Emery Law Office - June 2022

Emery Law Office - June 2022

JUNE 2022

CONGRATULATIONS, JESSICA! IT’S PROUD MAMA TIME

FINDING GRATITUDE IN UNEXPECTED PLA

Buckle up, guys — I need a minute to be a really proud mom. My youngest daughter, Jessica, is about to finish up her second year of law school, and we found out this spring that her legal article "When Green Energy Turns Brown: An Examination of the Insufficiencies in Louisiana's Current Solar Panel Decommissioning Regulations" is going to be published in the LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources, Vol. XI! I’m so happy for her. I got the same opportunity when I was in law school, so I know how tough it is to spend hours in class choosing a legal topic, researching the subject, and writing the article, all in the hopes of making it onto the school’s law review or a journal one day. The Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law published

my case review in 2006, and I still remember exactly how great it felt. It’s a big freakin’ deal!

When my kids were little their dad and I used to jokingly tell them, “Don’t be lawyers, doctors make more money.” (We’re both lawyers.) We even teasingly repeated the word “neurosurgeon” to Katie so much as a baby that she used to toddle around saying it! How on earth did Jessica grow up to be a lawyer in an environment like that? Jokes aside, it’s pretty cool that she is following in our footsteps. Her dad and I have both done what we can to share our knowledge and help her gain legal experience along the way. Jessica worked for his estate planning firm all though college and also spent a summer working for me. I tried to introduce her to as many other female law firm owners as I could so that she could get advice (from someone other than her mom) on how to balance dating, a marriage, and a family in this career. Hopefully she’ll find the mentor I never had as a young lawyer. It might sound like Jessica is a chip off the Mom and Dad block, but really, she’s going in her own direction in life. Right now she’s working in energy law, which is a field I know nothing about! I’m not surprised our kids took their own paths because we always told them we didn’t care if they wanted to collect garbage for a living — we’d support them regardless, as long as they learned to live within their means.

Each of the kids took this a different way. Our oldest son, John, joined the military, and now he’s in college studying computers. I honestly have no idea what he does, but I’m proud of him for what he’s accomplished and how he turned an internship into a bigger opportunity! Our youngest, Zach, is going into marketing, and I think he’ll be fantastic. Of all of the kids, our “neurosurgeon” talk rubbed off the most on our daughter Katie. For a while she went to art school, but eventually, she switched her major to neurotoxicology. Like Jessica, one of her medical papers has been published in a journal! Now, she’s focused on being an amazing mom to her daughter, Hannah. People have already started asking me whether Jessica will take over Emery Law Office one day. I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t love that, but ultimately, I’d never try to push my firm on her. I’d rather she chart her own course and be happy, whether it involves ELO or not. I think (or maybe just hope) that this attitude helped my kids become the awesome people they are today. Whatever the cause, I'm proud of them — and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Client photo space

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IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR LAWN

In 3 Easy Steps

Water in the morning. There’s proven science behind the best time to water your lawn. If you water at night, you’ll see excess humidity, which can lead to turf disease and the destruction of your lawn. If you water in the middle of the day, water will evaporate quickly leaving your lawn dried out. Instead, try watering in the morning so your lawn has the opportunity to absorb the water. Watering for 45–60 minutes twice a week will allow ample time for the water to soak into your lawn. If you live in a drought-affected area, be sure to follow local guidelines for water use. Fertilize for health. Sometimes our lawns need an extra boost to become as green as possible. That’s where fertilizer comes in. Fertilizer contains various mixes of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium — three important nutrients for a healthy lawn. You can find many different fertilizer options, so conduct a soil test to understand which mix is best for your lawn.

Summer has finally arrived, which means the birds are singing, the skies are blue, and the grass is … hopefully green? Maintaining a green lawn is an incredibly difficult task, especially if you don’t get much rain. Your lawn may also have sunspots or issues due to pet waste, but don’t lose hope. You can do a few simple things to turn your brown grass to green, and it shouldn’t take the entire summer to see results. If you’re unsure where to begin, try some of these tips to bring new life to your lawn. Make sure you mow properly. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they mow their own lawn is cutting their grass too short. If your blades aren’t set to the proper height, you can easily cut too much of your grass, leaving it stressed. As it struggles to recover, your lawn will turn brown, and then weeds will grow more easily. Ideally, you should mow your lawn once a week and sharpen your blades regularly before they get dull.

MELISSA HIRED AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT! IT FINALLY HAPPENED

For almost a year, Melissa has been hunting for the perfect executive assistant. It’s harder than you might think! She needed to find someone she could trust with her business and personal information and enjoy spending every day with. We set up quite the interview process here at the office to weed out bad-fit candidates. But finally, Melissa found the perfect match: Donna Irvin!

like what time she takes her lunch and what she likes (mayo and pickles) and doesn't like (ketchup) on her burgers.

“I’m trying to get to know her well enough to know how to step in, when to interrupt, when to take that message or try to put that fire out myself,” Donna says.

After two years working from home at her previous job, Donna is loving being back in the office.

Donna has been an executive assistant for more than 25 years, and she has already saved the

“It has been good for me to be back out among the living, among people, seeing faces and interacting in person!” she says.

day more than once. During her very first week on the job, she went above and beyond to help Melissa and Dave solve a gas leak at home. After several middle-of-the-night emails, a crazy lunch hour, and coordinating with the fire department, everything turned out just fine.

