Law Office of Matthew Konecky - July 2018

Law Office of Matthew Konecky - July 2018

THE KONECKY

JULY 2018

JOURNAL

561.671.5995 | 954.272.6187 | www.matthewkoneckypa.com 110 SE 6th Street, Suite 1700, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 4440 PGA Blvd, Suite 600, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 EMBRACE YOUR INNER GEEK

W e all have something that we geek out over. For some people, it’s movies; for others, it’s music. You can geek out over just about anything you are passionate about. Why do I bring it up? Well, July 13th is a little known “holiday” called Embrace Your Geekness Day, and I thought it would be a great time to share a few things that I’m passionate about outside of the office. As you may know, I’m a huge Star Wars fan — so much so that we dedicated an edition of the newsletter to talk about my love of these movies and what they mean to me. But Star Wars is not my only passion. Another one of my biggest passions, which I have written about in the past is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In many ways, no-gi Jiu-Jitsu transported me back to my college days as a wrestler. Those days were a lot of fun. I found that practicing Jiu-Jitsu was a great way to focus, expend energy, and release stress, which is especially important in the profession I’ve chosen. While I have taken some breaks from my Jiu-Jitsu practice since starting my own law firm and family, fortunately I did find my way back to the sport. In fact, I recently obtained my purple belt and am striving toward a black one. Another big passion of mine is music, and I’m a total geek for the band Pearl Jam. I’ve seen them live 15 times since the 1990s, and every time it’s a

One way I embrace my inner geek

phenomenal show. However, I do have a friend who may be a bigger Pearl Jam geek than myself. This is someone who has seen Pearl Jam around 50 times in concert. That is true geek dedication. As of recent, one of my geeky interests has been the show “Stranger Things” on Netflix. It’s probably one of the geekiest things I’m into currently, Star Wars aside. It’s one of the few shows I watch with my wife, Ashley. When you don’t have a lot of time to sit down and watch TV, you really have to pick and choose what will be worth your time, and I think we made a pretty good choice. Of course, for me, it doesn’t get better than Star Wars. With all the new movies lined up for the next few years, it’s a great time to be a Star Wars geek. No matter what your passion is — no matter what you geek out over — it’s always good to make some time for your interests and really let yourself enjoy them. –Matthew Konecky

My love for Jiu-Jitsu stems from my history with wrestling. Wrestling was a huge part of my life growing up and into my first year of college. Then I reached a point when I needed to focus more on academics, and I stopped the sport. It became a thing of the past. After college, I started to learn more about Jiu-Jitsu. I had really taken notice of the martial art during the early days of the UFC. For a long time, I had a passing interest in Jiu-Jitsu, but in the area I had grown up, there weren’t many opportunities to train and participate in the sport. It wasn’t until I moved to South Florida and began my career as a lawyer that I started to try my hand at Jiu-Jitsu. First, I tried no-gi grappling, which is part of Jiu-Jitsu at large. This style of Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t use the gi as a training uniform (a gi being a kimono jacket with pants, similar to what many people think of as the standard martial arts uniform).

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IS YOUR CHILD BEING BULLIED? Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore

“I had the pleasure of working with The Law Offices of Matthew Konecky, P.A., and they simplified my situation to where I am extremely satisfied. This is the first time that I had a situation taken care of where I did not have to ‘lift a finger,’ and it had extremely positive results. I cannot thank them enough!” –Tom A. “I can’t even begin to explain in detail how far Mr. Konecky is willing to go above and beyond for his CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES Somewhere along the line, our society accepted bullying as a social norm for children. “How can kids learn to cope with the real world if they can’t handle a bully?” is a common misguided justification. Kids who don’t meet the standards of what they are socially expected to be aren’t accepted among their peers. Rather, they are treated like emotional punching bags for anyone deemed more culturally acceptable. But the life of a child is truly a special force in this world, and just because someone differs from physical, social, or cultural normativity doesn’t give anyone the right to treat them poorly. Differences should be celebrated, and bullying needs to be eradicated. The best way we can start is by making an effort to notice bullying and put a stop to it. Here are three warning signs. Headaches and Stomach Aches Anxiety is an emotional complex that tends to manifest itself in physical ways. If you notice your child has stress-related symptoms like headaches, ask them about their emotional well-being. An open- ended question like, “I’ve noticed you haven’t been feeling well a lot lately, can you tell me more about that?” will help open lines of communication. Change in Friends There are bound to be changes in friend groups throughout your child’s life, but that doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t take notice

Download these books today ! YOUR LEGALRESOURCE When it comes to the legal process, you have a lot of questions. Well, I have answers! Right now, I am offering my two resource books for free. “One Bad Night” when this happens. When a child expresses disinterest in spending time with specific people, it could be a sign of bullying. Connecting with other parents who have children in the same circle could be a way to gauge the pulse of your child’s friend group. Confidence Issues Bullying has the potential to drop kids into a volatile cycle of confidence-killing self-talk. Bullying may produce external damage, but what goes on internally can be catastrophic for children. The continually progressing, technology-based environment our children live in nearly outpaces their ability to adjust and cope. Children often internalize their emotions, and when they are being bullied by someone online, their distress can be even harder to detect. The best way to be aware of how your children are feeling is to talk to them openly about their social interactions both online and offline. Summer is the perfect opportunity to discuss these issues with your child because they likely will be relaxed, comfortable, and out of school, where bullying often occurs. Then they can approach the new school year with confidence and self- worth. What parent doesn’t want that?

