Bruce Law Firm - September 2020

Bruce Law Firm - September 2020

GROWING CONFIDENT AS A PERSON AND ATTORNEY Taking on Responsibility I Wasn’t Prepared For

Something that resonates with me this month is an event that happened in 1715. That was when King Louis XIV of France died, and his five-year-old grandson took his place as king. This made me think of situations in my own life when I gained responsibilities that I was not prepared for; regardless, I took them on and now appreciate those moments later in my life. Before I took the bar and became a licensed attorney in 2008, over 10 years ago now, I interned for an attorney in Miami. I learned a lot about practicing law and really loved working with his team. Shortly after I joined his firm (and only two months into my career of being a new attorney), without much notice to me, he stopped practicing law and closed his practice. My choices were to either search for a new position at another law firm (during a recession) or open my own law practice. Which path would I take? The thought of venturing out on my own was scary — would I have enough clients? How would I open, market, and manage a law practice? But when things happen in life, you can choose to either cower and hide or, like King Louis’ grandson, take on the responsibility and passionately step forward. So, I turned lemons into lemonade and opened my own law firm with another partner. Although intimidating, I learned a lot in those first few months of being an attorney — how to practice law and be a lawyer, as well as how to grow into a successful entrepreneur. I attribute my success to not only my tenacity but also to my parents. They were one of my biggest support systems through this period of growth because I had their help emotionally, financially, and physically, for which I am eternally grateful. Despite those scary moments, the experience was very rewarding and has helped make me a poised, confident, and ferocious lawyer. In the end, tough paths, often with forks in the road, have obstacles. These hurdles will make you a stronger person and teach you along the way. Though life threw in this unexpected path, it also helped prepare me for anything else life might bring my way. Even though, at the time, I was terrified, stressed, and uncertain, looking back, I appreciate the experience and everything I gained from it.

– Maria Rivera 561-810-0170 • 1

Introducing Jennifer Tirado

A Kindhearted and Supporting Individual

Jennifer Tirado is a paralegal here at Bruce Law and has been with us for the past three years. In those years, Jennifer has proven to be a dependable and passionate individual when it comes to helping our clients and working with her fellow team members. Her pride in her work stems from her keenness to help ensure that the people around her are taken care of. Yet, these three years haven’t been the only time she’s worked with Chris Bruce.

5 Ways to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality

And Protect the Health of Your Family

“I worked with Chris prior, when he was a partner at another law firm, and before he left to open his private practice,” Jennifer says. “And it’s always been a pleasure working with him. The two of us connect really well, and he’s an excellent employer. Chris has always been very understanding. I’m glad I can work with him again.” As Jennifer thrives in the law field, some might be surprised that it wasn’t her first choice when she entered college. At the beginning, her initial intent was to follow the medical field, but that quickly changed because of Rosalie Cruz, who is one of our attorneys here at Bruce Law. “At the time, she was working at another law office,” Jennifer explains. “Rosalie was planning on leaving town for a bit and wanted me to fill in for her. I was hesitant at first, but I decided to do it, and from there my interest in law quickly grew.” “I do really enjoy my job,” Jennifer continues. “I feel that we’re able to help people from being in situations where they’re lost. We can offer them guidance, help, and support through this stressful process. I feel that, a lot of the times, it’s hard to find a good attorney, and it gives me a good feeling every time I talk to a client and know that we’re doing whatever we can to help them. We’re a good law firm that looks out for the best interest of our clients. While it might be different from what I wanted to do in the beginning of the 2000s, I’m still helping people, only in a different manner.”

Many people have been spending more time at home in the past several months, and it’s felt more important than ever to have good indoor air quality. Air pollution isn’t limited to smog visibly affecting the air around us. More often than not, indoor air can be just as polluted, or even more polluted, than outdoor air. Microscopic dust mites, chemicals, and allergens can aggravate your family members’ allergies or asthma. Here’s are some easy ways to improve your home’s air quality and better protect your family today. First, vacuum and mop regularly. We recommend vacuuming twice a week or more. Letting dust accumulate will increase how much dust you breathe in. A vacuum that has both strong suction and a HEPA filter can ensure that dust and dirt won’t be blown back out. Floor mats outside your front and back doors can also really help keep contaminants out! Second, keep the humidity moderate. Too much humidity attracts dust mites and mold. Keeping the humidity in your home around 30%–50% can help keep dust mites and mold under control. Third, test your home for radon. No matter how new your home may be, it’s important to test for this colorless, odorless, and radioactive gas. Radon is one of the top indoor air pollutants, and it’s the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking. It occurs from the natural decay of uranium found in nearly all soils and tends to move up through the ground and into the cracks of a home’s foundation. Fourth, pick laundry products and air fresheners that don’t list ‘fragrance’ as an ingredient. The composition of synthetic “fragrances” is considered a trade secret, but most scents are derived from petroleum products. There hasn’t been enough testing done to know how inhaling synthetic fragrances affects us because most current testing focuses on skin irritation. Still, scented products may induce allergy symptoms, so if you have a sensitive family member, stick to unscented products. Fifth, replace your home’s air filters regularly. Talk to an expert about how frequently you should be replacing your filters. This can depend on several factors, such as the number of pets in the household, the size and location of your home, what allergies you may be prone to, and seasonal changes.

