News - Friday, November 15, 2013

Sixty miles from Chicago, in the southwest corner of Michigan, a boy grew up in a small town called Three Oaks. Or, as he puts it, “two oaks and a stump.” It was one of those communities defined by its fields and orchards, and in which everyone knew everyone.

A vehicle plows into your living room. Your roof collapses on the car and the driver inside of it. A quick call to 911, and Chattanooga Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) could be dispatched.

On Thursday, November 7, USAR team members practiced using a heavy crane such as this one on unique rescue scenes. The USAR team responds to emergencies in a ten-county area that require special training and equipment, such as high-angle rescues, trench rescues, and confined spaces. To prepare for situations in which verbal communication might not be effective, the USAR team members practiced using hand signals.

Martha Culp and Alex McVeagh have joined Chambliss as associate attorneys. Culp is a member of the firm’s business group. She graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law, where she served as senior editor of the Law and Psychology Review, and has a B.A. in History from Davidson College. McVeagh joins as a member of the law firm’s litigation and risk management practice group. He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School and has a B.S. in Economics from Vanderbilt University. (David Laprad)

Dominic J. Gianna, one of America’s master advocates and outstanding teachers of trial advocacy, persuasion and trial techniques, believes CLE should be fun, interesting and immediately useful in your practice.

In “Winning Before Trial: 10 Keys to Winning Depositions,” a seminar taking place Thursday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. To 3:45 p.m. at the Walden Club,  Gianna will demonstrate his “surgical” approach to depositions, illustrates how to use “the rules” to take immediate control, and show how to obtain complete closure. He will also illustrate three power steps to gather facts, obtain admissions, and test theory.

Looking back at my life, I have a large collection of memories revolving around the holiday season wedged between Halloween and New Year’s. Is there any other time of the year that creates such a multitude of memories? What other time of the year offers the emotional highs and lows that come with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s? The importance of making the most out of the holidays cannot be overstated. This holiday season will be compared to all others; why not do all you can to make it the best ever?

If you have been keeping up with the latest health news, then you undoubtedly have heard that researchers are now saying coffee is good for you. Well, I say, good for us! One of my favorite drinks is coffee, and now I can enjoy it guilt free!

The goodness from coffee comes from the darkness of the bean. All dark fruits (i.e. cherries, blueberries, red grapes, blackberries, etc.) are better for you than the light-skinned ones, and the same good qualities that those dark fruits bear are what makes the coffee bean so healthy: antioxidants.

One of my favorite quotes is from a Shakespearean play: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” It gets me hot and bothered when people abuse and/or misuse this nugget of literature. 

Years ago, I read an opinion piece that began, “As Shakespeare wrote it, King Henry VI said: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.’ …” Being an English major and all, I wrote the author of that story. And told him that King Henry VI said no such thing – at least not in anything Shakespeare wrote. Which, I suppose, raises the issue of what, as Shakespeare wrote it, was said and by whom.

The INCubator at the Hamilton County Business Development Center celebrated its 25th anniversary supporting local entrepreneurship and job creation with a facility-wide open house Friday, November 8. The event showcased tenant businesses and remarks from Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. Pictured: Former Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, who was honored for his contributions to the INCubator, speaks with Ron Harr, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce chief executive. (David Laprad)

Ladybug!  Ladybug!

Fly away home.

Your house is on fire.

And your children all gone.

- Nursery rhyme

This past week, Don and I attended an American Court and Commercial Newspaper Conference (ACCN), in Baltimore, Md. We stayed in downtown Baltimore, across the street from the Chesapeake Bay. We had a beautiful view from our room of the USS Constellation, which is now a permanently docked museum. Looking out over the water at the gigantic ship and all the neat little shops and restaurants they have built around the bay is a wonderful, scenic view.

Like any real estate lawyer worth his or her salt, Paul Hatcher can come up with a quick nightmare scenario in which his help would be needed.

“Boundary disputes,” he says. “If you have two property owners side by side, and one of them thinks he owns 20 more feet than the other, things can get nasty. People can be as obsessive about their property as they are about the details of a divorce. They’ll get in each other’s face.”

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke was the guest speaker at the most recent monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors, held Wednesday at the Choo Choo. Berke armed the Realtors in attendance with information about what he and his administration are doing to provide for “safer streets, smarter students, stronger neighborhoods, and sounder government.” Here, the mayor greets Nina Boss, president of WCR Super Sponsor Century Title & Escrow. (David Laprad)

In remembrance of our Veterans, below is a quiz about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, also known as the “Tomb of the Unknowns.”

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the Tomb? 21; 26; 30; 32.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk? Five seconds; 12 seconds; 15 seconds; 21 seconds.

Movies have been trying to up the ante of destruction for years. There was a time when stopping a nuclear bomb from leveling a city was enough to fuel suspense. Then along came a series of bad guys who wanted to destroy the world. In “Thor: The Dark World,” a villain has figured out a way to wipe out the universe. It would be a shame to not be around to enjoy the spoils of your victory, but at least other rogues would have a hard time following your act.