Bollinger Law Firm PC Nov 2017

Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

NOV 2017

601 East 5th Street, Suite 250, Charlotte, NC 28202 • 704-377-7677 • Toll-free: 1-866-326-3090 • www.BollingerLawFirmNC.com

The Healing Power of a Loving Family Why Recent Losses Make Me Grateful for Those We Still Have

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W hen life throws you a curveball, it’s nice to have a loving, supportive team in your corner. I won’t lie; the year has been difficult for my family in many ways. We’ll celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas without two of the most important people in our lives. But, I can’t shake this profound sense of gratitude for the people who helped us get through it. We lost my mother-in-law in February. It was hard for me to say goodbye, but even harder for my son, Robbie, and, of course, my wife. Six months later, my father passed away. So this holiday season will be the first without the matriarch of my wife’s family and the patriarch of mine. The warm embrace of family is like a healing balm. There’s something about the mutual love you have for the deceased, and for each other, that assuages the loss more than anything else can.You’re reminded of what’s really important, and that’s family.There’s nothing I’m more thankful for this Thanksgiving than them. It’s our turn to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family. Both my wife’s parents are deceased, so we’ll probably invite her youngest sister (who lives in Raleigh) to celebrate with us. We’ll get together at my youngest sister’s house and enjoy a delicious home-cooked dinner with nieces, nephews, and my mother. It’s a big crowd, with a big meal to match. The Bollingers roast turkey and cook the stuffing in a sheet pan so it’s crispy on top. My wife’s family stuffs the turkey. My family gets along wonderfully, as does my wife’s. It’s free of conflict, which is kind of rare for most family gatherings. It’s like being in a little family cocoon; everyone is protected from the life’s problems when they’re with the people who know and love them best. After the best meal of the year, we’ll hang out together, share memories, and laugh.The laughter will flow freely, and the football game will be on.The whole event will be bittersweet with the absence of Dad.We’ve never had a

• Speeding ticket?

• Child support problem?

• Criminal charge?

• Buying a house?

If you need a lawyer for anything, anywhere in the world, call us first. We have these nifty lawyer directories, and we know a lot of lawyers anyway. We can help you choose a good lawyer in North Carolina, South Carolina, California, or anywhere else. We do this at no charge to our clients, former clients, friends, and anyone who reads this offer. So if you need a referral for another good lawyer, contact Bob Bollinger, and he will find you one. Call 704-377-7677 or email [email protected] Where to Find Us Online ...

Thanksgiving without him. But a family is like the human body.The ability it has to heal itself is nothing short of miraculous. Not all loved ones are related by blood, though.All year, my wife and I have been the recipients of wonderful friends who cared enough to reach out and perform acts of kindness for us in our most difficult times.We will be thinking of those dear friends at Thanksgiving too. As we enter this holiday season, regardless of what divides us, I hope we can all agree that family is everything. It’s true in times of loss, as well as in times of happiness. I have so much to be grateful for, but it’s the people in my life that make the biggest difference. I’ll be pondering that as I bite into a delicious slice of Thanksgiving turkey.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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–Bob Bollinger

