back to school

Ken goes back to law school

August 24, 2017 by Ken Levinson Leave a Comment

One of the things I appreciate about my job is coaching future, aspiring attorneys as they begin their legal education. I’ve been doing this for many years, and once again I was asked to participate as a guest speaker during DePaul University’s welcome week for first-year law students. It was everything a practicing attorney could hope for in a group of law candidates—smart, insightful, ambitious.

For the non-attorneys out there, welcome week is perhaps one of the most memorable moments of law school. It typically begins with a brief introduction from the Dean of Students and ends with the most important of tasks: an oath of duty, recited just before breaking off into small group sessions in which a practicing attorney (me) leads a conversation about ethics and professionalism. Perhaps some do it differently but this has been my experience over the last few years, and it makes me appreciate the early beginnings of my own legal education.

That’s a brief way of saying that welcome week is an opportunity for young attorneys to get a taste of the next three years. Ethics, of course, is a big part of that. Part of my task was to introduce two hypothetical scenarios, each presented with several ethical dilemmas and gray areas that were not so easily dismissible. For example, one scenario dealt with an established attorney who encouraged a young legal associate to engage in unethical practices because, to paraphrase, “You’re young. You have your whole career ahead of you, so it doesn’t matter if you get caught now.” A second scenario dealt with a group of attorneys who liked to use hardball tactics to intimidate and frustrate the opposing counsel by sending documents at 11:59 pm on a Sunday. That led to a discussion about what might be considered technically legal but not necessarily professional.

The reasons for doing these exercises might seem self-explanatory, but they are beneficial on multiple levels. They are designed to give students a glimpse into their coursework, but also to stir debate about the nature of the profession, primarily how important it is to preserve your reputation, whether you’re a first-year attorney or one with decades of legal experience. The legal world is small; at some point, news gets around to other attorneys and judges. I went as far as to provide examples of similar situations that I’ve had to deal with in my legal career, including a hardened defense attorney who would not agree to an extension for one of my clients, who had a massive stroke just days earlier. The judge granted the request, and I doubt he’s forgotten how shallow and unprofessional it was for the defense to insist that my request be denied.

My goal for these types of mentorship opportunities is simple. I want to be helpful, and I want others to feel as though they learned something new. At the same time, I feel like I learn something new too.

School’s back. Time to think about bus safety

August 7, 2017 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Summer’s nearly gone, and with it, a semblance of calm. Soon, students from around the country will be heading back to the classroom. Big yellow school buses will once again be prominent fixtures of city and suburban roads, stretching from late summer to the spring. Which leads us to this reminder: it’s important to talk to your kids about school bus safety.

It’s never too early to start. Organizations like AAA have already launched its “School’s Open, Drive Carefully” campaign, designed to remind adults about populated school zones and the dangers of distracted driving (including but not limited to floating on social media). The organization notes that nearly one-third of child pedestrian fatalities happen after school, the most dangerous hours for driving typically between the hours of 3-7pm. That’s prime time for school zones. Parents, it’s your responsibility to follow this tried and true advice.

Stay off your cell phone

This shouldn’t be exclusive to the school year. Traffic fatalities have increased exponentially over the last few years. safety advocates and researchers are nearly unanimous in their assessment that distracted driving is the primary culprit of such ghastly numbers. The situation becomes even more serious when children are involved. They are small and often unaware of their surroundings. The slightest distraction for any driver can have serious consequences, fatalities being one of them. But the bottom line when it comes to distracted driving is this: Stop doing it.

Remind your kids about the dangers of large vehicles

School buses are large and extremely dangerous when children are nearby. It’s not uncommon for kids to think of a school bus as a type of playground. They might think about running around and hiding behind tires, for example. Bus drivers are trained to keep an eye out for unsuspecting children, but even the most experienced driver isn’t immune to terrible blind spots. We’ve heard horror stories about children getting injured because they inadvertently stepped behind a bus that happened to be moving in reverse, or crossing the street without paying attention to oncoming traffic. Remind your kids that large vehicles, especially buses, do not cnstitute play areas.

Remind your teens about the importance of safe driving

Just as children are exposed to the dangers of the road, so are the teenagers who end up behind the wheel of a car. Many newly christened drivers start out by driving relatively short distances, e.g. between home and school. But that also means they have an even greater responsibility to account for the kids who happen to live in those same neighborhoods. An inexperienced driver is much more likely to cause havoc on the road than an adult who knows the drill. It may seem like pointing out the obvious, but to teens, the obvious is sometimes too obvious.

Remind yourself about the daily bus route

It’s unlikely that you’ll have a hard time spotting a big yellow school bus. But knowing your kids’ route to school can sometimes factor into your decision making, like whether to drive them to school yourself. Recently, our managing partner, Jay, was forced to make a tough call related to one of his daughter’s upcoming field trips. Instead of taking the conventional suburban roads, the school decided it would be faster to take the highway. Given that the bus wasn’t equipped with seat belts, Jay and his wife had to break the bad news to their daughter that she couldn’t go on the trip.

