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August 2, 2014

Weekly Review for Florida Insurance Law for Monday, August 4, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for the insurance industry, Florida insurance law, Florida insurance claims, and Florida insurance trends. Enjoy!

Hurricane Watch: Tropical Storm Bertha forms in the Atlantic
Tropical Storm Bertha barreled toward the northern end of the island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was churning through the Atlantic at 24 mph. Bertha was located about 20 miles northwest of Fort de France, Martinique, the hurricane center’s 5 p.m. advisory said. It formed on Thursday.

Read more here…

Florida Insurance News: Federated National Launching Another Florida Home Insurer, Monarch National
Florida homeowners’ insurer Federated National Holding Co. and the Canadian bank and investment manager C.A. Bancorp Inc. have agreed to form a new Florida-based homeowners insurance carrier to be named Monarch National Insurance Co.

Both FNHC and C.A. Bancorp are each putting up $14 million for a 42 percent ownership stake each in the new venture.

Read more here…

Florida Insurance: Homeowners insurance fee may soon expire
Florida’s so called “Hurricane Tax” on homeowners and drivers is expected to come to an end at the beginning of 2015. Policyholders have been paying an extra fee for their property and auto coverage for some time, but the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has ordered that insurers put an end to these fees 18 months ahead of when these fees were initially meant to expire.

Insurers have until January 1, 2015, to put these fees to rest.

Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Florida Insurance Law!

August 1, 2014

Weekly Review for U.S. Veterans for Friday, August 1, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for U.S. Veterans. Enjoy!

Uploaded new Photo Album for June 7th Ceremony at Pointe du Hoc – Making History Project
The celebration included two Air Force flyovers. Supreme Allied Commander, Four Star General Philip Breedlove and Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of General Eisenhower attended. Also, active duty members of the US Army Rangers, US Green Berets, and US Airborne were present.

US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on D-Day under heavy German fire to take out an artillery position. Pointe du Hoc was an amazing achievement as a cliff assault and the current location, memorial and pillboxes are definitely worth a visit. Read more here…

Imperial War Museum Reopens to Mark WWI Centenary
After undergoing a £40 million restoration, the Imperial War Museum opens up its doors once again to the public. With its reopening come new galleries to mark WWI’s centenary celebration.

Part of the restoration project of the Imperial War Museum is the brand-new atrium which was designed by Lord Foster’s firm — the Foster and Partners. The new area showcases nine major objects with 391 more coming. Reportedly, 60 of these upcoming displays are never-before-seen exhibits. Read more here…

Auschwitz Survivor Recalls Daring 1944 Escape
With every step toward the gate, Jerzy Bielecki was certain he would be shot.

The day was July 21, 1944. Bielecki was walking in broad daylight down a pathway at Auschwitz, wearing a stolen SS uniform with his Jewish sweetheart Cyla Cybulska by his side.

His knees buckling with fear, he tried to keep a stern bearing on the long stretch of gravel to the sentry post.

The German guard frowned at his forged pass and eyed the two for a period that seemed like an eternity – then uttered the miraculous words: “Ja, danke” – yes, thank you – and let Jerzy and Cyla out of the death camp and into freedom. Read more here…

Uploaded new Photo Album for my June 7th visit to Deadman’s Corner Museum in Normandy, France: Making History Project
This is a small but very good museum in the actual home that served as the HQ for both the German and then American forces. Situated at a strategic corner and crossroads outside of Saint-Come-Du-Mont. Served as a medic station and there are plenty of exhibits related to medics. There is also a tribute to Dick Winters (Band of Brothers) and the Airborne. At the exit, there is a souvenir shop where you can purchase both original and replica WW2 items. Read more here…

Uploaded new Photo Album for my visit to La Fiere Airdrop on June 8 in Normany France – Making History Project
This was an all-day airdrop for active duty military members in Normandy. La Fiere was the site of a bloody battle for a strategic bridge that was needed to get US tanks further inland.

Also made it to the new Medal of Honor Charles DeGlopper Memorial just outside of La Fiere. Charles DeGlopper, a huge young man intentionally stood up and fired his weapon from the hip to distract German forces so the rest of his squad could escape through the hedgerows. DeGlopper continued to fire despite being mortally wounded and being hit numerous times. This unselfish act saved many lives but cost DeGlopper his own. Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for U.S. Veterans.

