Dore Law - May 2019

Dore Law - May 2019

THE D or É R eport

D orÉ L aw G roup

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MAY 2019

OUR TEAM’S MISSION:

WE ARE ON YOUR TEAM!

Many lawyers do not think of themselves as being a part of the service industry. However, here at Doré Law Group, we embrace the idea that we are most definitely in a service- based profession. Our goal is to provide valuable services to you, our customer. We see ourselves as being an extension of you, your company, or your group. When it comes right down to it, our mission is to serve you, and we pride ourselves on being excellent at it. One of the ways we do this is through effective communication. When working with us, you will get the following: • Consistent and Thorough Updates: We strive to provide updates that work for you — weekly, monthly, or quarterly — by email, telephone, or in person. • Responding Promptly: We will always acknowledge our receipt of your emails and voicemails. While we may not have an answer right away, we will be sure to let you know we’re on it. • Adding Value: We are always coming up with new and creative ways to be more efficient and cost-effective. We take pride in our history of working with clients to establish an appropriate fee structure for each project — whether it’s a fixed-rate structure, a monthly subscription, a contingent-based model, a joint representation agreement, or

something more traditional. We aim to think beyond the legal issues and focus on each client individually. In addition to our focus on effective communication, we also strive to make honesty a major cornerstone of our mission. It might seem silly to say, but one of the greatest values we bring to you, our client, is honesty. We are honest about what the

notify you of events or cases that affect your industry, and keep up with regulatory changes that might affect you. We feel that industry knowledge and participation enables you to invest more trust in our services. In the end, our objective is to know you and your team. We want to learn about the issues and concerns you have and other areas where we can possibly help you with other legal services. We know that by conducting training sessions, leading seminars, participating in strategy sessions, attending board meetings, going on facilities tours and walk-throughs, and coming directly to you in order to talk to the employees and really learn your business, we can gain more insight into you and your business. At the end of the day, we always say that we like to think of ourselves as an extension of your team. With honest, effective communication and by getting to know you and your team, Doré Law Group is proud to serve you, and we look forward to the many years of service ahead.

“When it comes right down to it, our mission is to serve you, and we pride ourselves on being excellent at it.”

legal fees might be for your matter, what we think the outcome will be for your matter, our opinion about the decisions we make about your matter, and when we mess up — and we will because no one is perfect. You can trust and depend on us because we know that being honest, even when it hurts, increases our value to you. Our credibility comes from this important aspect of our overall mission. Furthermore, our team remains committed to knowing what’s going on in the industry you care about. We read and research everything we can find, from trade journals to direct competitors’ information. We also attend and participate in industry meetings and conferences, set up online alerts to

-Lisa Acquino

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TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

Is Transparent Separation Right for Your Company?

Getting fired is a horrible experience. Losing a job is hard on an employee, and terminating an employee can create a whole mess of grief for a company. In a 2018 article for Harvard Business Review,

• Managers are not cast in an adversarial role for abrupt firings. • The company has time to find a suitable replacement, resulting in a smoother transition. • Remaining employees feel more comfortable when they don’t have to worry about “disappearing” overnight. Even with all these positives, Siegel notes that transparent separation may not be the best course of action for every employee termination. For example, if the soon-to-be-ex-employee is a manager whose toxic behavior is harming the work environment, they need to be shown the door immediately. Siegel claims that in two-thirds of cases, transparent separations offered the best outcome both for the company and the former employee. There are potential drawbacks to transparent separation. Opponents to this strategy note the potential damage a disgruntled employee can cause after being told they are losing their job. Some employees may even prefer to collect severance and leave so they can fully focus on the job search. Is transparent separation the answer to all your termination woes? The jury’s still out; there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to any business problem. What works great for one company might not be best for another. But if you think the pros outweigh the cons, transparent separation might be worth considering the next time your company has to say goodbye.

