From Lead Counsel: November 2020
I hope you all had a Happy Halloween or a nostalgic Dia de los Muertos celebration. Remembering those who have passed is a great tradition in the Latin community that I would love to see evolve into a mainstream tradition. I carry deeply heartfelt emotions for those I’ve known who have moved on from this life. Without a designated date to celebrate their impact on my life, I decided to start my own tradition last weekend. I began my own Dia de los Muertos celebration, and I plan to build on it each year. From my grandparents to my clients, it’s nice to look back and remember everyone we’ve lost. It’s important to find a way to honor their memory, especially since cemetery visits have never really been something I’ve practiced.
The news has been difficult to watch lately as we continue to witness a surge in COVID-19 cases. Our office building in Chicago is currently boarded up to protect against potential looting as the election takes place tomorrow. For better or worse, we’ve become somewhat accustomed to these extraordinary situations. The courts have almost entirely adapted to COVID-19 related changes. This past week, Cook County paved the way for Zoom jury trials. The details have yet to be worked out, but it offers a boost of confidence that we will still be able to obtain justice for our clients if the pandemic continues.
We are accomplishing an amazing amount of legal work at Vogelzang Law. We have recently implemented SalesForce to manage the incredible amount of data that we utilize every day. The Vogelzang Law team has grown exponentially, and we needed a bigger and better system to accommodate everyone. SalesForce always seemed like a confusing, huge company to me. With experience, I now understand why it’s so popular. I expect our efficiency and speed to increase as we continue to build out the software. COVID-19 has certainly pushed technology to greater limits, and we are no exception. Not only have we upgraded our software, but we’ve also gone nearly paperless! Only one year ago, we were going through 1 million pages per month. Now, we barely use 1,000 pages. While it wasn’t a particular goal to go paperless, it’s great to rely on it much less.
As part of our continued growth, we have added a new intake employee, Tyler Shipman. Tyler will help us sort through all of our daily inquiries from potential clients across the country who are seeking representation. In addition to mesothelioma, we see a lot of clients diagnosed with lung cancer. Although many of them smoked, it was asbestos exposure that significantly increased their risk of lung cancer. The increased cancer risk associated with smoking and asbestos exposure is well-documented in scientific research and literature. Unfortunately, many companies failed to warn their employees or people who worked with their asbestos-containing products. As a result, those diagnosed with lung cancer after occupational asbestos exposure will be able to recover compensation. We look forward to representing many clients with lung cancer in the near future, in addition to our mesothelioma clients.
Although the world of fundraising has also changed substantially, it also continues to thrive and survive during these times. Our in house cancer coach, Mirela Kopier, attended the Anti-Cancer Revolution 2 Evidence Based Medicine. The week-long initiative included 33 integrative oncology experts who presented on progressive, research-based approaches to cancer prevention, testing, treatment and recovery. They explored advanced conventional, complementary and alternative treatment strategies while educating attendees on how cancer patients can live without pain and discomfort and reclaim their health and vitality!
We are looking forward to several more fundraisers before the end of the year. Our clients and their families gain a fantastic amount of insight and support from charitable groups and the generous people and companies that provide funding for them. We are proud to be a part of many of these charities.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Although the gatherings may be a little smaller this year, I’m sure they will be just as happy and warm. See you in December!
