Risk & Associates - October 2021

Risk & Associates - October 2021

COUNTYCIVIL.COM

OCTOBER 2021

This Month, Give Your Paralegal a Hug HAPPY NATIONAL PARALEGAL DAY!

Many attorneys rely on their legal assistants to prepare documents and begin the next steps in their cases. That’s why, at County Civil, we work with many paralegals on a daily basis. When I noticed that Oct. 23 is National Paralegal Day, I knew I had to recognize just how important their role is, both for their firms and our business. The paralegal profession is an ever-growing field. Since lawyers are always in high demand, there will always be a high demand for knowledgeable, dependable paralegal assistants. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2022, the paralegal field will add at least 46,200 new jobs — translating to a 17% growth rate between 2012 and 2022, faster than the average for all occupations! Despite this growing profession that only requires an associate degree for entry, not many people realize how difficult the job of a legal assistant or paralegal can be. Since you have to conduct business on an attorney’s behalf, you have to be extremely knowledgeable and organized to prevent devastating mistakes in a client’s case. On top of that, most paralegals are usually required to wear a lot of hats or have the expert ability to multitask. This is partially because the duties of a paralegal can vary vastly between firms. At small firms especially, you’ll find that paralegals juggle a large variety of tasks, including helping communicate with

clients, phone calls with insurance offices, and helping with case research. Other times, paralegals can specialize in just a few specific tasks for an attorney, especially if that attorney has a larger legal team on their side. In our line of work, paralegals are crucial to our services since they communicate and network with us as the halfway point between us and the attorney. They don’t just fill out the paperwork; they also arrange legal actions and proceedings on a timely basis whenever needed. We’re extremely grateful for their knowledge not only in the field of law, but also in the services we provide, making communication and expectations easier and clearer. Many people reading this will either be attorneys, judges, or even paralegals themselves. But no matter who you are, I just want to spread the good word that paralegals deserve the best praise and compensation! Paralegals are excellent people to work with, and we couldn’t be more pleased and honored to work with them. We see firsthand how an incredible paralegal helps make both their cases and firm as successful as possible. We appreciate them very dearly at our office — to our paralegals, thank you so much for all your hard work! -Rick E. Risk

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THE TIGER KING REMAINS BEHIND BARS

JUDGES DENY JOE EXOTIC’S APPEAL

Even more than a year after the release

The primary reason for Maldonado-Passage’s appeal, as reported by his legal team, was that Baskin was allowed to attend the entirety of Maldonado-Passage’s trial, despite her role as a witness in the case. As a general rule, witnesses are not permitted to attend proceedings in their entirety, as other witness testimonies might affect the objectivity of their own testimony. However, Baskin was also in attendance at the trial as a victim, since she was the target of Maldonado-Passage’s murder-for-hire scheme. Victims are allowed to attend court proceedings so long as the judge decides their testimony (if they are also a witness) will not be affected by their attendance.

the murder-for-hire plot did not result in her murder. However, U.S. Circuit Court judges ruled that she still suffered emotional and financial harm because of the incident. In addition to this, since Maldonado-Passage conspired to have Baskin murdered two different times, the judge at his trial in 2019 had incorrectly considered them as two separate plots, rather than two attempts at the same murder. The U.S. Circuit Court judges ordered the trial judge to resentence him. So, even for all that trouble, Maldonado- Passage remains behind bars. However, so long as the Tiger King’s popularity continues, it won’t be surprising if Joe Exotic and his legal team keep searching for ways to get him out of prison.

of “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” Joseph

Maldonado-Passage, more popularly known as Joe Exotic, continues to make headlines.

Following the fame that came with having his story at the center of a wildly popular Netflix series, Maldonado-Passage saw fit to appeal his 22-year prison sentence for plotting to murder big cat rescue activist Carole Baskin on a few different grounds. However, in July, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal.

Maldonado-Passage’s legal team asserted that Baskin was not a victim of any sort, since

THE SPOOKIEST LOOSE CHANGE IN HISTORY Want to See Some Creepy Coins?

As you might’ve guessed from previous editions, at County Civil, we love coin collecting! With Halloween this month, we thought we’d share some of the creepiest coins in history — from vampires to pirates, we’ve got it all. Romanian Dracula Coin Many of us are familiar with the tale of the vampire Dracula, but did you know that Dracula was based on a real ruler? Vlad III, son of Vlad Dracul, was a tyrant born to a family of warlords in 1431. Impaling his rivals on spikes was his favorite form of punishment, so he gained the infamous nickname “Vlad the Impaler” posthumously. In the 1500s, a Romanian coin featured a design of Vlad the Impaler, which now sells for over $4,000. If you want a more modern, affordable Dracula coin, the National Bank of Romania also minted a commemorative coin with Vlad III’s likeness in 2011 that you can be easily find online. French UFO Coin This coin’s origins are a bit spooky since it mystifies numismatic experts to the present day. In 1680, a French coin was minted with a design