Melissa keeps Donna busy, so at home she likes to relax. She loves reading historical fiction; spending time with Tracy, her husband of 37 years; and

chatting with her three grown kids — Adam, Ruthann, and Caitlin. Ruthann is expecting a baby this fall, and Donna couldn’t be more excited. If you see Donna in the office, be sure to say hello. She’s a pleasure to talk to, and so far all of our clients and referral partners have loved working with her. We can’t ask for better than that!

This is Donna’s first time working for an attorney, but her background assisting in the education, technology, and medical fields definitely applies. She immediately started checking Melissa’s email, scheduling her travel plans and appointments, and pitching in with our firm’s marketing efforts. She’s fantastic at remembering those little details

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BARKS FROM BELLA LET’S GET RUNNING!

HAVE A LAUGH!

MINI NO- BAKE KEY LIME PIES

Hey, friends! I have good news and bad news. The good news is that it’s warm outside! I can’t believe it. I thought the winter would last forever, but now the grass is long and everything smells like bugs and barbecue. It’s the best. The bad news is that I didn’t do so well on my New Year's resolutions. I wanted to stop eating Sadie’s food, run around more with the ATV, and chase more squirrels. But I’m still a little fluffy. So, my dad, Dave, and I are doing more running now to get the puppy weight off.

Inspired by FoodNetwork.com INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • •

1 cup lime juice

2 1/3 cups sugar, divided

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

14 eggs

Because of the weather, I have SO much energy, so I can’t wait to get out there!

12 whole graham crackers

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Going for a run with Dad is a fun warmup to my real exercise. He goes and goes, but then his battery runs out, and I still have a lot left. I can’t help but bug him until he jumps in the ATV and goes tearing around the yard. That’s heaven for me — I could chase the ATV for hours! It’s my favorite way to get my exercise in. Between running after Dad, squirrels, and the ATV, I’ll look like a Pedigree dog food model in no time.

1/2 cup powdered sugar Lime zest, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

WE WANT YOU TO THINK OF US AS YOUR LAW FIRM. If you have a legal matter that needs attention, let us know. If we can’t handle the matter, we will refer you to a firm that can. Please feel free to refer us to your friends and family for their legal needs. We welcome the opportunity to help. 1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine lime juice, 2 cups of sugar, and 2 sticks of butter. Cook until the butter melts. 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer and stir into lime juice mixture until combined. 3. Bring to a simmer. Stir constantly for 5–7 minutes until thick and creamy. Pour through a mesh strainer. 4. Chill lime curd for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 5. In a food processor, add graham crackers, 1/3 cup melted butter, and 1/3 cup sugar. Pulse to combine crumb mixture. 6. In a bowl, whip the cream with powdered sugar until stiff for topping. 7. In 12 small dishes or ramekins, add the crumb mixture, followed by the lime curd. Add whipped topping and garnish with lime zest.

But wait! That’s not all. I have two tips for all of my puppy and human friends who want to exercise like me this summer.

1. Drink lots and lots of water. If I don’t, my tongue hangs out and flops around when I run. Man, is that annoying! I have to drink a lot when it’s hot out to feel my best. 2. Don’t run in the road. Dave and my mom, Melissa, do a good job of reminding me about this when we go outside together, but guys, roads are dangerous! There are so many mean cars just waiting to hit you. (They’re probably taking puppies to the vet, too.) Hopefully, humans help keep you out of the road, but if you’re a person, you have to take care of yourself! Watch out for cars and try to run on bike paths and sidewalks where it’s safer. Mom says that if something happens to you, you can call her for help. Good luck!

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6100 DUTCHMANS LN. STE. 601 LOUISVILLE, KY 40205

INSIDE

BIG NEWS FROM MELISSA’S DAUGHTER! 1

3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR LAWN HEALTHIER

MEET DONNA, MELISSA’S NEW ASSISTANT 2

BELLA PLANS HER SUMMER

MINI NO-BAKE KEY LIME PIES 3

THE PAST AND FUTURE OF WOMEN IN SPACE 4

CELEBRATING NEARLY 60 YEARS OF WOMEN IN SPACE

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 59 years since the first woman traveled in space. Back in June 1963, Valentina Tereshkova made history when she became the first woman to leave Earth’s atmosphere. She was selected from more than 400 applicants to ride on the Soviet’s Vostok 6 mission. Two years prior to Tereshkova’s launch, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly in space. This historic moment spiked Tereshkova’s interest in space travel, and she was chosen as one of four women who received 18 months of training for the mission. She was selected to pilot the flight even though she had no previous piloting experience. Instead, she possessed extensive parachuting experience. She would go on to spend 70 hours in space as she orbited Earth 48 times. It would take another 20 years for the first American woman to fly in space. Sally Ride made her first journey into space on June 18, 1983, aboard the Challenger STS-7 after answering a newspaper ad placed by NASA six years earlier. She served as the flight engineer and was in charge of operating the shuttle’s mechanical arm as well as conducting any necessary experiments. Ride would go on another space flight in October 1984 in which she spent eight days conducting scientific observations of our planet.

Ride and Tereshkova became role models for many young women looking to break into the world of space travel. Since 1963, 65 women have spent time outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Women have been involved in the field of space travel since the early days of NASA. The movie “Hidden Figures” brought to light the story of female African American mathematicians who played a huge role in getting John Glenn into orbit and turned the tide of the space race. So what’s next for women in space? There are great things on the horizon. NASA has plans to amplify its space exploration efforts, and one of its goals is to land the first woman on the moon. The agency plans to do this by 2024, so we won’t have to wait too long to see another historic first for women in space.

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