July 23, 2014September 10, 2018

Weekly Review for Law Practice Tips for Monday, July 28, 2014

Weekly Law Practice Tips for July 28, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week related to law practice management, law technology, and legal marketing. Enjoy!

Legal Tech Tips: Testing Unroll.Me to unsubscribe from unwanted emails and lists. Learn more about this useful app here…https://unroll.me/?eWRkqPwA

Florida Contract Law: When Should I Review and Revise my Contracts?
If you run a business you are selling goods or selling services. In either case you will be making deals to do your business. The best reference for the terms of your deal is a written contract, not a handshake or notes on a napkin. But you got that covered, you had a contract written up when you first started business… twenty years ago. Maybe you even got a real nice official looking form from an office supply store. Better yet, you recently went online and downloaded a generic contract from the web. I cannot tell you how many times over the past twenty years I have heard business owners tell me precisely this when they seek help for a good deal gone bad. See anything wrong with this picture? As a practicing Miami contract lawyer, I do. Read more here…

Legal Tech Tips: 5 Ways to Keep Email from Ruining Your Life
Email is out of control. For many of us in the working world, there’s just too much of it. Email has become a source of anxiety, a measurement of our failure to keep up.

I’ve done a ton of reading on the subject, trying to peer over my virtual backyard fence to see how other people manage their email tsunamis.
Some people treat email like it’s Twitter: a living stream of communiqués that’s constantly rushing beneath our feet, to be dipped into when there’s a free moment — but otherwise, without feeling any obligation to answer every single one. Read more here…

Law Practice Management: Two Approaches to the Commoditization of Legal Practice
In Richard Susskind’s book, Tomorrow’s Lawyers, he predicts that legal work will fragment. In particular, he talks about “bespoke”‘ (a tailoring term for made-to-measure clothing) work. Matters requiring bespoke work need careful crafting and design from scratch; this is because each of these matters are unique, without repetitive elements and workflows. According to Susskind, bespoke matters will become increasingly rare.

Instead, because most clients have legal needs that are routine, commoditized legal work will meet the needs for most legal consumers. Employment contracts, incorporations, wills, leases, and more have become products that consumers can purchase. For many, these products will be perfectly sufficient. The law and requirements for many of these services are well established. Form and even content can be prescribed by regulation or case law. Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Law Practice Tips!

July 23, 2014

Weekly Review for Florida Insurance Law for Friday, July 25, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for the insurance industry, Florida insurance law, Florida insurance claims, and Florida insurance trends. Enjoy!

Florida Gov. Scott Agrees to Meet with Climate Scientists
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said his administration would be “happy to meet” with 10 scientists from Florida universities who want to talk about climate change, a subject he has been reluctant to address.

A letter from the scientists was delivered to Scott’s office Tuesday. Scott and other Republicans have been skeptical of global warming and the governor has worked with the GOP-controlled Legislature to dismantle climate change initiatives.

When a federal report earlier this year highlighted Florida — and Miami in particular — among the parts of the country most vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels, Scott said: “I’m not a scientist” when asked about it. Read more here…

Is this a bad thing? Florida Frets That With Proposed Rate Cut, Citizens Could Be Too Competitive
Florida’s state-backed property insurer’s proposed rate reduction is raising questions about whether it will make the insurer competitive with the private market.

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. recently proposed 2015 rates that include a statewide average 2.9 percent rate decrease on all residential policyholders.
The proposed rate cut comes after eight years without any significant hurricane losses and five years of rate increases following the so-called “glide-path,” which limits annual rate increases to 10 percent.
The rate changes also follow Citizens’ recent decision to transfer $3.1 billion in risk for the 2014 hurricane season through a combination of traditional reinsurance and catastrophe bonds, a $1.5 billion deal that is the largest of its kind on record. Read more here…

Flood Insurance Rates Set to Rise in Florida
Flood insurance rates in Florida are set to increase yet again. Thousands of homeowners throughout the state are likely to see higher rates in the coming months as the National Flood Insurance Program continues to raise rates throughout the country. These rates are based on flood maps devised by FEMA. The federal agency has been making revisions to these flood maps recently in order to better account for the changing risks associated with natural disasters and provide insurance entities a better understanding of these risks. Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Florida Insurance Law!

