Edwards & Ragatz News
Volume 1, Issue 2 June 2010 |
Greetings!
Contact Us: to send us your comments and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Tom Edwards Eric Ragatz
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 An estimated 140 people attended the reception and fundraiser for JALA.
E&R holds Law Day in May Celebration, fundraiser for JALA
Edwards & Ragatz held the 1st Annual Law Day in May Celebration as a reception and fundraiser for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. The purpose of the event was to enjoy a social evening and to support JALA.
More than 140 people attended the event which featured music and some of Jacksonville's best barbecue and locally brewed beer. The event raised $5,260 for JALA.
The firm held the event in conjunction with Law Day events that are scheduled this time of year throughout the country. Members of the Jacksonville Bar Association held several events and fundraisers this year. There was a Law Day proclamation, fifth grade poster contest, elementary school book and art supply drive, high school mock trial competition, naturalization ceremony, school presentations and luncheon.
JALA has served the community for 30 years, assisting low-income residents who have civil legal problems.
View story and photos in the Daily Record.
(Left to right) Mark Logan, chief counsel for HOPS International, and Mark Sieron of Smith, Aguilar & Seiron, chatted with Edwards & Ragatz partner Tom Edwards.
Firm parther Eric Ragatz (center) visited with West Wingate (left) of Wingate Insurance Group, and Richard Brock, chairman of LBA Certified Public Accountants. |
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Has a New Look
E&R's newly designed website has a user friendly case evaluation form, the areas of practice, recent video clips, attorney profiles, printable brochures and links to the newsletter archive.
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 State cell phone restrictions vary
Photo-Wikipedia
Two separate surveys showed that driver distractions caused between 16%* to 18%** of fatal accidents.
Cell Phone Statistics:
--As of December 2008, more than 271 million cell phones are in use in the U.S.
--More than 84% of the country's population owns a cell phone.
--According to the New England Journal of Medicine and the British Medical Journal, the risk of having an injury-causing accident increases fourfold when talking on the cell phone while driving.
--Cell phone drivers' reaction time is reduced by approximately 20%.
--Hand-held and hands-free phones are equally at fault in distracting drivers because of "inattention blindness," a cognitive state that slows a driver's reaction time and limits the ability to detect changes in the road.
--The performance of drivers who are conversing on cell phones is more impaired than drivers who are intoxicated.
--Last year, Americans sent more than 600 billion text messages, 10 times the amount sent three years ago.
--It is estimated that 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries result from driver cell phone use each year.
Source-Leesfield & Partners Petition, leesfield.com
*Fatality Analysis Reporting System 2008 fatal crashes
**National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey Jan. 2005-Dec. 2007 |
Print or request 'Be Prepared Before A Car Accident'
 The brochure contain vital information on what to do -- and what not to do if you are in an accident. Get your own brochure -- print one at EdwardsRagatz.com, or request one by sending your name and address to newsletter@edwardsragatz.com. |
| Drug Safety Labeling Changes on 40 Products
The following drugs had modifications to the boxed warning, contraindications and/or warnings sections:
Avelox (moxifloxacin)
Caduet (amlodipine besylate/atorvastatin calcium) ChloraPrep[chlorhexidine gluconate (2% w/v) and isopropyl alcohol (70% v/v)]
DuraPrep Surgical (iodine povacrylex (0.7% available iodine) and isopropyl alcohol (74% w/w)
Emend (fosaprepitant dimeglumine)
Femara (letrozole)
Fosamax Plus D (alendronate sodium/cholecalciferol)
Hycamtin (topotecan hydrochloride) Lotrel (amlodipine besylate/benazapril hydrochloride)
Meridia (sibutramine hydrochloride)
Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate)
Rapaflo (silodosin)
Skelid (tiludronate disodium)
Sustiva (efavirenz)
Toprol XL (metoprolol succinate)
Vivitrol (naltrexone for extended-release)
Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin)
Zocor (simvastatin)
Visit FDA.gov for more information.
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services/U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
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"I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution." -- Thomas Jefferson |
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Attorney Spotlight:
Join us in welcoming
Jeffrey T. Totty, P.C.
Practice areas: Personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home and commercial litigation.
Experience: 10 years practicing in personal injury, commercial litigation and criminal defense.
Totty began his career as an agency attorney at the New York City Department of Homeless Services. He then joined a boutique firm in New York as a litigation associate, defending product liability cases nationwide. He worked as an insurance defense attorney in Florida handling automobile, construction defect and premises liability cases. He also managed a small personal injury and commercial litigation firm in Athens, Ga.
Admitted in: State Courts in Florida, Georgia and New York; U.S. District Courts in the Middle District of Florida, and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. Education: Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Lansing, Mich.; bachelor's degree in comparative literature, University of Georgia; Stanton College Preparatory School, Robert E. Lee High School. Admitted to the state bars of: New York, Florida and Georgia. Professional organizations: Jacksonville Bar Association, Western Circuit Bar Association (Athens, Ga.). Community involvement: Former co-chair of the Jacksonville Bar Association Mentor Committee. Last book I read: "The Sign" by Raymond Khoury. Family: wife, Ashli; daughter Skylar, 6; and son Anderson, 4. Pets: A cat named Aion and a dog named Jazz. |
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| Product Recalls
MagnaMan Magnetic Toy Figures
Units recalled: 1.3 million*
Small magnets inside the figures can detach and be swallowed or aspirated by children. If more than one magnet is swollowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages.
The toys were sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, Kmart and other toy stores from January 2005 through December 2007.
Simplicity Bassinets Units recalled: 900,000*
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging retailers to stop selling and to recall the dangerous Simplicity bassinets. In 2008 a 6-month-old girl from Kansas was strangled to death when she became entrapped between the bassinet's metal bars.
The CPSC announced the following retailers have voluntarily agreed to recall the product and provide a refund or store credit to consumers who return the bassinet to the store where purchased:
Wal-Mart
Toys R Us
Kmart
Big Lots!
Target
J.C. Penney
Coby DVD/CD/MP3 players
Units recalled: 32,600*
Coby Electronics has received 22 reports of the rechargable batteries overheating, posing a fire hazard. The recall involves Coby TF-DVD 1020 (sold May 2007-July 2008) and TF-DVD 8501 (sold January 2007-September 2009) and sold for $168-$275. "Coby" is printed on the front cover. Call Coby Electronics at 866.945.2629 or visit www.cobyusa.com.
Source: CPSC.gov
*Number of units recalled are approximate |
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Clients have responsibilities to their attorneys |
- Be honest when telling the facts to your attorney.
- Notify your attorney of changes or new information that may affect your case.
- Ask for clarification if you have a question or are confused.
- Be realistic. An attorney can only handle your legal affairs, not other professional services such as banking, accounting or counseling.
- Give the system time to work. Most legal matters cannot be resolved overnight.
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For a complete list of state laws restricting the use of cell phones and texting, visit the 
