Denver and Salt Lake City. I have five wonderful kids who are just about grown but still keep me busy! My wife, Wendy, and I have been married for nearly 28 years, and although she studied biochemistry, she has been running the Brasher Law Firm’s finance and accounting department for 15 years. My oldest daughter, Madison, works with us too. Other than work, I enjoy playing pickleball, cooking crawfish, coaching soccer, and working with youth at our church. I hope that in the following newsletters, I can share more about the Brasher
Dallas Office 6160 Warren Pkw Suite 100 Frisco, TX 75034 (985) 261-2880
team and myself. We’re here to help our community and be an active part of it!
–Clint Brasher
(409) 832-3737 || 1
The Origins and Legends Behind Your Favorite Traditions Here come the scary decorations, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and spooky costumes because Halloween is just around the corner! These traditions are what make Halloween fun and exciting year after year. However, did you know that jack-o’-lanterns come from an Irish legend or that trick-or-treating comes from a historical ritual called “souling”? As we prepare for Oct. 31 activities, here are some fun facts you might not know about Halloween! HALLOWEEN IS BASED ON A CELTIC FESTIVAL. Samhain, a pagan festival held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, celebrated both the harvest and the “dark” second half of the year. During this celebration, it was believed the barrier separating the spirits from the physical world would come down, allowing demons to enter and the spirits of all who passed away that year to move on to the next life. ‘STINGY JACK’ HELPED EVOLVE JACK-O’-LANTERNS. The Irish myth of a man named “Stingy Jack” goes like this: Stingy Jack invited the devil for a drink, and because he didn’t want to pay, he convinced the devil to turn into a coin so he could buy their drinks. However, instead of paying, he placed the “coin” next to a cross in his pocket that prevented the devil from returning to his original form. Once he freed the devil, Stingy Jack continued to trick him. When he died, God turned away Stingy Jack with only coal to light his way, so he placed the coal in a carved-out turnip to create a lantern. From there, people slowly transformed his “lantern” into the modern-day jack-o’-lantern! CANDY CORN WAS ONCE CALLED CHICKEN FEED. Candy corn, which the Wunderlee Candy Company began producing in the late 1880s, is an extremely popular Halloween candy. In fact, today, about 35 million pounds of the candy are sold each year! When the Goelitz Candy Company brought it to the masses at the turn of the century, they called the sweet tricolored candy “Chicken Feed” because so many people worked on farms at the time. Their early ads exclaimed, “Something worth crowing for!” Now you know! Happy Halloween! LET’S UNMASK HALLOWEEN:
5 MAJOR MISTAKES TO AVOID AFTER A STORM
Maximize Your Settlement With These Essential Tips After a storm damages your property, resolving the issue can feel like an endless series of obstacles. Then, when you speak to your insurance company, they act like a friend and ensure they will help fix all your problems. Trusting them is your first mistake! Other than the five mistakes people make in their claims below, you need to know you have a couple of jobs on your claim: (1) protect your property from further damage (tarping the roof, stopping water from coming in) and (2) making reasonable repairs. Other than those two, below are five mistakes we see in many of the claims we have handled: MAKE REPAIRS TO YOUR PROPERTY TOO SOON The damage can feel overwhelming or disruptive, but you must refrain from making any repairs before discussing it with your insurance company. You need to report any repairs and their costs to your insurance agent or else you’ll have trouble proving the repair requires compensation. NOT DOCUMENTING THE DAMAGE Document everything! Never assume the insurance company will do this for you or that the damage seems obvious. Photograph and video every area and item that has been damaged. If you know a storm is pending, photograph your home beforehand to prove a future claim. You never know how crucial these pieces of evidence can be in earning you a fair settlement. WAITING TO MAKE A CLAIM The longer you wait, the harder it will be to file your claim. If repairs are required and time passes, clearly communicate this with your agent and stay in contact throughout the process. Any delay can harm your claim and leave you paying for repairs out of pocket. THROWING AWAY EVIDENCE No one wants to keep a soggy carpet, but you need to! Any belongings damaged in the storm should be kept as evidence. Obviously, we won’t ask you to keep soaked rugs or broken furniture inside your living room. Instead, keep them in a pile outside or your garage. SIGNING OFF ON A SETTLEMENT WITHOUT A LAWYER Last but certainly not least, do not accept a settlement without speaking with your lawyer. What seems like decent compensation at first may barely cover a quarter of your repairs. That’s why you should always come to the Brasher Law Firm if your property is damaged after a storm, so we can attain the right settlement and help you throughout the claim process. If you ever need our expert guidance when making a claim, call (888) 989-2889 to schedule a free consultation. We’ll be there with you every step of the way!
