Izquierdo Law Firm - May 2020

IzLegal Illustrated

HOME SWEET OFFICE How to Boost Productivity While Working From Home

With the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, it’s unclear when many employees will be able to head back to their places of business and resume regular work again. Until then, many are working from home, possibly for the first time. In recent years, studies have shown that once proper practices are put in place, employees who work from home can get more done per day on average than those who work in an office atmosphere. But if you’ve never worked from home, how do you know where to start?

FIND SOME QUIET

This might seem obvious, but it’s so important that it’s worth detailing. Find the quietest room or corner of your home in which to set up your office space. While some people need background noise to work, most find that any noise at all can be incredibly distracting. Find a space that’s free of television, preferably has a door you can close, and isn’t shared with roommates, kids, or spouses. Fewer distractions naturally lead to more productivity.

KEEP A SCHEDULE

GO GREEN

If you’re new to working from home, the change might feel so drastic that you don’t know how to start. That’s why it’s important to create a schedule or a to-do list for yourself, just as you would normally. Break your day down into small tasks that you know you’ll be able to complete. Work in planned breaks at designated times. Make your lunch ahead of time, just like you would if you were bringing it to the office. Start and end your work day at distinct times so your business and personal lives don’t warp together. Whether you work from home permanently or your situation is temporary, it pays to be prepared. Giving yourself a space to be productive is the first step in maintaining the routines that give our lives purpose. Don’t let the current state of the world steal that sense of comfort from you.

Studies have shown that workspaces with just a little bit of vegetation, like a potted plant or a vase of flowers, can boost productivity. Greenery creates visual variety when your eyes need a break from the screen, and its presence has been shown to improve mood and creativity. As an added bonus, it can even increase air quality in the room. If you don’t trust yourself to care for a plant, place your desk facing a window to reap the visual benefits of the outdoors.

DECLUTTER

Constantly swimming through piles of papers and supplies is an obvious delay to progress, so it’s important to recognize what you need and don’t need nearby. Keep important documents close but organize them using folders and store them in a designated corner. Having random items across your desk, like half-full cups of coffee or multiple pads of sticky notes, will distract you too. You don’t need to make your desk completely empty, but the fewer items on your workspace, the better.

TAKE BREAKS

This is a big one when it comes to productivity in an office environment, and it’s just as important at home. Take several short breaks and a longer one for lunch. Step away from your desk, give your eyes a break from screens (including your phone), and get moving with a short walk. Only take a break when it works well with your schedule and make sure you don’t lose track of time! It’s amazing how much productivity can soar after stepping away for even 10 short minutes.

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HAS BREAKFAST IN BED GONE OUT OF STYLE? What Moms Really Want on Mother’s Day

it’s understandable. Today’s mothers usually don’t have servants to clean up afterward. The study also revealed what most moms prefer to do for breakfast on Mother’s Day: 53% of mothers like to go out, and 39% prefer brunch instead of breakfast. While breakfast in bed seems like a nice gesture, statistics show that it’s probably the last thing your mom wants to wake up to on May 10. This Mother’s Day, show your appreciation for your mom or the mother of your children by asking her what she would like to do. She deserves the holiday morning she desires, whether that includes a full breakfast in bed or a trip to her favorite brunch joint.

later, the aristocratic English tradition of breakfast in bed sailed across the pond to America. By the 1930s, food and bedding companies capitalized on the tradition and the new holiday by running ads in magazines and newspapers encouraging children and fathers to serve their matriarchs breakfast in bed. Since then, serving mothers breakfast in bed has become a popular Mother’s Day ritual around the world, and it remains so today. However, there is one group whose voice has been left out of the breakfast in bed conversation: mothers. In a recent study conducted by Zagat, a well-known dining survey site, researchers found that only 4% of moms polled want breakfast in bed. Yes, you read that right. When you factor in the mess of syrup, crumbs, and coffee spilling over clean sheets,

Serving breakfast in bed to moms, especially on Mother’s Day, has been a widespread tradition for years, but have you ever wondered if it’s what your mom really wants? Here’s a look at the Mother’s Day breakfast in bed tradition and some recent insight into the popular trend. According to Heather Arndt Anderson, author of “Breakfast: A History,” the popularity of breakfast in bed became widespread during the Victorian era, but only for married, wealthy women who had servants. Those women would enjoy their first meal of the day in bed, and then their servants would handle all the spilled scone crumbs and messy breakfast residue.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson dubbed Mother’s Day a national U.S. holiday, and a few years

THE $60,000 HEIST YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF CRIMELESS THEFT IN CYBERSPACE

The thief was CO2’s own head diplomat, a player called “The Judge.” For years he’d worked his way through the alliance’s ranks, only to use the access he eventually gained to rob it blind. But greed may not have been his only motivation. He’d had public disagreements with CO2’s leader called Gigx, and a rival faction was able to capitalize on this internal conflict. During an in-person EVE Online summit held in Iceland, representatives from The GoonSwarm Federation convinced The Judge to leave CO2 and commit the single largest robbery in gaming history on his way out. In the real world, The Judge’s actions were completely legal — currently, international law doesn’t treat such virtual objects as personal property. But this perception may be changing. As in-game purchases become more widespread in video games, legal lines have blurred, causing an increasing number of lawmakers to rethink what constitutes “ownership” in the digital age. But, for now at least, it seems like a good time to be a space pirate.

