Lyman Firm - January 2022

Lyman Firm - January 2022

Prepare for Winter By Remembering Snowpocalypse 2014 lymanf irm.com The Lyman Firm Newsletter TELEGRAPH Amicus Curiae www.LymanFirm.com 404-267-1986 February 2019 2860 Piedmont Road, Suite 275, Atlanta, GA 30305 The Truth About Lyman Beginning a Journey Starts with Dedication to Transparency T: 404 267 1986 F: 470 745 0699 The Lyman Firm Newsletter

JANUARY 2022

January usually brings colder temperatures, snow, and sometimes ice to the Atlanta area. More often than not, the first month is the coldest month we experience every year. While we certainly don’t get the extreme weather and snow that some of the northern states experience every year, that doesn’t mean that we don’t get our fair share of winter conditions. Some called it Snowpocalypse while others called it Snowmageddon, but regardless of what you called it, those who experienced Atlanta’s winter storm of 2014 will never forget it. What ended up being only 2.6 inches of snow completely shut down the city, and many residents left their cars stranded on the freeway. Nearly everyone who was around Atlanta on Jan. 28, 2014, has a memory or story pertaining to that day, and I’m no exception. My son woke that morning with a horrible fever, and I wanted to take him to the doctor to make sure he was okay. It was snowing at the time, but I had spent my high school years in Maine and felt that I could handle the adverse conditions. I called the doctor and told him we were going to come in and try to be done with the appointment by the time the roads were really bad. We made it to the appointment with little difficulty, but by the time we had to head home, the entire city was shut down and everyone was trying to get home on impassable roads. We got back onto the road, but after an hour of standstill traffic, we had to come up with an alternative solution. I decided to park the car in a safe location. My son and I then made our way toward the train and were able to make it home after five hours of fighting the weather. We had to go to the north end of Atlanta, then to downtown, then east, and finally had to get people to pick us up at the train station. We were lucky the train was running or else we could have been like many other people who were stranded in the storm. movement, and these are the everyday people — the Atlanta received a lot of flak from the northern states for their response to the storm, but I believe that storm would have been difficult for most cities to manage. It was already snowing and then we had freezing rain that made roads incredibly dangerous and, at times, impassable. Sure, the city might only have a few heroes — I work for as I drive our cases forward to the fullest extent within our legal system, fighting for what’s right.” G eorgia is a blue-collar state — a grassroots mix of farmland, mountains, and urban development representing ever-expanding opportunities. Being a native of North Atlanta, I have spent most of my life in this fair state, cultivating both my character and my profession as I grew up. Now, I have a distinct opportunity to help those around me in ways I hadn’t anticipated in my younger days. I lead The Lyman Firm as a proud curator of justice for the everyday person, somebody who might not have gotten a fair shake before they met me. I believe one person can be the face of a greater movement, and these are the everyday people — the heroes — I work for as I drive our cases forward to the fullest extent within our legal system, fighting for what’s right. My passions weren’t always for courtroom thrills, though. Growing up in Smyrna, I sought to chase a different kind of rush: the roar of the racetrack. I wasn’t half bad either, eventually taking my hobby for auto racing from amateur status in 2004 all the way to semi-pro in 2007. Unfortunately, like so many other things that went down along with the economy the following year, my racing career crashed in 2008. Shattered by the abrupt end to my racing journey due to a lack of financing, “I believe one person can be the face of a greater

James and three-year-old daughter Cleo — I am fully immersed in the fun-loving, homely, and exciting life of my family. They are my foundation, and without them nothing

I began to look for a new avenue to pour my passions into.

As we grow older and further away from our teens and 20s, we begin to realize that life isn’t always about going fast, both literally and metaphorically. It was during my post racing downtime that I realized I wanted to go back to school at Georgia State. After spending years as a writer and editor, I discovered and followed my newfound calling and began practicing law after graduating from law school. After years of unparalleled grit, drive, and success in the field of law, I was fortunate enough to be able to open my own practice in January of 2018. This new venture has even allowed me to work alongside my brother, a paralegal and case manager, in what has been one of the most exciting periods of my life. For now, our plans for the future include an imminent expansion of the firm and growing the company in ways that still allow us to keep our fundamental values and operations in check.

