Cellino Law - May 2021

Cellino Law - May 2021

May 2021 Advisor

Happy Mother’s Day A Tribute to My Mom, Jeanette CellinoLaw.com

T hese first few issues of the Newsletter, I’ve written a lot about my family, including my father’s influence in personal and professional life and what it’s like growing up as one of nine siblings. With Mother’s Day this month, there’s no better time to focus that spotlight on another important influence in my life, my beautiful mother, Jeanette. My mom was born here in the U.S., but her parents — and my father’s — grew up in Montemaggiore, Italy, a small town in Southern Italy near Palermo. My mom’s dad wasn’t thrilled when his daughter started dating a local farm boy, but when that farm boy asked permission to marry her, he did eventually grant it. They got married when my mom was just 17 years old and went on to have nine kids and a long and happy marriage together. Even as a child, I remember noticing how loving and affectionate my mom was toward my father. My siblings and I are lucky to have gotten to observe firsthand what a good relationship looks like. They were both great role models in that way. And, of course, she shared that love and affection with all of her children too. Despite being one of nine kids, my mom always made me feel special. I specifically recall her attending my wrestling matches — albeit reluctantly — as she feared I would get hurt, but she knew how important they were to me.

In fact, I remember that she was a bit of a co-conspirator in one of my earliest entrepreneurial ventures. As a first grader, I began making beanbags at home and selling them to my classmates for a nickel. My mom taught me how to sew the beanbags and that helped me to get the enterprise off the ground. But unfortunately, it all came crashing down when a teacher noticed me collecting nickels from my friends at school in exchange for the beanbags. So the business was shut down shortly after it had started, but my entrepreneurial spirit was just beginning to emerge. Some time after, we got new wall-to-wall carpeting installed in our house, which was a big deal at the time. I negotiated with my mom to get ten cents per week to vacuum all of that new carpeting. She accepted, and I’m sure she was happy to have some extra help with the chores. She was a stay-at-home mom raising nine children — teaching us how to fix things around the house, wash clothes, and cook. We rarely ordered takeout and didn’t often go to restaurants as a family of 11. Mom did all the cooking for our family. The kitchen was (and still is) really her domain! Growing up, we’d have a special Mother’s Day dinner each May to celebrate Mom, but even then she didn’t relinquish her role in the kitchen. She would let us help make that special meal though, teaching us how to cook in the process. When it comes to my

––––-Ross Cellino 800-555-5555 1 mom, you can’t really make dinner for her (especially not in her house), but you know you’re doing something right if she lets you help in the preparations. I’m not complaining though — she’s an excellent cook. As an adult, I ended up building a house just two doors down from my childhood home where my 86-year-old mom still lives. Call me a bit of a mama’s boy, but I like being able to walk over and visit any time I want. She’s the matriarch of a huge family — between my siblings and me, our partners and children, and our children’s children, there are about 100 people in our clan. We just returned from our family reunion trip in Florida this Spring, where 84 of our extended family members were all able to get together. Reminiscing with my extended family certainly has me looking forward to spending some extra time with Mom this Mother’s Day. Thank you, Mom, for all your love and support over the years. I can’t wait to celebrate with a good meal and even better company.

$2 Billion

Cellino has obtained millions in recoveries for clients and has supervised over $2 billion in settlements.

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Spotlight on Thomas Cleere Melville Managing Attorney and Proud Veteran

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. As a parent, you probably know exercise is important for your children’s physical development. It helps build healthy bones, muscles, and joints and reduces the risk of developing diabetes and other diseases later in life. But did you know that physical activity also has many mental and behavioral health benefits? It’s been shown to improve children’s cognitive skills and concentration, boost their self-esteem, and reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. One of the best ways to encourage healthy behaviors in your children is by modeling them yourself. Studies have found that more than 80% of adolescents and adults are not getting enough aerobic activity, showing that children often follow in their parents’ footsteps and that exercising together can benefit everyone. You may be thinking it’s hard enough just to get yourself to the gym, but Stephen Virgilio, author of “Active Start for Healthy Kids,” encourages parents not to limit themselves to traditional forms of exercise. Instead, think of exercise more broadly as “leading an active lifestyle.” And remember that exercise can be fun and a great way to get in more family time. GET FIT WITH YOUR FAMILY 5 Easy Ways to Get Everyone Moving