Enforce the buddy system

Adding a friend to the mix is one way of keeping two people safe at once. If you happen to be friendly with a neighboring schoolmate, there’s no harm in making it known to them both that two is better than one. The buddy system helps make sure your child ends up on the right bus, and more importantly, that they’ve got each other’s back when getting on and off.

Ken goes back to law school — 2016 edition

August 23, 2016 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Ken_John-Marshall — Ken speaks to the class of 2019.

Last Friday Ken had the pleasure of leading a group of law students during orientation week at John Marshall Law School. There, members of the class of 2019 got their first taste of their legal education. Fun fact: It was a mere 27 years ago when Ken took his first class at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Each year the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism promotes the virtues of “integrity, civility, and professionalism” among incoming law students. The commission asks students to take an oath to uphold those standards, followed by teaching sessions with practicing attorneys that are recruited by the commission to pass along the knowledge they’ve acquired while working in the field.

After a quick introduction by John Marshall department head Clifford Scott-Rudnick, the students were taken to classrooms for breakout sessions. Ken led an open-ended discussion about legal ethics and the mandates of the American Bar Association, part of which included an analysis of three scenarios pulled from actual cases and the implications of each situation.

One of the more interesting scenarios was a situation involving a client’s Facebook account that alluded to several instances of violence and the use of a handgun. The ethical dilemma: Should the defense counsel advise their client to delete their Facebook account? Nearly everyone agreed that attorneys should advise their client to delete incriminating social media posts, so it came as a surprise when Ken explained that doing so would be unethical. Ken also pointed out that attorneys should advise clients to refrain from posting on social media when it comes to potential or pending cases, and suggested that changing their privacy settings was a good option. Deleting or destroying potential evidence, however, is problematic.

The revelation brought about a spirited conversation, which raised good points about the impact of social media in the legal profession and how attorneys need to handle it. Ken was particularly pleased to see everyone taking part in a respectful debate, “the first of many to come,” he joked.

Students at John Marshall Law School formally begin classes this week.

Back to School: Coping with our daughter’s allergies

August 24, 2015 by Jay Stefani Leave a Comment

Back to school with my daughter, who is sporting her allergy bracelet.

Safety calls for lots of due diligence … and being a little annoying.

My wife and I have spent countless hours thinking about something we can’t always control. Like many kids, our six-year-old daughter has allergies. Like many kids, her allergies have life-threatening implications.

We learned the hard way. At the time, our youngster was 18-months-old and we were in the midst of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You can guess what happened next. Within seconds, one of her eyes closed shut and her lips ballooned to gargantuan proportions. Next stop: allergist. It was there that we discovered she was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and dairy. Frightening doesn’t begin to describe it.

Nearly 15 million Americans have food allergies, according to research compiled by FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). It affects 1 in every 13 children under the age of 18, roughly two in every classroom. A study released in 2013 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that food allergies among children increased by roughly 50% between 1997 and 2011. The number of people with allergies continues to grow yet no one knows why. It’s caused a lot of angst for kids, and mostly for parents who have no choice but to be on the lookout.

Experience has taught us that, when it comes to allergies, nothing is foolproof. We’ve learned that the biggest problem is not necessarily being unprepared, it’s preparing others to make serious decisions. Our daughter goes to public school, and each year one of the routine requirements is a form that outlines her medical issues. It’s a step to ensure the safety of our daughter, but it’s just one of many. We try to put our minds at ease by following a few routines and by taking nothing for granted.

Meet the administrators

Every fall we schedule a visit to see the school nurse. Our conversation starts off like this: “Our daughter has a peanut allergy. Here’s the plan we’ve outlined for this year in case something happens.” Note that we say this year. Phone numbers change. Addresses change. Staff members change. Even allergies change. We like to get ahead of the curve. We make sure the school understands the severity of our daughter’s allergy, we agree on an unambiguous plan of action, and we keep the dialogue open throughout the school year. Most importantly, we make sure everyone is comfortable with the plan and that no one is afraid to contact us if there’s a problem.

Equipment

Next, we talk about equipment: “Our daughter has an allergy that requires an EpiPen. Does your staff know how to administer an EpiPen properly?” The answer can vary. It’s almost always 50-50, depending on new staff hires. In some cases, we’ve made sure to watch staff members demonstrate administering medication so we’re assured they know what they’re doing. Yes, we may be the irritating parents all admins talk about when we’re not around, but we’re not taking any chances.

Here are some other questions we like to ask: “Where do you keep the EpiPens? Do you keep them in the classroom? Do you keep them in the cafeteria? Who has access to them? If they’re locked up, do multiple people have keys to access?” With allergies, time is the most critical component. Any delay can turn into a big problem. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if they seem annoying. If we have a choice between annoying parents and overly cautions parents, we go with overly cautious.