Investopedia CEO David Siegel laid out his strategy to avoid the troubles of termination by offering a more considerate approach to firing: transparent separation. In a transparent separation, when underperforming employees are informed that their tenure with the company is coming to an end, they are given a time frame to look for a new job before their last day. Employees are asked to keep the arrangement confidential and are expected to maintain job performance. Siegel states that employees who abuse the goodwill of transparent separation should be let go immediately. Transparent separation is a wild departure from the traditional termination playbook, but Siegel insists that the strategy offers some incredible benefits, such as the following: • Departing employees avoid the struggle of trying to find a new job while unemployed. • There’s reduced legal risk that the company might be sued by an angry employee.

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Our law firm continues to grow with the addition of two new faces in the last few weeks. We are happy to announce that Maria Bartlett and Crys Hymel have joined our team! Maria is an attorney who also has an LLM. She settled in Katy after her husband, Michael, spent seven years as an Air Force officer. Maria is experienced in bankruptcy and business transactions, and she worked in international taxation for Ernst & Young. Additionally, her cousin played soccer for pro teams, including the Houston Dynamo! Alongside Maria, Crys comes to the Doré Law Group as a paralegal with over 30 years of legal experience. Since relocating from New Orleans in 2006, she has specialized in litigation and real estate. When she is not spending time with grandkids, Crys acts in and directs local theater and is on the board at Theatre Southwest. WELCOME! WELCOME! What’s Happening at Doré Law Group

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OPENING DAY HAMBURGERS

Inspired by Saveur Magazine

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground chuck, 80 percent lean • 4 soft, white hamburger buns, split • 4 1/4-inch-thick tomato slices • 12–16 pickle rounds

• 4 small leaves iceberg lettuce • 4 1/4-inch-thick yellow onion slices • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil • Salt and pepper, to taste • Condiments of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Lightly grease a small nonstick skillet with oil. Heat over medium-high. 2. While heating, gently shape meat into four patties 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Be careful to handle the meat as little as possible to prevent tough burgers. Season liberally with salt and pepper. 3. Sear patties on each side, about 1 minute per side. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until desired doneness, about 1 more minute per side for medium-rare, 2 more per side for medium-well. 4. Let meat rest for a minimum of 3 minutes. 5. To assemble, place patty on bottom bun and top with tomato, pickles, lettuce, and onion (in that order). Spread condiments on top half of bun and place on top of onion. Serve.

GARDEN BLOOMING MAY DAY GEMINI MOTHER MEMORIAL

NIGHTINGALE SPRING CINCO DE MAYO EMERALD MAY REMEMBER

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We Are On Your Team!

A Better Approach to Firing? Trends & Traps 2019

What’s Happening at Doré Law Group Opening Day Hamburgers

Discover ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’

REVISITING A CLASSIC ‘THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG’ power of positivity and self-confidence may have been groundbreaking ideas back when Eisenhower was president, but today they’re a given. While this may make some of Schwartz’s ideas feel old hat to modern audiences, the essence of what he wrote in 1959 still rings true today. In fact, one could argue that several core concepts of this decades-old work are even more applicable today. A running theme in Schwartz’s book is the incomparable benefit of treating people like people. While many personal and business dealings hinge on the power of a handshake, there’s something refreshing about the common human decency of Schwartz’s outlook. So many motivational works today focus solely on personal reflection — “Thinking Big” reminds us that there is great power in simply being good to other people. Perhaps the largest takeaway today’s readers can find here is to take on more and think bigger. “Thinking Big” is replete with real-world success stories of people doing precisely that, from students collaborating to solve supposedly impossible problems to wounded paratroopers making their way across the mountains of Burma toward safety. Whether you’re dusting off an old copy or picking it up for the first time, this classic is still worth a read in 2019.

In this issue we’re diving into an old classic that helped define the modern personal development genre and has helped millions of readers improve their lives. “The Magic of Thinking Big” flew off shelves when it was first published in 1959, propelling

author David J. Schwartz from university professor to foremost authority on motivation. But does his seminal work still hold true 60 years later? Is there still magic in letting yourself think big in the 21st century? In a word, yes. The lessons in “Thinking Big” are broad, but their wide applicability is also what makes them timeless. While today, many authors and motivational coaches — from “influencer” culture to “growth hacking” — focus on whatever is new and shiny, Schwartz focuses on the fundamentals.

This can make the opening chapters in “Thinking Big” feel excessively familiar to those who have read other personal development books. The

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