Thomas Cleere, better known as Tom, is the managing attorney for Cellino Law’s Melville office. He’s also a father of two, a former prosecutor, a proud Iraq veteran, and a fan of unwinding with some outdoor yardwork. After getting his law degree, in 2001 Tom put in an application for a direct commission with the Army as an officer. “I hadn’t heard anything for a very long time,” Tom recalls. And then 9/11 happened. “About a

week later, I got my acceptance letter and chose to accept the commission.” Tom served as an Army captain, and when his unit was activated in 2004, he served for a year in Iraq. Serving his country is a family tradition, and Tom wanted to continue the legacy and give back. After his military service ended in 2006, he jumped back into practicing law full time. He’s been a licensed attorney for 21 years now and has been working with Ross Cellino for the last five years. He heard about the opening for his current position through an adversary-turned-friend from the courtroom. The rest, as they say, is history. Speaking of history, when Tom was a high school student, he pondered becoming a history teacher and football coach. But once he began taking law classes in college, he knew that was the right career path for him. “I got involved in law to help people who have been injured as victims in accidents,” Tom says, adding that his job allows him to help people put the pieces of their life back together after they are shattered by an accident. His results speak for themselves and are backed up by five- star reviews like this one from Paul N.: “My attorney, Tom, and his paralegal, Dena, were very knowledgeable, diligent, and professional. They always took the time to answer any questions that I had and kept me updated throughout the process. I highly recommend them.” When Tom is not working hard to get justice for his clients, he likes to spend time with his wife and two daughters. He also keeps himself busy by doing yardwork, joking that he’d like to call it a garden, “but it’s more like trimming, mowing, and clipping and pruning trees.” Tom says he values the instant gratification of that work and the time he gets to spend outdoors in the fresh air.

Here are five easy ways to incorporate more movement into your family’s day.

1. Create a walking ritual. Start walking around the neighborhood before or after dinner each night. Aim for a 20-minute stroll. 2. Have a dance party . Clear some space in the living room, make a playlist with everyone’s favorite tunes, and boogie down for as long as you have the energy. 3. Turn chores into games. Dirt has invaded from outer space and must be eliminated. Set the scene with your kids, grab your tools, and get to work removing the enemy while having fun. 4. Incorporate simple exercises into screen time. Start by making up fun names for exercises like situps or jumping jacks. Then, challenge each other to see who can do the most during your favorite show’s commercial breaks. 5. Get fit in the great outdoors. Cleaning up the yard, planting and maintaining a garden, or just running around outside are all great ways to get in more movement.

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More Than Car Crash Claims

prescribed a pain reliever to address this pain, but the medication caused further cardiac injury and was recalled. We achieved another settlement compensating her for this. A defibrillator was also implanted to help Mary’s damaged heart. While it functioned as promised, the leads — or wires connecting to her heart — failed and led to pericarditis, painful inflammation of the membrane around the heart. Mary had to undergo an otherwise unnecessary surgery to replace the defective leads. Although the manufacturer successfully appealed aspects of the litigation to the Supreme Court of the United States, our attorneys secured both initial and supplemental settlements for her injuries. Finally, in her debilitated condition, Mary slipped and fell due to dangerous conditions at a local mall and was hospitalized. She unfortunately passed away prior to her case settling. Our attorneys continued working for Mary’s estate, securing a settlement. The same Senior Trial Attorney remained with Mary and her family through each case and resolved each with settlements maximizing their monetary recovery. Many firms advertise that they only represent their clients for motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall injuries, or defective medications or devices. Cellino Law’s full-service personal injury representation doesn’t limit your options. Our attorneys focus on different areas of law and work collaboratively to bring their breadth of experience to every potential case. You’re more than just your auto accident or slip-and-fall, and your representation should be as well.

