Douglass & Runger - June 2021

Douglass & Runger - June 2021

JUNE 2021

What I Love and Hate About Social Media AND MY ADVICE FOR USING IT

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. To be perfectly honest, I’m probably addicted to it in some ways. (I’d argue many of us are.) I don’t post a ton on social media, but I do love to scroll through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, watching people’s stories and pictures, laughing at memes, and reading news articles. I also love seeing vacation photos! But there’s another side to social media, a side that, as an attorney and business owner, I truly loathe. From a personal perspective, I struggle with our societal need to gain validation and attention through “likes.” Social media has also created a discourse that is so vile and spreads misinformation, and honestly, that scares me a little bit. No one can have a real conversation anymore, and being a “keyboard warrior” to shut someone down on social media who disagrees with you rarely changes anyone’s mind about the topic of debate, so it’s somewhat pointless. Moreover, many people use social media to act like everything is “perfect” in their lives or just to seek affirmation from others. As we approach National Selfie Day on June 21 and World Social Media day on June 30, I’d like to offer some guidance for properly engaging on social media — especially if you’re involved in a legal case. Far too often, social media is dragged into our legal cases. It’s most commonly involved in our family law cases, during which one spouse will complain about the other spouse on social media. This knee-jerk reaction can have big consequences — on both parties — and can make the divorce process that much more difficult. The same goes for personal injury cases. A photo

of you hiking isn’t going to help your personal injury case in which you claim to have sustained a broken leg. The biggest reminder we give our clients is that anything on social media is discoverable. Once you put it out there, it can be used by the other side against you — either fairly or by twisting your words. There is nothing positive you can post about your case that is going to help. The best approach is to be very, very cautious on social media and post very little during the course of your legal case. (And don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.) As a small-business owner, I’ve also seen the damage social media and reviews can do. We’re not perfect at Douglass & Runger, but we do our very best to support our clients with expert advice and representation in the courtroom. Unfortunately, we have experienced negative reviews from individuals whose cases we may reject or other parties who are opposing our clients. It’s very discouraging as a small-business owner because anyone can just post anything about a business regardless of whether or not there is any truth to it, and there is little that we as attorneys can do about it. The reality is that attorneys are not ethically allowed to divulge client confidences, and even in situations where a client or former client mischaracterizes aspects of our representation or is dissatisfied with the outcome of their case, we aren’t allowed to respond publicly in a way to defend ourselves. With how popular social media is these days, people rely on those reviews. Someone who is badly injured in an car accident, facing a divorce, or interested in estate planning may see bogus or

factually incorrect reviews and choose not to seek our legal help, despite how knowledgeable our team is in those situations and the dozens of other good reviews we have. We have also received phone calls from other business owners wondering what legal steps they can take for defamation as the result of false bad reviews. Yet, like anything in life, there’s a flip side to this. The good reviews we receive, of which there are many, are so cool and help us accomplish our mission, which is to serve as many individuals in need of our legal services as possible. We even make getting good reviews a little competition at the firm to see which of us can get called out by name the most! It’s so fun. There really are some great parts about social media that I am so glad are part of our daily lives. We just need to approach social media with caution and be considerate of the person on the other side of our screens.

Speaking of Reviews …

We want to hear from you! If you want to share your experience with our law firm — and help your attorney gain points in our internal review contest — visit the links below to leave your review. We appreciate your feedback!

Google: https://rebrand.ly/douglbf3fe Facebook: https://rebrand.ly/yyyh0e

901-388-5805 • 1

DIY OR BUY?

LAWN GAMES FOR FAMILY SUMMER FUN

Classic Horseshoes: Intermediate DIY Tossing horseshoes is a great way to pass an afternoon. To play, you’ll just need to set up two sand pits in your yard. Get a handful of horseshoes, and you’re ready to go! Many DIY plans are available online, including one from HousefulOfHandmade.com/ultimate-diy- horseshoe-pit.

The warm summer sun may be enough to beckon your family outdoors, but lawn games will guarantee hours of fun outside. If you’re handy, there are plenty of great lawn games you can make yourself. If not, buy an off-the-shelf alternative and enjoy the easy setup. Giant Jenga: Easy DIY All you need to build a giant Jenga tower are two-by-fours that are cut to length. If you’re handy with a saw, you can do this at home. If not, ask to have the wood cut at your local lumberyard. Be sure to sand down the edges before stacking the boards to create a classic Jenga tower! For extra fun, pick a few paint colors and paint each board. Visit ABeautifulMess.com/make-this-giant-jenga to see a complete set of instructions. Buy: Skip the project and buy GoSports Giant Wooden Toppling Tower online, which retails for about $70 and stacks over 5 feet high.

two-by-fours, some hardware, and a variety of tools including a drill, jigsaw, and sander. Visit DIYPete.com/cornhole-board-plans to get both written and video instructions. Buy: Ready to play ASAP? Cornhole sets are available from many large retailers around summertime, or you can order a customized set featuring your favorite team, family name, or characters from your favorite movies by looking at Etsy.com. Whether you buy or DIY, remember to have fun and always supervise your children while playing outdoors, especially when it comes to yard games!

Buy: Check out the kid-friendly rubber horseshoe set from Wayfair.com, which

requires no installation, can be used indoors or alongside your outdoor game, and is safe for younger children. Cornhole: Advanced DIY The humble beanbag may be the most versatile backyard game piece. It’s used in the popular game commonly known as cornhole. To build your own cornhole set, you’ll need a couple of sheets of 1/2-inch-thick plywood along with

Why You Need an Attorney After an Accident With a Semitrailer

A vehicle accident of any kind can be traumatic and complex; an accident with a Semi-Tractor- Trailer Truck can be even more devastating. While it may be their job, truck drivers are just as susceptible to drowsy driving — although time limits on trucker shifts do help — making a wrong split-second decision, distracted driving, and merging or crossing traffic when it’s not safe to do so. They may even experience unique situations, like “jackknifing” their vehicle when braking too quickly or overloading their trailer. Each scenario is dangerous to the truck driver and others on the road. When you’re involved in an accident with a truck driver, your main priority is your well-being. Unfortunately, these accidents can be deadly and

collection and investigation isn’t done swiftly after an accident, the information can get lost, ruined or destroyed, and gaining a clear image of what occurred will be difficult. Furthermore, these cases are not always as simple as seeking compensation from the driver. Some drivers are independent contractors for larger trucking companies who supply their own vehicle and insurance, picking up loads from companies across the U.S. They are like the freelancers of truck driving. Other drivers are employees of a company, be it trucking, shipping, or a products company, and some could be employees of a municipality. Their employer may shoulder the responsibility. Who is responsible for your compensation can be a complex web to untangle if you don’t know how to do it correctly.

can cause life-threatening injuries that can have lifelong consequences. This can make the discovery portion of a Semi-Tractor-Trailer-Truck collision much more dire. It’s vital that we know exactly what happened and how the collision with the truck factored into your injuries. Witnesses, statements from the driver and their employer, and information from the vehicle itself — from logbooks and camera >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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