Know your child’s personality

A child’s demeanor is one of those unassuming obstacles a parent has to face when it comes to allergies. Our daughter is relatively shy, but we’ve taught her to speak up. We’ve taught her to make sure that people know when something is wrong. Some kids may not be so vocal because they feel embarrassed. Teaching them to recognize their symptoms and to feel comfortable approaching an adult is one of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the years. No one wants their child to feel stigmatized, but no one wants them to be in the ER because they didn’t alert someone to the problem.

Don’t sell your kids short. It’s important to have a frank conversation: Here’s what to do if “X” happens: “If someone offers you food be sure to ask if it contains a food you can’t eat. If you’re not sure, don’t eat it.” Soon it becomes habit. As shy as my daughter can be, she’s not afraid to tell people she’s not allowed to eat a particular food.

Overcoming stigmas

Schools are routinely putting systems in place to separate kids with allergies, informally but perhaps detrimentally. A mother in Aliso Viejo, California was shocked when she learned her young son, who suffers from a severe peanut allergy, spent a cookie-baking activity sitting in the corner of the room while the other students pressed on. In Northern New Jersey, school districts have experimented with the “peanut-free table” during lunch break, perhaps unwittingly forcing kids to overcome a different type of social stigma. Overcoming these issues is largely about developing a relationship with the school. My wife and I chose a specific pre-school over others because they did a better job explaining food allergies to their staff, and had a better plan in place in case something happened.

Make it fun

Our daughter doesn’t go outside without an allergy bracelet, even though it’s not the most attractive accessory. But some places have creative alternatives that can make choosing a bracelet fun, including different colors, themes, etc. MedicAlert, for example, boasts a superhero sports band collection and a “sweetheart” charm bracelet. Lauren’s Hope, a company that specializes in medical ID bracelets, looks like a pseudo Amazon.com, offering an array of Men’s, Women’s, Girls and Boys products, anything from waterproof bands to leather and stainless steel. The “Fun and Funky” category is always a good choice. When wearing a bracelet isn’t viewed as a punishment or Scarlet Letter, it’s a win-win for everyone.

August is school preparedness month

August 3, 2015 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

It's the most wonderful (or stressful?) time of the year. — It’s the most wonderful (or stressful?) time of the year.

Are you ready for 2015–2016?

It’s hard to believe that school is almost back in session. The state of Illinois and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) are presenting several notes for the annual Back to School Preparedness campaign, in preparation for the 2015–2016 school year. We’ve expanded IEAM’s recommendations and included a few things we think could be helpful to you and your family as we inch closer to start date.

Brushing up on resources
The American Academy of Pediatrics provides great info regarding backpack safety, bullying and even homework study tips, as does Edutopia and Scholastic. Experts advise on best practices, ranging from bus protocol to proper fall attire, to keep things relatively sane before school season. Take the time to browse the web for other bits of useful information when you have a spare moment.

Discussing social media responsibilities and appropriate content
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram — they’ve all got their positives and negatives. The negatives, though, can be downright destructive. As it becomes more prevalent these days, have constructive discussions about good content and how/when it’s appropriate to use social media in a school setting, particularly if your young man/woman is a teenager.

Ensuring your current emergency contact information is on file at your child’s school
People move, change jobs, and get new cell phone numbers. Keep up so the school has all the necessary information if and when the time comes. Consider having multiple contacts on file, and make sure to pre-authorize a friend or relative to pick up your children in an emergency.

Knowing your child’s school or day care emergency protocol/plan
Schools often choose multiple meeting points, depending on the emergency. Teachers may declare a local restaurant, a spacious parking garage, or nearby a park as designated checkpoints. Knowing those spots beforehand will put your mind at ease.

Marking your calendars
Your school likely compiles family events, parent teacher conferences and additional information for its academic calendar. Making habit of inputting the important dates on your digital calendar, or keeping a school calendar in a prominent spot for weekly check-ins will help you prioritize your schedule.

Reinforcing bus safety
Crossing at a crosswalk, looking both ways before crossing—these are the moments to talk about traffic safety tips and the dangers of large vehicles. That includes school buses. Buses are designed with safety in mind, but they’re also big with limited visibility. It’s a good idea to reinforce the facts.

Teaching children with cell phones about ‘Text First, Talk Later”
Short, simple text messages, such as “R U OK?” and “I’m OK,” are more likely to get through than a phone call if phone service is disrupted following an emergency. It may not seem like much, but it could make all the difference in a bad situation.

Updating allergy medications and medical records
Prescription medications and emergency meds simply can’t be overlooked. Account for new staff changes and anyone who may not know about your child’s recent peanut allergy, for example. If possible, schedule an appointment with the school’s nursing staff so everyone is on the same page. Provide the staff with a mini stockpile of emergency medications.