This summer, O.J. Simpson is up for parole. Wait a sec. Why is he in jail? It’s NOT for the bloody murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. If you remember correctly, he was found not guilty in the criminal case in 1995. While he was found guilty in the civil trial two years later, you don’t need to be a criminal lawyer to know that people don’t get jail time for civil culpability.
 
As a result of the civil trial, O.J. was ordered to pay the Brown and Goldman families to the tune of $33.5 million, most of which they will probably never see for two reasons. First, he moved to the Sunshine State, taking advantage of Florida’s homestead exemption which precludes creditors from forcing the sale of residences to pay off debts. Second, his NFL pension amounting to a monthly figure of about $25,000 is untouchable by creditors under ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act).
 
Money issues aside, Simpson is currently incarcerated in Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Center after he was found guilty in 2008 of ten counts including robbery, kidnapping, assault, and burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon. While the facts were contested at trial, he and his co-defendants allegedly entered a Las Vegas hotel room looking to recoup several items of sports and personal memorabilia stolen from Simpson including photos of his children. This six-minute confrontation with the supposed thieves lasted six minutes and Simpson was subsequently sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the eligibility for parole after nine years (October 2017).
 
Whether or not Simpson will be granted parole is based on eleven factors evaluated by the fine establishment personnel at Lovelock:

• Age at the time of prisoner’s first arrest
• Prior revocations of probation or parole
• Employment history at the time of arrest
• Category of offense leading to conviction
• History of drug or alcohol abuse
• Gender
• Age
• Gang membership
• Vocational or treatment programs completed while incarcerated
• Reported disciplinary issues
• Level of custody in prison

 
His odds are good. He was a well-behaved prisoner, often mopping the floors and mentoring younger inmates. He took an active role in the recreational sports at Lovelock and had no disciplinary issues. Also, he’ll be 70 years old at the time of the parole hearing, hardly a threat that he’ll return to his mischievous ways.
 
It looks like “The Juice” will be loose come October.

A “millennial” is someone who’s just about grown up now. Anyone born after 1980 who is old enough to read and understand this piece may be included in the curious group. Following the Gen X’ers born in the 1960s and 70s, we Millennials have gotten a bad rap for being a generation of educated, but lazy individuals who care more about legalizing marijuana and vacation time than putting in billable hours and settling down.
 
And this is not merely an outsider’s perspective. According to a Pew Research Center study on U.S. Politics and Policy, Millennials “stand out in their willingness to ascribe negative stereotypes to their own generation: 59% say the term “self-absorbed” describes their generation, compared with 30% among Gen Xers, 20% of Boomers and just 7% of Silents.” We grew up with technology at our fingertips and we were born into a "fast food nation." These concepts go hand in hand. We want results and we want them NOW. Patience for others is not a virtue of the IGeneration, but this doesn’t mean we’re a bunch of inconsiderate, greedy bums. It simply means we are driven on our own terms to achieve our unique definition of success, to the dismay of many of our Baby Boomer parents.
 
According to a report issued by The White House in 2015, “quality of life appears to be a focus of this generation: Millennials value staying close to family and friends, having free time for recreation, and working in creative jobs. However, they also want to make a positive social impact on their own children and communities, as well as on society as a whole.” While previous generations focused on establishing solid careers in the hopes of providing materially for their children, Millennials are more interested in creating a healthy work-life balance, even if it means bringing home less bacon.
 
Take, for example, the market of freelancing. There have always been contract workers, but now, freelancers have taken a prominent seat on the employment scene. Websites like upwork.com connect individuals from all over the globe across every imaginable industry. People can work as few or as many hours as they like, while negotiating rates, and everything is done virtually. Freelancing or working as a contract employee allows Millennials the freedom to maintain a healthy quality of life, while still staying connected to their areas of expertise, on their schedules.

​Welcome to the future. 

The staff at Cognitive Legal Support is thankful for all of our wonderful clients, employees, and colleagues. You make our job rewarding, stimulating, and fun. We hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

​Politics are always hot, but the 2016 U.S. presidential election is scorching. People who haven’t voted in decades are coming out of the woodworks to vote just to make a statement. As I’ve heard at many dinner parties over the last few months, plenty of Americans are motivated by their interest in voting against a particular candidate rather than in support of one. Numerous political commentators are throwing up their hands in confusion because this animosity-driven motivation to vote is unprecedented on such a grand scale.
 
Some people are voting for Hillary simply because she’s a woman. Others refuse to vote for her for the same reason. Most Hillary supporters stand by her extensive experience in Washington as Senator, First Lady, and Secretary of State, to name a few roles. And some others will always vote “Democrat” no matter whose name is on the ballot. And then there’s a huge number of people who are voting for Hillary is today’s election because she is the only one who can beat Trump.
 
Donald Trump is a man, and quite the manly man at that. This fact is a good enough reason for some voters. He has no political experience but endorses all the big Republican mottos. And he’s not Hillary, with her e-mail scandals, issues with Huma and questions associated with the Clinton Trust Foundation. Putting all these pieces together, he may become the next U.S. President.
 
As the election results unfold, brace yourself for history. One day you can tell your children how you witnessed the election where people voted against parties instead of for them, as it should be. Hopefully in the future, voters will be more excited about their choice candidates instead of fearful of the opponents.

​Think of your worst boss. What words come to your mind? Controlling, nauseating, offensive, nit-picky…the list goes on. Now think of your best boss. (Sigh of relief) Words like flexible, tolerant, open-minded, and accommodating surely come to the forefront. Fortunate for me, most of my bosses have been the good kind (think “good witch, bad witch”). When I took a vacation last summer with my family, my boss told me to take a real vacation. As long as I was checking in every few days with housekeeping e-mails, my boss encouraged me to actually put away my laptop and not take it out for big chunks of the trip. I was astonished.
 
If you are someone’s boss or manager, which kind do you want to be? Whether you work in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago (shoutout to the SEO police), you don’t have to be a doormat manager to allow some flexibility into the demands inherent in your average workday. You can still have all the power while putting smiles on your employees’ faces. Try to incorporate incentive programs or at least help create a more pleasant work environment. Surprise everyone with a fancy cake at your next team meeting. Happy employees are productive employees.
 
And if you report to a higher-up, like the majority of us, show your appreciation for your manager’s positive qualities. It will likely only increase those same, and other, positive behaviors. Buy your boss a small token of appreciation for something he or she did which was kind, even if expected. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool when used correctly. Even the simplest compliment can uplift a person for, well, ever.
 
Whether you’re the queen bee or the worker bee, you can surely add more honey to your work environment. Try it tomorrow.

Cognitive Legal Support is pleased to announce our 2016 summer special. We will complete your next appellate brief for as little as $2500, including all research and revisions. See more information here and contact us today for your initial consultation.