If you or a loved one has been arrested for domestic violence, you probably have a lot of questions. Get answers and find insight into the criminal justice process. “What You Must Know About Your DUI Case” Being convicted of a DUI charge can drastically change your life. Learn what goes into a DUI case and what your first step should be. Head over to matthewkoneckypa.com today for your free downloads!

clients. He exceeds excellence in customer service, and even in

matters where he doesn’t have the answer, he sure does make certain to reference you to the best of his capability.” –Wilks

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The New Face in Law Our Newest Member of the Team: Temperance!

I haven’t been with the firm long; I joined the team in May as Matthew’s paralegal — but over the past two months, I have learned so much! As a paralegal, I work directly with Matthew in a number of different areas within the firm. I provide legal assistance, file pleadings with the courts, contact clients for additional information and medical records, and correspond with the courts. That’s just a brief overview of what I do, but I’m sure you get the idea! Anything that needs to be taken care of, I’m there. And it can vary day-to-day, which is one of the things I love about working at the firm and in law. There is always something new to learn every single day. Every case is different and every situation is different. There is never a dull moment, and it can really keep you on your toes. Being new to the firm means I have that much more to learn, but as someone who loves to learn, I love it! Matthew has been a great teacher. He’s patient and always ready to work through a process. If I have a question, he has an answer.

I decided to pursue a career in law after growing up watching courtroom dramas on TV. There was something exciting about shows like “Law

& Order” that intrigued me. Though working in law is a little different than what you see on TV, it’s still very energizing. It’s a chance to help people and give clients the legal expertise to move forward with their lives. And, of course, I love the chance to prove my case. Outside of the office, I keep busy practicing yoga, reading, going to the beach, and heading out on hikes. I also recently started listening to podcasts, and I’m having a lot of fun with that. I’m currently working my way through “Serial.” I’m excited to see what’s next! –Temperance Richardson

MEME CORNER

Cooking With Ashley

5-MINUTE SUPER BERRY SMOOTHIE BOWL

Quick and easy, this 5-minute super berry smoothie bowl is loaded with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and banana, and it’s topped with customizable toppings.

Ingredients

Toppings •

• • • • • •

1 cup almond milk

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 strawberry, sliced 1/4 banana, sliced

1 ripe banana

• •

1/3 cup fresh spinach, loosely packed 2 tablespoon flax or chia seeds (optional) 1 tablespoon any type of nut butter

1/4 cup granola

Instructions

1. Combine all smoothie ingredients into a blender and blend. 2. Pour into a bowl and top with strawberry, banana, and granola. 3. Serve immediately.

Recipe inspired by https://www.aheadofthyme.com/2016/04/5-minute-super- berry-smoothie-bowl/#tasty-recipes-5545

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What Are You Passionate About? How to Tell if Your Kids Are Being Bullied Hear From Our Clients! Meet Temperance! 5-Minute Super Berry Smoothie Bowl 6 Dog Mayors FromAround the US page 2 page 3 page 3 page 4 INSIDE 561.671.5995 | 954.272.6187 www.matthewkoneckypa.com 4440 PGA Blvd, Suite 600 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 page 1 page 2

When Politics Goes to the Dogs

6 Dog Mayors From Around the US Most towns and cities around the country play it safe: They elect humans to hold political office. But a few towns decided to do something a little different. They threw political formality to the wind and elected dogs to office. Here are a few popular pups from around the country. Duke. This Great Pyrenees became one of the most popular pups to hold elected office. He first ran for mayor in 2014 in Cormorant Township, Minnesota, and won by a landslide. He’s been in the mayoral race every year since then — and he’s won every time! Today, Duke is still in office, where he never misses a photo-op or a pat on the head. Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller. This golden retriever was first elected to office in 2012 in Idyllwild, California. His election was part of an initiative put together by an organization called Animal Rescue Friends, or ARF. As part of the election, area residents could nominate their cat or dog for mayor. During the inaugural event, 14 dogs and two cats ran for mayor, with Max leading the pack. Max was elected to a second term in 2013, but soon passed away after a battle with cancer. Thankfully, his successor was quickly appointed: Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II. Brynneth Pawltro, Lucy Lou, Junior Cochran, and Goofy Borneman. These four dogs all hail from Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. Back in

1998, the people of Rabbit Hash decided to elect a dog mayor. That year, Goofy Borneman, a mixed breed, became the first in what would become a continuing tradition. He held the office until 2001, when he passed away at age 16. In 2004, Junior Cochran, a black Labrador, took on the role of mayor, but his term was plagued by scandal after he spent too much time hanging around the town’s general store — and Health and Safety was called. Then, he too died in office in 2008. Later that year, Lucy Lou, a border collie, was elected into office and became the town’s first female mayor. The good news is she saw her term through to the end, but she didn’t run for a second term. Instead, pitbull Brynneth Pawltro, or Brynn as his friends call him, ran and won. Today, you’ll find Brynn roaming Rabbit Hash, staying carefully out of Health and Safety’s way.

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