In 2017, sometime between Sept. 11 and 12, a total of $60,000 worth of digital assets were stolen from people around the world. The conspirators didn’t hide their identities, and they faced no criminal charges. As it turns out, there are no laws against stealing spaceships in a video game — even if they’re worth thousands of real-world dollars. EVE Online is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) that was launched in 2003, and it was on this game that the theft occurred. This science-fiction game is all about spacefaring, but one notable feature of the game is that it allows players to purchase in-game assets with real money. This attracts players who can spend large sums on the game, with some of the game’s largest spaceships costing $9,000. But one thing to note in EVE Online is that no matter how much you pay, once you lose an asset, it’s gone forever. Because of the risk-reward nature of the game, many players unite in huge factions for safety and to pool their resources. One of these groups, Circle of Two or CO2, was the target of the 2017 attack. Within a matter of hours, CO2’s bank accounts were drained and the space stations holding their fleets of ships were sold to their enemies. It was clear from the beginning: This was an inside job.

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WALKING ONTO PRIVATE PROPERTY What a Criminal Trespass Charge Means for You

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Property other than structure or conveyance usually refers to trespassing on any other area aside from what the other type covers, typically an offence that takes place on land.

Everyone is aware that walking onto someone else’s property without receiving permission first can lead to a lot of trouble. When someone enters another person’s property — be that a home, a place of business, a piece of land, or even a car — without consent, they are in violation of criminal trespass laws in Florida. In the event that someone does trespass and refuse to leave the area, they can have charges pressed against them for that violation. TYPES OF TRESPASSING In Florida, there are two types of trespassing: trespass in structure or conveyance and trespass on property other than structure or conveyance.

record. A misdemeanor conviction can include 60 days confinement, but if the trespasser possessed a weapon, the charge will move to a third-degree felony and imprisonment will be increased to five years. DEFENSES OF TRESPASSING There are several circumstances that are recognized as defenses within Florida in regard to criminal trespass. The most common defenses include justification, necessity, permission, lack of intent, and reclaiming of property. A person who can make one or more of these claims in their case can have the criminal trespass charge dropped against them.

The violation of these laws occurs when someone not only enters onto another’s property but also has intent. This means that a person must willingly enter into a structure, conveyance, or another form of property and/or remain there without permission for that offense to take hold. PENALTIES OF TRESPASSING The punishment for trespassing depends on the severity of the act; often, it is considered either a misdemeanor, an infraction, or a felony. If someone is found guilty of trespassing, the penalties include probation or jail time and the charge of “criminal trespass” is recorded permanently on their criminal

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Trespass in structure or conveyance refers to someone entering a building, dwelling, or mode of transportation without the knowledge of the owner.

If you were charged with criminal trespass, call our office at (305) 707-7345 to speak to an attorney.

Laugh Out Loud

GRILLED PRIME RIB

Who says the cookout has to ruin your diet? Try this paleo-friendly recipe for a main dish that’s worthy of your next barbecue. Ingredients

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1 1/2 lbs beef rib roast 1 tsp Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

4. Turn off the grill but continue cooking the steak, flipping every 4–5 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 F. Remove from grill. 5. Allow the roast to rest — its internal temperature will continue to climb — for 5–10 minutes. Slice and serve.

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Take rib roast out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling.

2. Season roast with salt and pepper and allow it to rest for 10 minutes while you heat a gas grill to 600 F.

3. Sear roast for 3–4 minutes on each side.

Inspired by Primal Palate

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2655 Le Jeune Road Suite 805 Coral Gables, FL 33134

1 How to Boost Productivity While Working From Home 2 Has Breakfast in Bed Gone Out of Style? A $60,000 Robbery With No Jail Time 3 The Dangers of Not Receiving Permission Grilled Prime Rib 4 Celebrate the NBA Playoffs With Some Championship History INSIDE this issue

A LOOK BACK AT THE GREATEST NBA PLAYOFF RUNS IN MODERN HISTORY

Lakers were looking for a repeat victory to make them back-to-back NBA champions. Having gone 15-1 in the playoffs, the Lakers only lost once in the finals. This is even more impressive when you consider that the teams they faced housed six future Hall of Fame players and none had any major injuries. The Lakers would go on to win their second championship in a row and win once again the following year to join the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls as three-peat titleholders. THE 2017 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS Much like their LA counterparts did in 2003, the Golden State Warriors were undefeated heading into the NBA Finals. Thanks to the addition of superstar Kevin Durant, the team’s regular-season record of 67-15 propelled them into a hot streak in the championships. What’s even more impressive about this season was the Warriors’ plus-13.5 point differential against championship-caliber teams, and they even managed to handily defeat future Hall of Fame player LeBron James when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The NBA playoffs typically rule the sporting world from April to June every year, so there’s no better time to take a look back at some of the greatest championship runs in the league’s modern history. THE 1991 CHICAGO BULLS Many Chicago fans remember where they were when the Bulls won their first title in 1991 — in fact, most basketball fans know about this historic title run. The road to the championship took the Michael Jordan-led Bulls through Detroit. Back then, the Detroit Pistons were known as the “Bad Boys” in the NBA, and they won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. But the Bulls — backed by head coach Jim Boylen’s philosophy that every player on the team had value — shut down the Pistons on their route to the championship. The Bulls would go on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, win their first championship, and cement Michael Jordan’s legacy. THE 2003 LOS ANGELES LAKERS The early 2000s were a prime period for basketball, in large part thanks to Los Angeles Lakers legends Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. In 2003, the

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