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MARCH 2025
Growing Together With You
MY SUPERPOWER Carmen Celebrates Procrastination
Some people think attorneys are immune to procrastination because they’re professionals. But nothing could be further from the truth. Most attorneys do the minimum work needed to get by.
My parents gave me a great work ethic. When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey, my dad did not let me procrastinate. In his auto- repair business, we needed to get the work done! By 5 p.m. every day, when he settled everything up and everybody went home for the night, our jobs had to be done, the tools put away, the floors scrubbed. There was no saying, “Can’t we do it tomorrow?” That didn’t exist in my world. My dad always told me, “There may be people smarter than you, but no one is ever going to outwork you.” It’s funny. My kids are very successful, but none of them wanted to be a lawyer. They said I work too hard. Even today, I am often working so hard on a case that I forget to stop on time for dinner. I see lazy attorneys all the time, always looking to get out of things. My view is that the client didn’t pay you to be lazy. The client paid you to be on your game and on top of their case. If you’re going to take their money to do something, you damn well better do it. Of course, my wife might think differently based on my performance on odd jobs around the house. And, on some issues, I’m just as guilty as the next guy (I need to drop another 10 pounds). That’s not on my list for tomorrow (although it might be after my next appointment with my doctor). But if I committed to lose those pounds, that would change. Nobody likes the word “procrastination,” and nobody likes to admit they do it. But let’s face it. We lie to ourselves all the time, and we let ourselves get away with it — which, to me, is just insanity. People say, “It’s 2025, and I’m going to lose 25 pounds this year.” You ask
And therein lies my superpower.
In recognition of National Procrastination Week, March 3–9, I am declaring procrastination my best friend — not because I do it, but because others do it! Do I like procrastination? No. I think it’s a terrible thing that happens to people that they learn to accept. But do I love procrastination? Yes — because I refuse to do it! And this helps me gain a strategic advantage over my competitors. I am willing to outwork anybody, anywhere, any time. If something needs to be done, I get it done. Nothing fuels my fire more than knowing I have a strategic advantage over another attorney because they’re lazy.
Happy with our service? We’d love to hear from you! We are always honored when our clients and associates refer their friends, family, and colleagues our way — or simply say kind things about our firm. If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know. We’re here to help!
Reach us any time at 888-889-8899 or DellutriLawGroup.com If you’d like to leave us a review, feel free to scan the QR code. We appreciate every word!
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Estate Planning To-Dos Creating a Trust: Pay Now or Pay Later
REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST
It’s time to clean house! As spring-cleaning season arrives, make this the year you pull together all the information you need to create an estate plan. Estate planning is the most unselfish thing you can do. Planning for a smooth transfer of your assets after your death will make life easier for your heirs when the time comes. Creating a revocable trust may be the best way to accomplish this. Unlike a will, a revocable trust eliminates the need to go through the probate process to settle your estate. Some clients insist they do not need to set up a trust because they are leaving their kids enough money to pay for probate — even though putting their house into a trust now would cost about
one-fourth as much as the likely cost of probate by the time they pass away. “Okay, that’s your choice,” I tell them, “but you’re just making your kids’ lives more difficult.” You might remember the old Fram oil filter TV ad from the 1970s, where the guy holds up an oil filter and talks about how car owners can maintain their cars now at a low cost or pay more to have their engines rebuilt later. “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later,” the guy in the ad says. My dad and I used to laugh about that because he would say the same thing to customers at his auto repair business. “Do you want to pay for a new timing belt now, or do you want to pay for a new engine later?”
You could say the same about estate planning. You can pay for a solid plan now — or you can force your kids to pay a higher cost later. Save your heirs the expense and hassle of the probate process. Call us today! We will be happy to help you create an estate plan to ensure peace of mind for both you and your heirs.
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Testimonial Our Clients Say It Best
them what they are going to do differently, and they say, “I don’t know, but I’m going to have a doughnut and think about it.” Why do people lie to themselves? If you want it, get off your a** and get to work! I set a goal for myself to read 25 books. My kids are on Goodreads and set reading goals for themselves. I don’t have time to do that, but I’m not going to let them down. I’m going to do the work. Now, I’m trying to find time during the day to read. Every 15 days, I have to read another book. I already have one done, and I’m on a pretty good trajectory. It’s the small changes you make every day that have a significant impact over time. It’s all about accountability; just commit to do something and do the work. At the end of the day, after I finish reading all those books, I will be a better person and feel better about myself because I actually accomplished something I said I would do — without procrastinating!