704-377-7677 • Toll-free: 1-866-326-3090 • 1

3 Family Activities for Thanksgiving

Unless you have a child auditioning for “MasterChef Junior,” you’re probably not going to let the little ones cook the turkey this Thanksgiving. Just because the kitchen might be off limits doesn’t mean you can’t find a few creative ways to make the holiday extra special for your kids. Spice up Thanksgiving with these fun, family friendly activities. Coloring-Book Tablecloths If you have a big family, you are probably familiar with the Thanksgiving tradition of the kids’ table. It may be smaller than the grown-ups’ seating arrangement, but it doesn’t have to be any less special.Turn your kids’ table into a canvas for a colorful, creative dining experience. To do this, use craft or art paper to cover the table. Tape everything down tightly and provide crayons and colored pencils for every place setting. If you want to add some extra holiday spirit, put the drawing supplies in empty cranberry sauce and pumpkin cans. Gratitude Mobiles Of course,Thanksgiving isn’t just about delicious food. It’s also about reflecting on the parts of our lives we are grateful for.Teaching kids about gratitude is the most valuable Thanksgiving lesson. Bring that concept to life with a gratitude mobile. Grab some colored paper circles or cut them out, and then have your children write down things that they are thankful for — a silver Sharpie is great for this. Punch holes in the tops of the circles and run string through them.Tie the other end of the string to a coat hanger or embroidery hoop and hang it from the ceiling. “I was denied my claim for workers’ comp at my job. I contacted him, set up an interview, and he told me he would take my case. I felt assured that he would do the best he could to help get my medical bills covered and recover my lost wages. “This case started in July of 2015.We went to mediation and tried that route, but it didn’t work for me. So we ended up going to court. The judge at the time thought it was correct to deny my claim. At that point, I thought it was all over. Bob informed me that we were going to appeal, but I wasn’t holding out for a good result.Well, today, April 2017, I’m glad to say my lawyer was correct. I ended up winning my case. “I was over the moon with the service I received from him and his entire staff. You would be crazy not to have this man in your corner to fight for the rights that you deserve as a taxpayer and an employee for a company. As attorneys go, he was very knowledgeable, and he walked me through every single step of my case. You could not be in better hands. So do yourself a favor: If you ever find yourself in this situation, you need to contact him and at least have a meeting. I’m a very satisfied client, and I would send any and all of my friends there.” –Denis Doran Bob Bollinger is a board-certified specialist in workers’ compensation law with over 25 years of experience. Here is a case that Bob recently handled.

Stuff the Turkey Game Want to get the kids outside so you can get to work in the kitchen? Create a Thanksgiving-themed game for them to play outside while you prep the stuffing and put the turkey in the oven. To create a holiday-themed “Stuff the Turkey” game, all you need is a few paper bags —we’ll bet you have some leftover from shopping. Use two small bags stuffed with scrap paper to create legs and glue them to a larger bag folded to look like the body of a turkey. Now that you have your turkey, you need some balls to stuff it with.Anything soft and baseball-sized will work, even some balled-up paper. Kids will take turns trying to toss the balls into the turkey, scoring points for every shot made. When you refer us, we want you to be the “hero” in the story.We want the person you referred to come back to you months later and say, “I am so glad you referred me to the Bollinger Law Firm! They were so nice to me, and they took great care of me and my case. They got me a better outcome than I imagined possible! Thank you so much for telling me to call the Bollinger Law Firm!” I worked in blue-collar jobs as a young man, before I graduated from college. These jobs included tailing a ripsaw in a furniture factory and cutting carpet cushion in a foam rubber factory. It makes me furious to see honest, hardworking people being mistreated after getting hurt at work. I get a lot of satisfaction from helping working people get a fair outcome on their workers’ comp claims. Everyone’s case is different, so these results are not indicative of future results. Your Referrals Are Very Important to Us

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Don’t Just Grind Out Your Settlement Settlement Mills: What You Need to Know A bout a century ago, a mill was a building where grain was ground into flour. These buildings often dealt with thousands of pounds of grain per day, so machines were built to speed up the process. This made it possible for mills to produce massive amounts of flour.

Legal cases require a bit more finesse than grinding machines. Unfortunately, there’s an equivalent to a grain mill in the legal world. They’re great for insurance companies, but probably not for you. They’re called settlement mills. What’s a Settlement Mill? Settlement mills are law firms that take on a large amount of cases, typically obtained through extensive and expensive advertising, without the intent to take them to trial. They plan to settle quickly so they can reap their fee cut, early and often . It’s big business, but it’s done without using all the tools a lawyer has, to get the client the best possible outcome. If you encounter a firm that advertises “quick” and “easy,” there’s a good chance it’s a settlement mill. Another red flag is when a firm has no successful

trial record. Mills are also highly interested in soft tissue cases, such as whiplash, because they’re easy to settle. Who Suffers and Who Benefits? The beneficiaries aren’t just the firm of your case. Settlement mills benefit insurance companies as well. Insurance companies see these cases, and the lawyers involved, as predictable and safe. Additionally, mills can provide them with discounts on larger claims that would cost much more if taken to trial.