Cellino Law’s Full-Service Personal Injury Representation

While everyone is familiar with our famous slogan “Car crash? Call Cellino,” the attorneys here at Cellino Law don’t just work with clients who’ve been in a vehicle accident. We offer full-service personal injury representation, which also includes medical malpractice claims, product liability claims, and cases involving dangerous drugs and medical devices. For example, our attorneys represented a client we’ll call “Mary.” Mary, like many of our clients, had a complicated medical history with some compensable injuries of which she wasn’t aware. That’s not surprising. It’s our job, not yours, to know the options. Mary suffered a cardiac injury that was caused by a combination of diet medications. She received three separate settlements for that injury, but her injured heart also made her susceptible to other dangers. For instance, her mobility was limited, which led to joint pain. A doctor

Inspired by EatingThaiFood.com

Sudoku

Thai Minced Pork Salad

Called “Larb” in Thailand, this popular street food comes together quickly and can be easily modified to suit your individual taste.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp uncooked Thai sticky rice • 1 lb ground pork • 1/2 tbsp chili flakes • 1/8 tsp sugar • 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

• Juice of 1–2 limes, to taste • 4 small shallots, thinly sliced • 4 green onions, thinly sliced • Cilantro leaves, to taste • Mint leaves, to taste

Directions

1. First, make toasted rice powder: In a frying pan over low heat, dry-roast the rice, stirring continuously until it turns golden brown and smells fragrant, about 15 minutes. 2. Let toasted rice cool, then grind into a coarse powder using a mortar and pestle, blender, or food processor. Set aside. 3. In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, fry pork, breaking it into small pieces as you go, until fully cooked. 4. Remove from heat and add 1 heaping tbsp of toasted rice powder along with all other ingredients. Stir to combine. 5. Taste and adjust, adding more lime juice and herbs to suit your palate. Serve with rice.

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I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E 1 Ross’ Mother’s Day Tribute 2 5 Ways to Increase Your Family’s Fitness Meet the Attorneys Fighting for You 3 Our Full-Service Personal Injury Representation

Thai Minced Pork Salad 4 Winning the Bluetooth Wars

Winning the Bluetooth Wars

W hen Apple introduced their AirPod Bluetooth earbuds a few years ago, a major player emerged onto the burgeoning Bluetooth audio scene. But that scene wasn’t new: Earbuds, headphones, and speakers can all utilize Bluetooth tech, with every manufacturer jumping into the pool. But as anyone over 30 can tell you, Bluetooth was originally a wireless headset product, not a type of connectivity. And that’s raising questions about the viability of the Bluetooth market as well as the future of the current war for customer dollars in the market. Bluetooth audio tech was designed to wirelessly connect your phone with an in-ear speaker and tiny headset. But spoken-word audio isn’t the same thing as a vibrant musical experience with a range of high and low sounds, depth, and bass. You wouldn’t want to listen to a concert through your cellphone; in the same way, Bluetooth isn’t set up to transmit music to a speaker, headphone, or earbud.

Manufacturers have developed workarounds, and the quality of their work determines how good (or bad) the end result sounds. Bluetooth is obviously capable of a lot more than it was designed for, and its near universality makes it an attractive choice.

But it still wasn’t designed for music.

What does that mean for most listeners? Likely not very much — if a good manufacturer made your headphones or speakers, their clever workarounds to the “Bluetooth problem” will likely mean little decrease in quality compared to “wired” options. Most of us can’t tell the difference. But for true audio fidelity, we still have to hook up with a cable. And as manufacturers vie for market share, a smart company that designs a brand-new wireless tech based around music instead of talk could gain much — and leave Bluetooth behind in the process. And whoever does that will be the real winner of the Bluetooth wars.

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