that features what appears to be a UFO hovering over the countryside. The coin is known as a “jeton,” meaning it was either intended to be currency for a game or a tool to teach people how to count money. Kenneth E. Bresset, former president of the American Numismatic Association, spent years studying its origins and stated: “Is it supposed to be a UFO of some sort, or a symbolic representation of the Biblical Ezekiel’s wheel? After 50 years of searching, I’ve heard of only one other example of it and nothing to explain the unusual design.” As a rare coin, its price is difficult to estimate. Pirates of the Caribbean Coins From the 1500s to 1700s, pirates terrorized the seas — that infamous era is now immortalized in not only novels, films, and TV shows but also coins! The New Zealand mint created the real Pirates of the Caribbean coin set in 2011. Each coin is 1 ounce of .999 silver and features famous pirates like Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Bartholomew Roberts, and Henry Avery. Set as currency for $2 on Niue Island, the four-piece set can be found online for under $500.

Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoyed learning about these spooky coins and have a happy Halloween!

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4 Easy Ways, Without Trick-or-Treat Walking! LOOKING FOR WAYS TO INCLUDE GRANDPARENTS DURING HALLOWEEN?

It’s tough to find new opportunities to connect the younger generations with grandparents and other family elders — and there could be consequences if their connection isn’t maintained. Researchers from University of Pennsylvania say that when kids don’t get to socialize with their grandparents, they may view aging through a more negative lens. Internalizing stereotypes about old age, fearing the process of growing older, and watching their parents age may affect them in later years. There’s no better time than Halloween to convince your kids that growing older isn’t scary. Here are four ways to include your family elders in the festivities! No. 1: Costume Planning Why not involve your grandparents with the costume planning? Whether they tag along to go costume shopping or help pick out fabric to create your costume, there’s lots of opportunity to involve them in assembling the perfect costume for your little ones. Even if they’re unable to shop in person, consider using video chat services like Skype or FaceTime to include them! No. 2: Trick-or-Treat Options You don’t have to take grandparents on the long trick-or-treat walk to include them — you could have them treat your home’s trick-or-treaters! Plus, if your grandparents live in an assisted living community, you could

also take the kids to their Halloween event. They’re usually hosted on a day other than Halloween to allow families to participate in both.

No. 3: Ghost Stories With S’mores Kids love hearing stories from their grandparents — what better time to share the spookiest ones than on Halloween? Create a bonfire to put together some s’mores and the grandparents’ favorite treats, then allow the magic to happen.

No. 4: Halloween Cookie Baking There’s no better way to enjoy the holiday than through baked goods, like cookies! Purchase

inexpensive, festive cookie cutters in shapes like a witch hat, ghosts, pumpkins, or bats. Kids can help grandparents roll out the cookies, bake them, and decorate them!

We hope one of these ideas gives you inspiration for a fun, inclusive Halloween activity. Enjoy!

BLACK COSTUME GHOST HALLOWEEN HAUNTED MOON

MYSTERY ORANGE PARTY PUMPKIN SHADOWS SPOOKY

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2383 Tamarack St., Lake Odessa, MI 48849 616-374-7170 | COUNTYCIVIL.COM R isk & A ssociates

Rick Risk is Founder and President of Risk & Associates, a legal support service provider in Michigan, and has assisted hundreds of attorneys, municipalities, courts, Sheriff Offices, businesses, and others with their strategic process needs.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 2

A Tribute to Our Clients’ Amazing Paralegals

The Tiger King Remains Behind Bars

What Does a ‘Creepy Coin’ Look Like?

3 4

4 Ways to Include Grandparents During Halloween

Man Sues Woman for Texting During a Movie Date

Man Sues Woman for Texting During a Movie Date

We’ve probably all found ourselves annoyed with someone who uses their phone during a movie at the theater, but have you ever been so annoyed that you sued them? That’s what Texas resident Brandon Vezmar decided to do back in 2017, following a “first date from hell” (as Vezmar put it) with Crystal Cruz. According to Vezmar, about 15 minutes into “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Cruz was texting on her phone. When Vezmar asked her to stop texting, she refused. Then, Vezmar suggested that she step outside of the theater to text. Cruz took his suggestion and never returned. Most people would chalk the experience up to a bad date and move on, but Vezmar was so indignant that he reached out to Cruz the next day and requested that she

compensate him $4 for the pizza and $17 for the movie ticket he’d paid for. If she didn’t pay, he threatened to go after the money in small claims court. When Cruz initially refused, Vezmar made good on his threat and filed a petition in Austin, Texas. Vezmar made the case that Cruz had violated the cinema’s no cellphone policy and had negatively impacted his and other moviegoers’ experiences of watching a raccoon and a talking tree (among other beings) save the day. He claimed that while he sought modest damages, it was the principle of the thing that really mattered to him. He called Cruz’s behavior “a threat to civilized society.”

legal system, the lawsuit was eventually dropped after the TV show “Inside Edition” reunited Cruz and Vezmar and filmed her paying him back for the date. As the camera rolled,

he counted his cash and considered them square.

Unlike “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” there were no good guys in this story —

but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining to read about after the fact!

As entertaining as it might have been to see that case fully make its way through the

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