2 || brasherattorney.com
DENIED BUT NOT DEFEATED How Our Team Fought for a Grieving Client’s Benefits
for guidance. Mary’s husband had tragically passed away in a car accident. The couple had four separate life insurance policies from their careers and their own personal policies. Losing a spouse without a chance to say goodbye is bad enough. Like many people, our clients had secured life insurance in the event of an untimely death. When she presented the claim, she was met with denials and rejections — from three different companies. Because of the tragic nature of the wreck — which included fire — the toxicology reports from the hospital were flawed. She hired us. We had to get to the bottom of the issue — so we hired a nationally renowned toxicologist to explain the results. We were able to get the insurance companies to reverse their position and, within two months, fully pay the claim. Cases like this one allow us to inform others that all insurance companies must pay for claims when liability is reasonably clear. Insurance companies cannot speculate to deny your claim. To use a baseball metaphor, if it is a close call on whether to pay your claim, tie goes to you.
BREAK TAKE A Losing a loved one in an accident is life-changing. The last thing you want amid your grief is to hassle with an insurance company. Our team was recently able to help a woman earn the justice she deserved after countless setbacks and rejections. Our client, I’ll call her Mary, was working for a federal judge when she first saw me in action on trial. After seeing my dedication in person, she came to our firm
I’m incredibly proud of our team for winning this battle for this client. With countless other wins on our record, I’m confident we have what it takes to help anyone in need. –Clint Brasher
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Inspired by AmbitiousKitchen.com
Save money this October with this delicious homemade pumpkin spice latte that will taste better than any store-bought coffee.
Ingredients: • 2 shots espresso (or 1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee) • 1 cup milk of choice
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice • 1 tsp vanilla extract • Whipped cream for topping (optional)
• 3 tbsp pumpkin purée • 1–2 tbsp maple syrup
Directions: 1.
In a small pot on medium heat, heat milk until simmering but not boiling. 2. Make your espresso (or coffee) and pour into a large mug or Mason jar. Add pumpkin purée, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla and stir until well combined. 3. With a milk frother, froth the heated milk until foamy. Then, pour into your pumpkin espresso mixture and top with whipped cream. For decoration, you can sprinkle more cinnamon or pumpkin spice on top!
Candy Costume Gourds Halloween
Haunted Moon Raven Tricks
Vampire Werewolf Witch Zombie
(409) 832-3737 || 3
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1122 Orleans St. Beaumont, TX, 77701 (409) 832-3737 brasherattorney.com
ISSUE IN THIS
1.
Get to Know Clint and His Bad Faith Insurance Journey
2.
Halloween’s Haunting History
Don’t Make These Blunders When Filing a Claim We Exposed Injustice After This Life Insurance Denial
3.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
4.
Use Your Garden’s Fall Bounty for Home Decor!
TRANSFORM YOUR FALL HARVEST INTO STUNNING INDOOR DECORATIONS!
If you have a backyard garden, you may find yourself looking for new ways to use all the crops you’ve grown. After all, there are only so many pumpkins you can carve, seeds you can roast, or squash you can spaghetti.
So, instead of looking up “squash recipes” for the hundredth time this week, consider these indoor decor tips that utilize your garden’s
you need is a wreath form, which you can buy from your local craft store or online, and some floral U-pins. Use large leaves as a base (pumpkin leaves are great), then layer on smaller seasonal herbs such as sage, rosemary, or oregano. Finally, attach some flowers to it! Squash or pumpkin blossoms work beautifully, but you can use any seasonal flower you have growing. AN AUTUMNAL HERB SWAG A “door swag” is a traditional holiday decoration, and it’s an easy way to add some color to your door without creating an entire wreath. To make a swag, grab a few bundles of your favorite herbs, secure the stems with a rubber band, wrap them with twine, and tie them off, leaving a few inches of twine on both sides. Then, tie those ends together to form a loop and hang the swag on your door!
bountiful harvest! A CENTERPIECE
Fall fruits and vegetables make great centerpiece arrangements because they have both seasonal colors and unique textures. Consider arranging a few squash or pumpkins in a bowl or basket and topping them with a bouquet of festive flowers. You can also mix herbs like basil, parsley, thyme, or rosemary into the bouquet for fragrance and a fuller appearance. Play with the different shapes and sizes of your gourds. Have them lean against each other or stack them for variation and depth in your display. A NATURAL WREATH Fresh herbs, flowers, or leaves from your fall harvest are perfect for an autumn wreath. All
4 || brasherattorney.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator