Spada Law Group - June 2019

Spada Law Group - June 2019

S pada L aw G roup INJURY LAW LLC

THE SLG ADVISOR

617.889.5000 | SPADALAWGROUP.COM

JUNE 2019

Find Your ‘Why’

It’s More Than a Paycheck

provoking book and one that really hit home for me in my quest to more clearly articulate and communicate our mission here at Spada Law Group. Sinek believes that we should start with why we do something, then progress out into “how” we do it, and then finally to “what” we do. By following this path, we will be able to live a more inspired professional life and inspire others to follow us in our quest to accomplish worthwhile goals. The “why” is our passion; it’s what gets us out of bed in the morning. It’s more than the paycheck. that were caused by someone else’s negligence. That is what we do. How we do it is by leveraging our team’s past experience as trial lawyers and adjusters for the large insurance companies that we now routinely do battle against. We give our client’s a true insider’s edge. But why do we do it? On some level, I always knew why I chose this area of law to focus on, but I never sat down to fully flush out my reasons for why I do what I do until recently. Some might reply to this why inquiry with a matter of fact. “Because I need the money to support myself and my family.” I get that, loud and clear, but a paycheck is the result of what you do, not the why . If you do something only for a paycheck, there’s almost certainly not going to be any real passion in your work. I believe everyone, regardless of economic or social status, is entitled to be treated fairly At Spada Law Group, we help injured people receive compensation for injuries

I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a social situation where someone has asked me, “So, what do you do for a living?” It’s such a common question to ask when meeting someone for the first time, and many of us never give it a second thought. Anyone who knows me well won’t be surprised to learn I have given it a second — maybe even a third — thought. Why do we ask this question so early in our social interactions? Why is this one of our first questions? Why do we care? Do we subconsciously treat people differently based on their answer? I certainly hope not, but I suspect that we might. I think a great follow- up question should be why do you do what you do? I am currently reading “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek. This book explores this question and the life-changing power behind “finding our why.” It is a very thought- “The ‘why’ is our passion; it’s what gets us out of bed in the morning.”

in the eyes of the law. I believe that large wealthy corporations should enjoy no legal advantage over an individual because of their deep pockets. I believe each fight in our justice system MUST be a fair fight and we make sure that it is! This is my why , and this why is the reason I started Spada Law Group. As I think back on my career, that has always been my why , I just never put it into words or spent much time thinking about it. In fact, the several years at the beginning of my career when I worked defending insurance companies, my why wasn’t aligned with my true passion, and I was professionally and personally unsatisfied. If you are lucky enough to be doing something that promotes your why , it’s not just work; it’s a passion. I pray all my current and former clients reading this can find and live their why . -Len Spada

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Heroic Dads Who Didn’t Back Down

B eing a P arent I sn ’ t A lways a W alk in the P ark

Kids often look up to their father as one of their greatest heroes. There are the long drives to sports tournaments, the late-night movies, and the sweets when Mom isn’t looking. We probably all have some reason to look up to our dad as one of our biggest influences. It’s Father’s Day this month, a special time of year when we take a moment to think about the sacrifices the father figures in our lives have made for us. Most dads are pretty great, but some go above and beyond the fatherly call of duty. Let’s take a look at some heroic dads who risked everything to keep their families safe. Brad Lewis: Over the Ledge Life can change in a split second, and how you choose to react in a moment of peril can define your legacy forever. Few people know this as well as Brad Lewis. When Brad and his young son, Oscar, were deeply entrenched in an intense Nerf battle, he surely didn’t think the situation would turn as dangerous as it did. When a few darts missed his father and landed on the balcony, Oscar ran after them but soon found himself teetering on the balcony’s ledge, 12 feet above the ground. Thinking fast, Brad grabbed his son just before he fell over, both taking the plunge while Brad protected his son with his own body. Just as he’d intended, Brad absorbed most of the blow. While Oscar sustained serious wounds, his father’s injuries were more severe. Brad was left fighting for his life in the ICU, with severe fractures to his skull and vertebrae. Thankfully, Brad is expected to make a full recovery and has

made serious strides since the accident. He and his son will live to play another day.

GregAlexander: Couldn’t Bear to See His Son Hurt While camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in June 2015, Greg Alexander awoke to the sound of a nightmare. The screams of his son intermingled with the roars of an unknown assailant, beckoning Greg to his son’s tent. There, he found his son Gabriel being attacked by a bear. The bear had his son by the head and was dragging him away. Greg jumped on the bear’s back, desperately trying to take attention away from Gabriel. Amazingly, it worked, and in the end, the bear ran away. Gabriel was left with serious cuts to his head, but thanks to his dad’s heroism, the two were able to walk away from that campsite and back to their lives together. The important thing to remember is you don’t have to take a leap of faith or fight a bear to be a hero in your family’s eyes. Just be yourself, show some support, and do the best you can. Happy Father’s Day, everybody.

Spada Law Group Academic Scholarship

Recognizing Hard Work and Supporting the Future

• Must have been attending their current school for two years or more (Photo ID and school counselor confirmation of residence) • Must be a MA resident Students who meet these qualifications may submit a 900–1,000-word essay about a challenging situation they have faced in their life. The essay must cover how they overcame the challenge, what they learned from it, and how they plan to use those life lessons to pursue what they want to study. If you know a local high school senior with big plans for their future, encourage them to apply by submitting their essay online between Nov. 1, 2019–Feb. 1, 2020. Keep an eye out on our website (spadalawgroup. com) for more details on the online process as our applications should be available by the end of the summer 2019. Winners will be notified via email and phone by April 15, 2020. To congratulate our winners, we will be holding a celebration dinner at Kowloon in May 2020. Winners and one guest are invited to attend. Through this scholarship, we aim to acknowledge the efforts of hard- working young people in our communities and help them along their way.

At Spada Law Group, we have a responsibility to help the people in our community. We’re able to do this at the firm by ensuring every fight in our justice system is a fair fight, but we also want to do our part to help our community as a whole grow and thrive. This year, we’re proud to announce the Spada Law Group Academic Scholarship.

We will be awarding a $500 academic scholarship to one student from each of these local high schools:

Medford High School Revere High School Salem High School Saugus High School Winthrop High School

Chelsea High School East Boston High School Everett High School Lynn High School Malden High School

How to Apply Students who wish to apply for the Spada Law Group Academic Scholarship must: • Be a high school senior graduating during the 2019/2020 school year • Be in good standing at their high school at the time of selection and through their graduation date • Plan to attend a traditional two-year or four-year college or an accredited trade school (acceptance and enrollment must be confirmed)

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Word Search June Word Search

Do You Have the Right Attorney? 8 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Lawyer You usually don’t want to hire a personal injury lawyer because it usually means you’ve found yourself in a difficult situation. Here are some important questions you need to ask in order to find the best attorney to help with your case. “Who specifically will be handling my case?” Some lawyers who advertise on TV aren’t the lawyers who will be working on your case and may instead pass your case to another firm in a different state. Insist on speaking to the lawyer who will be handling your case. “Does this lawyer only handle personal injury cases?” No lawyer can be a legal jack-of-all-trades. Look for an attorney who only handles personal injury cases, because that means they have more experience with personal injury cases and are most likely good enough to sustain their practice on those cases alone. “How much experience does this lawyer have?” You can determine experience with the following questions: • How long has the lawyer been practicing injury law? • What type of training has the lawyer received? • Do they have courtroom experience? • Have they ever tried cases? Have they ever mediated or arbitrated cases? “What is this lawyer’s reputation?” You can get a sense of an attorney’s reputation through client reviews as well as ratings by independent, third-party organizations like Super Lawyers (superlawyers.com) and Avvo (avvo.com). “What kind of support staff will be assisting with my case?” Great lawyers don’t get great results all by themselves. They need a competent team in place. Check if the firm is properly staffed and if the staff has experience handling injury claims. “Does this lawyer have the financial resources to prosecute my case?” If a lawyer does not have adequate financial resources to pay court costs, expert fees, deposition expenses, etc., your case may not get all the attention it needs. “What’s the average time it takes to settle my kind of case?” You typically shouldn’t have to wait more than 45–60 days after your medical care is completed to know whether or not a settlement is likely, or whether going to court is a necessary next step. “Has this lawyer handled other cases like mine in the past?” An experienced personal injury lawyer will have worked with many cases identical or similar to yours and will be more likely to achieve a positive outcome.

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Beach Hot Play Tan

Break June Summer Travel

Fun Outside Sun Vacation

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FUN

HOT PLAY TAN

JUNE

OUTSIDE

SUMMER TRAVEL

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VACATION

Best Backyard Lobster Bake Local Chef’s Corner Inspired by Food Network

Time for an old-fashioned Massachusetts lobster bake. Invite your family and all of your friends because there will be plenty to go around.

INGREDIENTS • 15 lbs. seaweed • 16 lobsters (1 1/2 lb. each) • 16 ears corn, shucked • 5 lbs. red potatoes, parboiled halfway in salted water

• 10 lbs. large clams • 1 bottle white wine EQUIPMENT • 2 yards wet burlap • 1 galvanized washtub

DIRECTIONS 1. Start fire and heat coals for one hour until white-hot.

2. Spread half of seaweed on bottom on the tub. Add lobster, corn, potatoes, and clams, in that order. Cover with remaining seaweed and pour in wine. Place burlap over food, tucking edges into tub. 3. Set tub on hot coals. Cook for 45 minutes, moistening burlap with water every 15 minutes. 4. Serve hot with melted butter, coarse sea salt, and preferred spices.

Ready to learn more? Go to HireTheRightAttorney.com or use your smartphone to scan the QR Code on this page to watch an important video to help you hire the right personal injury lawyer for your case.

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S pada L aw G roup INJURY LAW LLC

111 Everett Ave #1F Chelsea, MA 02150 617.889.5000 SpadaLawGroup.com

Inside This Issue

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Learning to Live My Life from WHY Dads Who Went Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Spada Law Group is Awarding Students $5,000 Lobster Bake How to Find the Right Lawyer Dogs in Ancient Legend

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Good Boys of Antiquity Far before humans had written histories, we had dogs. From hunting and shepherding to playing and relaxing, our early ancestors had canine companions by their side, and their appreciation shows. As storytelling developed around the world, our four-legged friends became important characters. Here are a few ancient legends for the historical dog lover. Tarascan Spirit Dogs DOGS IN ANCIENT LEGEND

man is crestfallen when his hound is revealed to be a human. Tuiren’s nephew, the hero Fionn, cheers Fergus up with a new puppy! Yudhishthira’s Stray The Indian epic “Mahabharata” is thought to date back to the eighth or

Many Mesoamerican cultures featured dogs prominently in their myths and legends, especially in regard to the afterlife. One of the most notable of these comes from the Tarascan state, an empire that rivaled the Aztecs. The Tarascans believed canine spirits would search out the souls of lost humans and guide them safely out of the mortal world. Leave it to dogs to create ghost stories with happy endings. Tuiren the Wolfhound In Irish folklore, Tuiren was a beautiful woman to be wed to Iollan Eachtach, but this love made Iollan’s faery sweetheart jealous. In an attempt to ruin the young woman’s wedding, the faery turns Tuiren into a hound and gives her to Fergus Fionnliath, a renowned dog- hater. This cruel act backfires when the Irish wolfhound wins over Fergus, teaching him to love not just her but all dogs too. In fact, the

ninth century B.C. and tells the story of two warring families. Toward the end of the tale, prince Yudhishthira and his family begin to ascend the Himalayas to reach heaven, and a stray dog joins them on their journey. One by one, Yudhishthira’s companions fall, until only the prince and his furry friend remain. When the god Indra finally appears to offer Yudhishthira passage into heaven, he brings bad news: The dog cannot come with him. But Yudhishthira refuses to abandon his dog, explaining that he could never leave such a loyal, steadfast companion. Anyone who’s turned down a great apartment offer because they don’t allow pets can relate.

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