With Jennifer at our side, the entire team at Bruce Law Firm can continue providing exceptional service to our community and those in need.

Is your friend or client in need of a guide related to recent job or income loss? The book can be downloaded for FREE at SupportModificationBook.com. If your friend or client lives in the South Florida area, we’ll mail them a hard copy of the book upon request. OUR SUPPORT MODIFICATION BOOK CAN HELP!

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Psychodrama: Soul and Action

Will Help Us Serve Our Clients

The relationship between an attorney and their client is essential. A client must believe and trust their lawyer to represent them, just as an attorney must understand their client’s perspective in order to do the best they can for their client’s case. There are many ways this is accomplished, and one beneficial method is psychodrama. Psychodrama can be described as “role-play on steroids,” but it’s also much more than that. The term comes from the Latin words “psyche” (which means “mind” or “soul”) and “drama” (which means “action”): soul in action. It was first developed by Jacob L. Moreno in the early 20th century. Moreno was impassioned to help the underserved people of society who didn’t have much access to medical care or legal services. Through improvisational role-playing techniques, Moreno created a therapeutic method that helped people gain insight about themselves and others. Wynne Stallings is a licensed psychotherapist in Florida, a certified addictions professional, a certified practitioner in psychodrama (eight-year trainee), and a close professional colleague of Chris Bruce. Back in 2013, Chris approached Wynne and asked if she would join him in a podcast relating to addiction and family involvement in an addict’s treatment. Since then, they have maintained a professional relationship. A few months ago, Wynne asked if Chris and our team thought about using psychodrama to better understand our clients, and they began to explore the possibilities and benefits this methodology presented.

“Psychodrama has limitless applications,”Wynne explains. “Anytime there’s a human being, the possibility of applying psychodrama to that person is there. It’s designed, originally, for groups, but it can be used for individuals and couples. It’s really expanded its work into the law, education, companies — anywhere you have people interacting, psychodrama can be used [to help people understand each other].” In the legal field, it is essential for one party to see and feel what the other party did or is currently experiencing. This is a way of creating empathy and understanding and makes it easier to build bridges between people. That’s how the role reversal of psychodrama is beneficial; it helps create those bonds between a client and their attorney so the attorney best understands their client. Of equal value, a client who feels understood increases the client’s trust. What’s more, a lawyer can use psychodrama to gain insight during jury selection into the minds of potential jurors or to better understand perspectives when speaking to the judge, when dealing with the opposing counsel, and even with witnesses. Psychodrama can also help witnesses or clients prepare for trial by literally giving them a trial run of the process. The goal of psychodrama is to increase communication skills and empathy between two parties so they both emotionally and cognitively understand what the other is feeling or thinking. By working with Wynne, our team will integrate this practice so that we may better serve our clients and ensure that our bonds with them are stronger than ever, enabling us to do our best work to represent their legal needs.

Have a LAUGH

Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Who says a loaded potato has to clog your arteries? In this healthy version that serves four, a sweet potato base is topped with fiber-rich bean salsa.

Inspired by EatingWell.com

Ingredients

• •

4 medium sweet potatoes 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 medium tomatoes, diced

• • • • •

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

3/4 tsp salt

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1/4 cup sour cream

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. With a fork, prick each sweet potato a few times. Microwave the potatoes on high 12–15 minutes, or until cooked through. 2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, coriander, and salt. When the potatoes are done, microwave the mixture on high for 2–3 minutes. 3. Cool potatoes slightly, then cut each potato open lengthwise. Pull the halves apart to create space to spoon the warm bean salsa inside. 4. Add a scoop of sour cream to each potato, garnish with cilantro, and serve!

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Starting a Firm From Scratch page 1

5 Ways to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality

Meeting Your Bruce Law Firm Team page 2

Building Better Connections to Better Serve Our Clients

Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes page 3

The Best Educational Tools to Help Students Succeed page 4

Student Tech Success Educational Tools to Improve Digital Learning

Kids these days face so many more distractions from academics than their parents did. It’s not as easy to focus on homework when TikTok, YouTube, and all sorts of video

and in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. EduHam is a free digital program for students and their families that provides history lessons on the

games beckon. Instead of trying to prevent screen time, why not allow students to engage with technology that will help promote their learning rather than distract from it? Here are three tools to help students at different age levels get the most from online learning. BEANSTALK While Beanstalk is an online learning tool, the beauty of it is that the classes and videos aim to pull kids “out of the screen to do real-world physical activities.” These include science experiments, building projects, and more. Experienced teachers provide engaging lessons and learning tools, and many of them are free.

Founding Era of the United States. It also brings art into the mix — Miranda shows students how to create their own performance pieces based on primary source documents, which they can then share in the app. The program is geared toward students in sixth through 12th grade, though everyone is welcome to participate. FIVEABLE For high school students, the most looming challenges include the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) exams that are so important for college. Enter Fiveable, the amazing free resource that houses thousands of livestreams, study guides, trivia games, and other resources for 15 AP subjects. Started by a former teacher, Fiveable is passionate about giving students the resources they’ll need to be successful now and into the future.

EDUHAM What better way to learn about the history of our nation

With so many resources out there, students can use technology in plenty of ways to help them be successful. Here’s to a fall season full of learning!

than through one of the nation’s most popular musicals? “Hamilton” creator Lin- Manuel Miranda launched this learning platform in 2016 along with the show’s director

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