July 16, 2014

Weekly Review for U.S. Veterans for Friday, July 18, 2014

Weekly Review for U.S. Veterans July 18, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for U.S. Veterans. Enjoy!

Own a Piece of History: Tank Auction Helping To Preserve War History
Rare and expensive military vehicles are set to go up for sale in California this weekend.

The collection includes various gun parts and other military equipment and has been collected over the course of the last 30 years by an engineer and philanthropist.

Interested in getting your hands on a piece of this military history? Read more here…

This day in history, July 15, 1944: Rommel’s last report on the battle in France
While some amongst the Allies started to worry that their advance was not going as swiftly as expected, the situation within the German High Command was a great deal worse. At the beginning of July Field Marshal von Rundstedt had told Fuhrer HQ that it was ‘time to make peace’. He had promptly been relieved of his command.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had seen his predictions come true – Allied air power had severely curtailed German freedom of movement around the battlefield. While the Allies were able to make good their losses the Germans were not. He felt that an Allied breakout was imminent – but he was more circumspect about his recommendations than von Rundstedt “so the end of this unequal battle is in sight. In my view we should learn a lesson from this situation.” Read the report that was sent to Hitler here…

46 years later, two Marines return dog tags to a Vietnam veteran
Arnold “Bud” Pate surely never thought he’d see them again: the dog tags he lost while serving in Vietnam back in 1968. Thanks to a couple of his fellow Marines, however, Pate has been reunited with his dog tags, 46 years after he lost them in battle.

Pate decided to serve his country when he was just 17 years old. He joined the Marines at that tender young age, knowing that one day, he would be fighting in Vietnam. Pate told reporters from WJHL “As a young man, I’d see news reels of World War II, and I just thought I wanted to be a Marine.” After joining the service, it wasn’t long before he was shipped overseas to fight. Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for U.S. Veterans.

July 11, 2014

Weekly Review for Law Practice Tips for Monday, July 14, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week related to law practice management, law technology, and legal marketing. Enjoy!

Legal Productivity Tips: 5 Simple Tools That Unleash Meaningful Work
I recently watched a TED talk by Jason Fried of 37 Signals entitled Why Work Doesn’t Get Done at Work. The message was right on: The office has become a place of endless distraction; so much so that people seek anywhere but there to get their real work done. What happens is the real work ends up getting handled at home, on the weekends, super-early in the morning or days off.
Office distractions are almost an institution in the workplace. They can come in the form of impromptu meetings, Sharon from accounting stopping by your cube to clarify your latest expense report, or a buddy dropping in to kill some time. It’s endless. Read more here…

Remote Lawyering: 10 Keys to Running Your Practice From a Beach (or Las Vegas)
How do I make things work while I’m away?

As a preface, I’ll tell you that I spent years tweaking our system to get things to the point where I can be gone without issues. This was not a quick process.

The starting point is creating a vision. If you can see it, you can build it. Then you develop a plan. Finally, you execute on the plan. It takes time and patience. Here are the elements I had to put in place to hit the road…Read more here.

Law Practice Tips: Autopsy Your Dead Files
Remember the television show Quincy? Jack Klugman played a Los Angeles medical examiner, and in every episode, his autopsy would reveal that the decedent (who’d seemingly died of “natural” causes) was a victim of foul play. Using the clues he’d gained from his examinations, Quincy would convince the police a homicide had occurred, and then manage to singlehandedly finger the killer. In a pre-CSI world, it was pretty compelling stuff.

So why all this talk about an obscure 70′s crime-drama? Because if you’re really interested in identifying the work you love to do and learning how to serve your clients better, you may want to spend some time each week playing Quincy. Instead of investigating foul play, however, you should closely examine those things you’ve given up for dead in your office: your closed files.

Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Law Practice Tips!

July 7, 2014

Weekly Review for Florida Insurance Law for Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for the insurance industry, Florida insurance law, Florida insurance claims, and Florida insurance trends. Enjoy!

Florida Approves Southern Oak Take-Out of 10,000 Policies from Citizens
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) said it has approved the removal of up to 10,000 multi-peril personal residential policies from the state-backed property insurer Citizens Property Insurance Corp. by Southern Oak Insurance Co.

Southern Oak requested in April to remove 8,500 policies from Citizens’ personal lines account (non-coastal properties) and 1,500 from the coastal account (coastal properties) for the September 16, 2014 take-out period, according to OIR.

