The Mottley Law Firm - May 2022

The Mottley Law Firm - May 2022

05/22

THE MOTTLEY CREW REVIEW

www.MottleyLawFirm.com | (804) 823-2011

OUR OFFICE WAS IN ‘DOPESICK’! I MET THE DIRECTOR … IN THE BATHROOM

If you watch the first few episodes of “Dopesick” on Hulu, you might notice a familiar backdrop: The Mottley Law Firm! Last January, our office transformed into a film set when the cast of “Dopesick” came to town. “Dopesick’’ is based on a book of the same name by the author Beth Macy. It tells the story of Purdue Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis, and the director filmed it in Virginia for authenticity. (It turns out Purdue actually distributed a significant amount of the addictive painkiller OxyContin in small Virginia coal mining towns.) Stars like Michael Keaton and Peter Sarsgaard came right here to Richmond for filming. For the show, our building was transformed into the main training facility of Purdue Pharma, where sales representatives learned how to sell OxyContin. My team and I mostly stayed out of the film crew’s way, but Juliet and Danielle, our administrative assistant and paralegal, did get to meet Will Poulter when they ran into him in our lobby! Poulter stars as Billy Cutler, a Purdue Pharma sales representative who struggles with the morality of selling OxyContin. Much to Juliet and Danielle’s dismay, he wasn’t allowed to take a photo with them because he was in costume, but it was still a pretty cool encounter. I also had my own celebrity run-in, but I almost didn’t know it! The person who clued me in was Janeen Koch, a defense attorney with Chadwick, Washington, Moriarty, Elmore & Bunn, another local law firm in town. Janeen has a side hustle as an actress, and she was an extra for two days of filming for “Dopesick”! I ran into her after coming out of the bathroom and almost didn’t recognize her with her ‘90s costume, face mask, and face shield. “Kevin!” she said, “Do you know who you were in the bathroom with just now?” I recalled standing next to another guy at the sink, but we were all masked up, so he was totally anonymous. I shook my head. “That was Barry Levinson, the director!” Janeen said. Barry Levinson is a pretty big deal — he has also directed movies like “Rain Man” and “Disclosure.” It turns out one of the casualties of wearing masks is recognizing celebrities!

her wearing a lab coat and holding a clipboard. It was much more glamorous than her previous gig as an extra for “Fear the Walking Dead.” “They filmed that at Virginia Union University. I was a zombie — a dead zombie!” she told me. “I was laying on the ground, and because they made you get there at like 7 a.m. I fell asleep. The director yelled, ‘Cut!’ and I was asleep on the ground. He came over and nudged me with his foot to see if I was okay.” I couldn’t let Janeen poke fun at me over Levinson without getting her back a little. Later that afternoon, I called her law office and represented myself as the director, claiming I “was calling to speak with her about her performance on set that day.” It was pretty funny when a flustered Janeen picked up the phone — and even funnier when she realized it was me, not Barry Levinson! To this day Janeen claims I didn’t fool her, but I think I got her just a little.

I was lucky Janeen was there to point Barry Levinson out to me.

“I knew it was him because it was my second day of shooting,” she told me later. “The day before, I got to see him do his work on the set.” You can see Janeen in the first episode of “Dopesick” if you look closely. She played a big pharma employee, and you might spot

If you watch “Dopesick” on Hulu, keep an eye out for our firm and other Richmond landmarks.

–Kevin Mottley

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BEING A BETTER GRANDPARENT HAVE YOU ADAPTED TO YOUR NEW ROLE?

There are few roles as coveted as being a grandparent, but today’s grandparents do far more than slip $10 bills and hard candies to their grandchildren. While there are still opportunities for growth, new studies have found that grandparents are taking on active roles and loving it. Here are two prominent lessons on grandparenting in 2022. Positive Progress: Supporting Grandchildren The make-up of American families today isn’t cut and dry. An AARP survey found that one-third of grandparents are a different race than their grandchildren and most would support their LGBTQ+ grandchildren. While many grandparents find sharing pieces of their heritage is important with grandchildren, a 2021 Good Housekeeping article noted that many grandparents who share different ethnicities with their grandchildren welcome new cultures. In fact, many weave their traditions together. When it comes to navigating these waters, Good Housekeeping recommends talking about an approach with parents first. Some may choose to keep or remove certain traditions. Furthermore, grandparents are viewing their roles with grandchildren as active rather than passive. A 2021 Good Housekeeping survey of parents and grandparents discovered that nearly 70% said they were “cooler” than their own grandparents and that they want to babysit, versus feeling obligated. Needs Work: Supporting Parents The 2019 AARP study shares that most grandparents surveyed believe they parent better than their grandchildren’s parents, but it may be best if that thought isn’t vocalized. In contrast to this, the Good Housekeeping survey explained that grandparents “sharing outdated advice” was among the biggest frustrations for parents. Instead, experts at Stanford Children’s Health recommend taking “grandparenting classes,” which provide new grandparents with the latest medical direction that parents are provided. And, if you feel obligated to share advice, ask first and make sure the parent knows it’s only your perspective. In all other scenarios, it’s best to keep your opinion to yourself and foster a grandparenting relationship that supports your grandchildren’s parents. Want to be a better grandparent? Sign up for a local grandparenting class; these are typically offered through medical or community centers.