Clients are the group who suffer the most, along with the honest lawyers who want to earn their clients every dollar possible. But due to settlement mills, clients can be left without high quality, personalized legal services they need to maximize the outcome of their cases.

As an injured victim, you deserve better. Call us for personal service. Avoid the mills.

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BOB’S BEST BITES

The Perfect Pasta at Angela’s

mozzarella sticks and penne with vodka sauce. He loves the peanut butter bomba for dessert; it’s a roughly 9,000-calorie, softball-sized, ball of peanut butter ice cream, dipped in chocolate and served quartered with whipped cream on top. Selena tries to reserve one for him when we walk in, and she brings extra spoons so that Maggie and I can help him with it. Like I said, it must be 9,000 calories! The traditional dishes, such as spaghetti with meatballs and lasagna, are also good at Angela’s.The atmosphere and service are friendly, laid-back, and comfortable.The pizza is pretty good too, and the prices are reasonable.We really enjoy it, so check it out!

Everyone in my family loves pasta, and actually, we love Italian food in general.When we go out for a casual pasta dinner, we like Angela’s in Mint Hill, an unpretentious, family-run restaurant. Our usual waitress there, Selena, remembers us and our preferences, and she takes great care of us. My teenage son,Will, always gets fried

Praying mantis –Bob Bollinger

9705 Mintworth Avenue, Charlotte NC phone 704-573-2737

704-377-7677 • Toll-free: 1-866-326-3090 • 3

601 East 5th Street, Suite 250 Charlotte, NC 28202 704-377-7677 Toll-free: 1-866-326-3090 www.BollingerLawFirmNC.com

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INSIDE This Issue

What I’m Most Grateful For

3 Family Activities for Thanksgiving Testimonial

The Grain Mills of the Legal World Bob’s Best Bites The Perfect Pasta at Angela’s

Thanksgiving at America’s Resort

Carve Your Turkey at The Greenbrier Thanksgiving at America’s Resort

This Thanksgiving, many Americans plan to go over the river and through the woods to sleep on the air mattress at grandmother’s house. But your family Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be crowded and uncomfortable. For generations,The Greenbrier Resort inWhite Sulphur Springs,West Virginia, has brought families together for a weekend of true American elegance. The local hot springs have been popular with travelers since 1778, but The Greenbrier didn’t come to life until 1913.The sprawling 710-room national landmark sits on 11,000 acres of rolling hills and has been described as “‘Monte Carlo’ meets ‘GoneWith the Wind.’”The blend of Colonial decor and Hollywood Regency flourishes make guests feel as if they have stepped back in time, while still offering all the modern amenities. Mom and Grandma relax in the spa, Grandpa enjoys a round of golf, the siblings all go off-

roading in a Jeep, and later, the whole family will face off in a game of laser tag.With 55 leisure activities offered at the resort, make every day as busy or as relaxing as you want before enjoying a gourmet dinner at one of the resort’s six full-time restaurants. The Greenbrier is a dream getaway anytime of the year, but America’s resort really goes all-out for the traditional American holiday,Thanksgiving. Family members from every generation can find something fun to do before the family gathers together for the massive Thanksgiving brunch in The Greenbrier’s Colonial Hall.The award-winning culinary brigade serves up Thanksgiving classics, like soft rolls and roasted turkey, alongside marinated mussels and ricotta tortellini. Make time for the horse-drawn carriage ride and evening gala, and you have the perfect Thanksgiving.

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