This is part of the state’s ongoing effort to reduce the number of policies in Citizens and transfer them into the private insurance market. OIR said this announcement brings the total number of policies approved for take-outs this year to 369,341.

Read more here…

Keep a Hurricane Preparation Checklist
In areas where hurricanes can strike, it’s a good idea to have a closet or an area set aside for storm preparedness storage. There, you can keep items you’ll need in case disaster strikes suddenly or you need to evacuate.
It’s also important to know the difference between a watch and a warning, and when they are issued for tropical storms and hurricanes.

Read more here…

Don’t Forget About Flood Insurance
The Atlantic hurricane season has arrived and that means people may need to consider ways to protect themselves. This year’s hurricane season has already been somewhat active, but no devastating storms have yet struck the U.S. This does not mean that the country is safe from such disasters, only that one hasn’t showed up yet. It is impossible to tell when or where a powerful hurricane will form, so it may be a good idea to get a better understanding of flood insurance.
Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Florida Insurance Law!

July 3, 2014September 10, 2018

Weekly Review for Law Practice Tips for July 7, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week related to law practice management, law technology, and legal marketing. Enjoy!

When do I need a lawyer for my Florida Debt Collection Case?
Times have been tough, we all know that. Been there done that. The economy has thrown many business plans and transactions for a loop. Often this meant broken promises and non-payment. As a business, you took your lumps but often could do nothing about it. The debtors got a free pass. You had bigger problems of your own like surviving the Great Recession and making payroll. Fortunately times are better and now it is time to revoke that free pass and get what is owed to you.
Read more here…

Lean Thinking in the Law Office
Though the ideals of lean were originally intended to be used in manufacturing plants, they can be (and have been) adapted for use in almost any professional environment. Law is no exception.
Read more here…

Developing Lawyers’ ‘Soft Skills”– a Challenge for the New Era in Legal Services
The economy is recovering. Law firm business is back (sort of). But the world has changed, and our industry along with it. Lawyers have to be better and do more to succeed in this evolving environment. Better legal skills? That was always a goal of professional development, and continues to be. Great lawyering has come to be expected; it is the price of entry. Our firm, and most successful law firms, have ongoing educational programs to improve and maintain superior legal skills. Drafting skills, oral advocacy skills, trial skills…they are all very important. Beyond those, much more emphasis is required today on the “soft skills.”
Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Law Practice Tips!

July 3, 2014

Weekly Review for U.S. Veterans for Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July!!

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for U.S. Veterans. Enjoy!

Really? Veteran Fined for Flying Flag at Home
A U.S. veteran was fined $8,000 by his home owners association for flying an American flag outside of his home. Watch video here…

PTSD – My Shame Was Being Alive
In observance of PTSD Awareness Day: June 27, 2014, VAntage Point, in collaboration with VA’s National Center for PTSD, presents the following profile of a Veteran who is living with PTSD and has turned his life around with treatment. Read more here…

Preserving the Past: ‘Vietnam Remembered’: Souvenirs, wartime memorabilia tell soldiers’ tales
Sometimes the smallest items tell the biggest stories. Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for U.S. Veterans. Have a safe and happy holiday!

July 2, 2014

Weekly Review for Florida Insurance Law for Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Here are some recent articles of interest that I found this week for the insurance industry, Florida insurance law, Florida insurance claims, and Florida insurance trends. Enjoy!

No New Rights in Florida’s Homeowners’ Bill of Rights
Florida’s passage of a homeowners’ claims bill of rights left few satisfied after lawmakers largely codified current law while avoiding controversial issues such as the practice of policyholders assigning their claims payments to contractors.
The bill of rights was a priority of the state’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and was initially drafted by the state’s insurance consumer advocate’s office.
Read more here…

Homeowners insurance rate reductions coming to Florida
Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance, the state’s largest provider of homeowners insurance coverage, has announced rate reductions for 2015. This will be the first time the state-run insurance organization has been able to offer a rate reduction in several years. The insurer has been facing monumental financial problems recently and has been struggling to overcome these issues while also complying with it duty to provide coverage to its policyholders. The forthcoming rate reduction may go a long way in improving the tarnished relationship that the organization has with its customers.
Read more here…

Thank you for reading (and sharing). Stay tuned for next week’s weekly review for Florida Insurance Law!