salt trucks, but it’s difficult to be prepared when a storm like that comes out of nowhere. would be possible. But I also have a second family of sorts in my clients, whom I treat with the respect and attention a person is owed whenever they find they’re backed in a corner and need help. The pleasure I get from representing good, honest people in the courtroom is unrivaled when compared to the other fields of profession I’ve engaged in life. It’s situations like these that remind us how important it is that we are prepared for an emergency. Every single person needs to have essentials in their vehicle in case they are stranded in a winter storm. Always keep a blanket, windshield scraper, water, and if possible, road flares inside your vehicle. Though you may never need them, it’s better to be prepared just in case. Winter weather is nothing to laugh at and can get severe even in the Southern states. Throughout the years I lived in Maine and the trips I have taken to visit family in the Northeast, I have noticed that even though the people may be more resilient to the cold and snow, they still struggle with the weather from time to time. They are always prepared if things do get bad, though, and that’s something we can learn from them. This winter is supposed to be one of the coldest in recent memory, so make sure you have the essentials and a roadside emergency kit in your car in case you find yourself on the road in a winter storm. Oftentimes, I ask a client to share the names of the attorneys they’ve worked with on other cases. Almost none of them are able to muster an answer — the names of their lawyers completely lost in the tides of life’s trials. That’s when I tell them that there are a million different lawyers out there doing a million different things, but when I take on your case for a serious injury or a wrongful death suit, you’ll remember me as a man who gave you the best possible chance while shooting you straight every step of the way.

At home ith my wife Lindsay beside me, and our two children — our five-year-old son

-Thomas Lyman -Thomas J. y an

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How Much Are Your Favorite Pants Worth? One Man Estimated His at $54 Million

Everyone knows that the perfect pair of pants can be hard to come by, but are they worth $54 million? Administrative Judge Roy L. Pearson had a favorite pair of pants, but in 2007, he claimed that Custom Cleaners lost them and returned a completely different pair instead. It all began when Pearson took his pants to the Washington, D.C., dry cleaners for alterations worth $10.50. The pants were sent in error to the incorrect dry cleaner, so Pearson’s pickup was delayed by several

though, was the company’s failure to live up to their “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “Same Day Service” signs in the window.

The media had a field day, joking about the case as a “pantsuit” and inspiring a “Law & Order” episode called “Bottomless.” Pearson seemed to relish the spectacle, calling his lawsuit “an awesome responsibility” in court and breaking down into tears on the stand. He also called a witness who compared the Chungs to Nazis. Even though the Chungs offered him a $12,000 settlement to make the case go away, Pearson persevered. He ultimately lost his case. At the end of the trial, the judge declared that no reasonable person would consider the signs at Custom Cleaners to be an unconditional promise — and also that Pearson had failed to prove the returned pants weren’t his. The Chungs ultimately recovered their court costs via a fundraiser, and Pearson lost his judicial appointment. Unsurprisingly, this prompted another lawsuit, which he also lost. In 2020, Pearson was suspended from practicing law for 90 days as a result of his actions in Pearson v. Chung . But for bringing new meaning to the phase “I’ll sue the pants off of you,” his place in legal history is secure.

days. Once the pants were returned, despite bearing all the correct tags and matching his receipt, Pearson declared that the pants were not his. When the dry cleaner refused his demand for $1,000 compensation, he decided it was time for legal action. Pearson originally sued the cleaner’s owners, Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung, and Ki Y. Chung, for a whopping $67 million in damages but later reduced the claim to a far more reasonable $54 million. In his suit, Pearson requested $3 million for mental distress, $90,000 for a rental car to visit another dry cleaner, and $500,000 in attorney’s fees (Pearson represented himself). At the heart of his claim,

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a gift or a card to show you’re thinking about them. These gifts cost resources, but as Newswire reports, multiple studies show that customer gifts increase retention. Invest in retention tools. Staying in touch with your customers is the best way to keep them happy and remind them that you care. You can stay on top of this by doing the hard work of reaching out personally each month, but it’s easier and more efficient to invest in recurring communications like automated weekly emails and regularly printed newsletters. Make personalization possible. In order to retain customers, you must build quality relationships with them. This starts with knowing who they are, what they need, and how they interact with your company and your marketing. To figure out those key points, you should gather and interpret a lot of >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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