TRY THIS TRICK TO IMPROVE YOUR FOCUS

MY TAKEAWAY FROM ‘ATOMIC HABITS’

I recently read “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. If you haven’t read it, it is all about how to build good habits into your life and how to get rid of the bad ones.

One of the excerpts in the book talks about how you need to make good habits easy . “Make it easy” is one of the steps to making a desired habit come to fruition. By the same token, one of the keys to getting rid of a bad habit is to make it hard . Pretty simple stuff, right?

For example, if you wanted to start going for a run first thing in the morning (a good habit), you might make it easy by laying out your running gear beside your bed the night before. That makes it more likely that you’ll put it on and go for a run. (For me, this strategy has unfortunately not worked well lately!) By contrast, if you wanted to stop a bad habit like wasting hours every day on social media, you might delete the Facebook app from your phone every Sunday night and have your secretary change your password to your Facebook account. Then, on Friday afternoon, your secretary can give you the new password so you can log back in for the weekend. Ugh … what a pain in the neck that would be! But I bet you wouldn’t be browsing Facebook during every down moment throughout the day, would you?!

One of the portions of the book that really spoke to me was the creation of a work environment that facilitates good work habits. This is part of making productive work easy and attractive.

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SUDOKU

SOLUT ION

As a lawyer who’s been practicing for 25 years, I’ve seen a lot of different offices. Some lawyer offices I’ve seen are horrendous. I recall one lawyer who had stacks and stacks of paper all around him on the floor, on the credenza behind him, and all over his desk. The piles of paper were so high that you could barely see him when he was seated. And his desk barely had any room to lay something on it. If he had an “inbox” somewhere, it was buried under mounds of paper. In fact, I think his entire office was his inbox! Talk about a stressful environment. By contrast, I’ve seen other lawyers’ offices that are neat, tidy, and well organized. Those lawyers always seemed more at ease and productive at their work. That is no coincidence. I don’t mean to suggest that one was a “bad” lawyer, and the other was a “good” lawyer. But I do believe that one’s environment really makes a difference in being able to focus and be effective — which is a good habit as a lawyer!

Here in my office, I have really focused on making it a place I love to go and where I enjoy focusing on deep thinking. I have loaded it with artwork that inspires me, and I have removed any clutter. Some lawyers look at my personal office and cannot believe

ONE-PAN BAKED SALMON AND VEGGIES

Inspired by BBCGoodFood.com

INGREDIENTS

how clean I keep it. It has not always been that way, I promise. But over the course of many years, it has evolved to the point where my desk is usually sparsely populated with “stuff.” For me at least, I’ve found that the key to focusing is not having a lot of visual distractions around and to enjoy my physical environment.

• • •

1 lb spring potatoes, halved 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)

• • • •

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

8 asparagus spears, trimmed and halved

2 5-oz salmon fillets 1 handful fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. 2. In an oven-proof dish, combine the potatoes and 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. 3. Remove the dish from the oven and add the asparagus. Toss, and bake for 15 more minutes. 4. Remove the dish from the oven and add the cherry tomatoes. Toss. Drizzle with balsamic, then nestle the salmon fillets into the vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining oil, and bake for 10–15 minutes. 5. Remove the dish from the oven, garnish with basil leaves, and serve!

So, if you’ve been struggling to focus on work lately, then this month, I encourage you to pay attention to your environment! Clean it up, move things around, and get organized so you feel better and

more at ease. I think it will lead to better focus.

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

8001 Franklin Farms Drive, Suite 125 Richmond, Virginia 23229

INS IDE THI S I SSUE

www.MottleyLawFirm.com | (804) 823-2011

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Kevin Meets the ‘Dopesick’ Director

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Grandparenthood Has Changed — Have You!?

Kevin’s Tip for Better Focus

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Sudoku

One-Pan Baked Salmon and Veggies

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Strengthen Your Entire Body!

BIG BENEFITS OF CANOEING AND KAYAKING PADDLE YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEALTH

Mental Benefits

The weather is getting warmer, which means you can do more activities in the water. Canoeing or kayaking is an excellent way to get outdoors and be active. Besides looking at the beautiful scenery around you, taking to the water confers several physical and mental health benefits.

• While canoeing or kayaking, your body releases serotonin,

dopamine, and endorphins from neurotransmitters. This will help boost your mood and self-confidence and improve your focus.

Physical Benefits

• These activities can enhance your memory and learning ability. This is because it exercises your hippocampus, one of the largest portions of your brain that is responsible for verbal memory and learning. • If you have trouble sleeping, this activity can improve your sleep. Exercising during the day can make you naturally tired, which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. • Since you’ll be in the sun, your body can produce more vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for strong bones and an effective immune system. Canoeing and kayaking are great outdoor activities to help you get your daily dose of physical activity and a mental health boost. So, enjoy the warm weather and be one with nature — this may be your new favorite summer hobby this year!

• Paddling can help improve your upper-body strength and muscle tone — because you’re using your arms to guide yourself through the water with the paddle. Paddling helps strengthen your arms, shoulders, chest, and back. • You use your legs to balance, maneuver, and change directions in the vessel. In turn, this movement helps strengthen your lower- body muscles. • While trying to stay centered and balanced on the water, you will develop more core strength. Paddling helps work your lower back, abs, and oblique muscles. • It’s a form of cardiac exercise that will help your heart circulate more blood throughout your body. It will also improve your endurance , enabling you to go longer distances faster.

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