Introduce yourself here-June 2022

Hello everyone my name is Frances.

The most recent book I read was Unbreakable by Jelena Dokic.

I hail from Sydney, Australia.

An interesting case Donoghue v Stevenson.

Hi everyone,

My name is Jamie Jones.  I’m the Office manager/Paralegal for William E. Maddox, Jr. LLC in Knoxville, TN.  

The last book I read was a series called The Days of Noah.

Ice House Am., LLC v. Cardin, 751 F.3d 734 (6th Cir. 2014) - Our office represented Mr. Cardin in United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit.

Hi everyone!

I am Heather Leonard. I am a solo attorney in Alabama. I primarily handle employment discrimination and harassment cases. 

The last book I read was The Atlas Six by Oivie Blake.

Most of my cases involve some crazy facts, but a recent pregnancy discrimination case I handled (Durham v. Rural/Metro) highlighted inadequacies in the existing law protecting pregnant employees and led to my client testifying in front of Congress in support of legislation to correct those problems - https://msmagazine.com/2019/10/24/the-pregnant-workers-fairness-act-is-long-overdue/ 

Hey y’all!

I’m Amanda.  I’m the Senior Lit. Paralegal/Office Manager at our small firm in Hilton Head Island, SC.  I primarily handle criminal defense cases.

The last book I read was The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - I read it when it first came out in 2019 (I have 2 young kids so my opportunities to read are very limited 😬🙄)

I originally hail from Saudi Arabia but have lived in South Carolina for 19 years now.

We’ve had a lot of interesting cases over the years, I’m not sure I can pick just one.  BUT, this is my favourite order ever issued - If this doesn't make you laugh then you might be "madder than mosquitoes in a mannequin factory"

That Order is AWESOME!!

The “Smokeball” name FINALLY makes sense… I always thought it would make a good name for a brand of marijuana (or whatever the right term is) or a flaming alcoholic drink… (feel free to steal those ideas & make millions)

Howdy Folks!

My name is Javier and I manage the Client Training Team here at Smokeball. 

I am not quite done my most recent book but it is called “The Queen’s Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth’s Court”. I am a nerd for Renaiisance English history and it’s a cool book written using a lot of actual letters written back and forth by members of Elizabeth I’s court. 

I haven’t worked on any cases but I am loving reading about all of yours!

Hello all!

My name is Sara Sultan and I am a Senior Trainer here at Smokeball.  I was born in the Chicagoland area and still live here despite my intolerance for cold.

I read a ridiculous number of books, but the favorites that I have read recently are by Taran Matharu.  It is a series for young adults called the Summoner that I read along with my children.  Excellent fantasy series! 

I have also not worked on any super interesting cases, but @amandaharper ‘s order is right up there.  

@amandaharper that is absolutely hilarious. I have so many questions… 

I love this bit in particular 😂: 

Hey !

I’m Kat, and with the help @Ben and many of our awesome team, we’re here to help bring this community to life!

I’m an old school, “learnt to create brochures back in the day” marketer, now digital CX and plain English advocate. I’ve spent most of my time in the tourism sector where I worked with a lot of in-house counsels, edited my fair share of contracts, and once crafted business development events for a large law firm in the UK. Always thought I’d study law, seems like now I’ll just try to help make your lives a little easier working with Smokeball! 

Love a great book, but like @amandaharper, with a family in tow, it’s easy to start them, harder to finish. I’ve just moved over to audio books and am currently powering through Atomic Habits, while I bushwalk with my dog. 

We love hearing your feedback about the Community (and our new Support Hub) - see you round here in these threads!

@CarsenTazi if we could just combine these two ideas somehow I’m sure we’d be richer than Elon Musk!

I’m Carsen Tazi with Cal Family Solutions. California Family Law - ADR & litigation support services for other family law attorneys. I am a solo attorney with a small but amazing team of dedicated support staff (it takes a whole team to manage my 15-directions-at-a-time brain). 

My unique greatness is creative solutions and deescalating high conflict divorce cases. I’ve been in the Sacramento, California area for 17 years now.

I’m with @amandaharper and @Kat and listen to audiobooks as reading a physical book is nearly impossible with 2 kids under 6 at home. I am currently listening to “Crucial Accountability” (an annual re-read) and “Master Your Time, Master Your Life” by Brian Tracy. 

As a divorce attorney, I particularly enjoy irreverent humor by judges in court cases. A fun one is Bruni v. Bruni, a 2010 Canadian case.

In his decision, the Judge wrote: Larry, who regularly drives by the residence of Sam and [his former spouse] Catherine, “often shoots the finger” at Sam and, on about three occasions, has yelled: “Jackass, loser.” By way of footnote, Justice Quinn observed: “A finger is worth a thousand words and, therefore, is particularly useful should one have a vocabulary of less than a thousand words.”

And:

“When the operator of a motor vehicle yells “jackass” at a pedestrian, the jackassedness of the former has been proved, but, at that point, it is only an allegation as against the latter.”

Hi everyone,

My name is Samantha Keogh and I am the Office Manager for our small firm in Tamworth, NSW Australia. We primarily work in Family Law and Conveyancing.

Having 3 children under 7, I don't particularly have the time for books, I’m more of a true crime podcast gal myself that I can listen to on the go.

Our firm hasn’t worked on any super interesting cases but I am loving reading the ones coming through!

hi all - my name is ruchie chadha and i’m the president here at smokeball.

i’m originally from michigan, but have been living in chicago since 2008. the last book i read was the silent patient - it’s quick thriller/junk food read if you’re looking for some entertainment.

the case that immediately comes to my mind is ins v. chadha (obviously!) we didn’t even get to it in con law, but of course, everyone made mention of it. and no, no relation :-)

welcome to our community! 