“Professional, friendly, and so helpful. I have had a positive experience from start to finish. Everyone I have talked and met with has gone above and beyond. I can’t thank everyone and Mr. Dellutri enough.” –M.W.
–Carmen Dellutri
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THE BEST IS YET TO COME The Future of AI
news and updates, be sure to follow us on social media!
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March is National Optimism Month, a time to focus on moving forward and finding solutions. What are you feeling optimistic about?
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I feel optimistic about artificial intelligence.
We have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg, but I believe if we use AI wisely, it can make everybody’s life better. I hope we can use it not only to improve our health care but to expand access to care for everybody. I hope AI will help us develop cures for damaging diseases like diabetes and cancer. We all want to cure Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, a silent killer. How do we do that? I hope we can use AI to explore every possible option for solving global problems. Governments must regulate it; AI can very easily be abused. And that has to be a worldwide effort. If any nation or group is using AI for evil, the rest of the world needs to crack down and impose significant penalties. And I mean very significant penalties — such as lifetime jail sentences. But for those who use it for good, great! Let’s all work together. AI consolidates information and knowledge everybody can share across the globe at light speed. Think for a moment: What would happen if we could merge and analyze all the data from all the research underway at colleges, universities, and research institutions and use it to determine the best health care plans for different individuals? If you’re 5 feet, 8 inches, have blue eyes and red hair, and your family has a history of certain conditions, what is the best course of health care for you? What food should you eat, and what meds would you need to take to live your best life? What if that were available to everybody for free? I am not talking about eliminating jobs for doctors or nurses. But if you know your optimal health plan, you may need less health care. If we could put together all the knowledge we have in the world and just share it — how great would that be? In 20–30 years, we could see an AI-driven transformation in lifestyles, health care, education, and how we are taxed — in the way we live in the United States.
A referral is the greatest gift we can receive from a client or fellow business! Last month we had ... • 37 referrals from friends, family, or previous clients • 10 returning clients for new matters • 7 referrals from other attorneys • 5 referrals from doctors and other professionals • We also send out referrals to our trusted referral partners! A Huge Thank-You to Our Referral Partners! What’s the Good News ? “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” PSALM 40:1-3
I am optimistic about that. It is an awesome thought!
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Inside This Issue
1 Carmen Reveals His Superpower — Procrastination! 2 Make a Clean Sweep This Spring: Update Your Estate Plan Now! Our Clients Say It Best 3 On National Optimism Month: How AI Could Reshape Our World
Follow Us on Social Media! 4 Food-Based Courtroom Follies
Bizarre Fast-Food Legal Battles BEEF BRIEFS
Is seeing always believing? Well, plaintiffs in two of the oddest legal cases in recent years set out to show the world that what ends up on our trays or in our drive-thru bags may not be as scrumptious as fast-food joints promise in their ads. A Clash With Taco Bell Readers of a certain age may remember Wendy’s’ famous “Where’s the Beef?” campaign that brilliantly marketed the quantity of meat in its burgers compared to those other popular fast-food restaurants sold. Decades later, a New York resident launched a one-man mission to prove that one of Wendy’s’ modern-day competitors, Taco Bell, failed to heed the burger giant’s lead.
In the summer of 2023, Frank Siragusa filed a class action suit against Taco Bell, alleging the company had “materially overstate[d] the amount of beef and/or ingredients” in its advertising for its Mexican Pizza and Crunchwrap menu items. Siragusa’s suit includes photographic evidence comparing the robust size of the advertised products versus the actual ones he purchased. While the case was ongoing as of this writing, Siragusa’s love for fast-food beef cannot be disputed. A Vegan Vendetta Vanquished Although only 3% of the adult population in the U.S. identifies as vegan, according to research presented by the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2022, people who refuse to eat any animal-derived products
remain a passionate and vocal minority. In 2019, a vegan named Philip Williams took Burger King to court after learning that the patty in his Impossible Whopper — marketed as a meat-free alternative to the popular burger — had been cooked on the same grill as beef products. In his suit, Williams argued that because Burger King had added a plant-based meal option to its menu, consumers were led to believe the meal would be prepared separately from the animal-based items in the kitchen. The judge disagreed, later dismissing the case and noting that Burger King’s marketing of the Impossible Burger promised only a meatless patty and nothing more. The lesson learned? Sometimes, even in the world of fast food, what you see is what you get.
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