Genius idea, Carsen! I’m the Product Owner in Billing here at Smokeball. I was going to spend my day speccing out some new software features, but I think I’ll start researching flaming alcoholic drinks instead. You’re onto a winner! It’s time to pivot, people!

Hi all!

I’m the Product Owner for Billing here at Smokeball, and apart from researching Carsen’s fantastic new ideas, I spend my time working with various stakeholders and the development team with the aim of bring you all new shiny things.

The most recent book I read is “The Haunting of Ashburn House” - I read a LOT of ficiton.

I’m from the Central Coast, Australia - just north of Sydney.

My favourite case is now the one Amanda mentioned: Kissel vs Schwartz :) 

Hi all,

I’m a reformed accountant, turned software nerd. I joined Smokeball in April as Escalations Specialist. Outside of work, I have a several passions - pro cycling, my kids, music (not necessarily in that order).

Sydney born and raised, and living on the north-west edge of Sydney metro area. I’m not a huge reader, but currently am enjoying the bok Aftermath, set “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away”

One case that has fascinated me for years is the mess over the Estate of Peter Brock So many ramifications over Will validity 

Hello, everyone. My name is Eric Camacho and I am a Client Trainer here at Smokeball. Thanks for being part of this incredible, supportive Community.

The most recent article I read was about the Miami Dolphins. While I don’t read books often, the last one I read was Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

I was born and raised in Rhode Island, but you’ll find me working from home in West Palm Beach, Florida.

When it comes to cases, there are plenty of unusual ones including a man who wanted to legally change his age, a man suing Michael Jordan for looking like him, a class action against Starbucks for too much ice, and a kidnapper suing his hostages for escaping. I’ll go with this one, especially because it’s so “Florida”: a Florida couple sued McDonald’s for $5M because the price for a Quarter Pounder without cheese was the same price as one with cheese. The case was dismissed with prejudice. No word on whether it was extreme prejudice.

Hi everyone, my name is Sydni Rotunno and I’m the Social Media Manager here at Smokeball! This is my first week at Smokeball, so I’m loving the opportunity to get to know everyone a little bit better. 😊

I recently read a book called Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan. This book is a retrospective look at Nintendo’s history from their start in the late 1800s as a toy and card game company to revolutionizing the video game industry with their flagship IP, Super Mario.
 

I hail from the northwest suburbs of Chicago! If you ever visit the Chicago office, I’ll be sure to say hello!

One of my favorite cases is a classic - Liebeck v. McDonald's restaurants, aka the Hot Coffee Lawsuit. This case is interesting to me from a marketing perspective as this case caused McDonald's to permanently change their packaging to include a warning about the temperature of their coffee.

Hi!  My name is Alison Lupel and I am the Director of Client Quality Assurance at Smokeball. While I love to hear all the ways Smokeball makes our clients more efficient and profitable, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to improve our product and services, too, so I’m hoping this Community provides me additional insight.

I’m currently reading, “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue,” by V.E. Schwaub.

Currently I live full-time in Evanston, IL just outside of Chicago.  Although, my husband and I just bought a vacation home in Saint Augustine, FL so I expect to spend winters there.

While this might not be my favorite case, my father represented Gary Dotson, in 1989, during his commutation hearing in front of Illinois’ then governor.  The story was covered by media from all over the world.  Waking up to find journalists from the BBC and Japanese news outlets waiting outside my home is a memory I’ll never forget!

Hello! My name is Lauren Acquaviva, and I am the owner and managing attorney of The Acquaviva Law Firm (soon to be Viva Law Firm come July 2022). 

I am currently reading How to Say Anything to Anyone - hoping it will help me be a better interviewer and employer going forward.

I am originally from New Jersey, but I now live and practice in Charleston, South Carolina.

I don’t know that I have a favorite case, but definitely the most memorable from law school was the hairy hand case. How much do you award in damages for causing a hairy hand? 🤔

I loved the old Smokeball Community and am excited to see what the new one brings!

Hi All!

I am Erin Adams Armstrong. I have been practicing family law in Cleveland, Ohio for about 25 years now. The last 12 I have been solo.

A book that was important to me was The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End of Life Care by Dr. Angelo E. Volandes. It was thought provoking and an intersection of law and medicine. After a heavy spring of trials, I am looking forward to some light, beachy fiction over the summer!!!

My favorite decision is from an unreported case that I had against a pro se where the Magistrate said that I maintained patience and decorum despite much provocation. If only I could channel that at home with the teens.

Howdy Ya’ll, I’m Laura from Harris and Literski in Brighton,  MI.  I’m a bit of a catch all from paralegal to office manger and most things in between. Been here about a year, before that I was a Collections Paralegal and Manager for about 4 years. 

1. What was the most recent book or article you read? 
   1. Last book I listened to was: A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
2. Where in the world do you hail from? 
   1. Little bit of everywhere in Michigan
3. Share another interesting, weird or wonderful case here. It doesn’t have to be your own.
   1. Don’t know if I really have one, but if I find one I’ll be sure to share. 

1. Most recent book I’ve been reading is Life in a Jar, about a woman in Poland who helped save children during the holocaust.
2. I am from Plainfield, Illinois, which is southwest of Chicago about an hour. 
3. In my office, one of my quirkiest cases taught me that in Illinois, only an attorney can amend a trust. And it convinced me once again to never, never create a new JOINT trust. It just doesn’t work right!

Just hit reply and share your answers!