The Anthony Reeves Experience

Sometimes, the hard reality is there are some parts of your legal case that can NOT be fixed or explained away.  It’s tough because no attorney wants to tell you that the ugly part of your case may ultimately result in your case not going the way you expected it to go.  However, part of any attorney’s ethical responsibility is to share with you the good, the bad and the UGLY of your case regardless of the circumstances.    The Ugly Parts of your legal case 03/31 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : It's important to remember there some parts of your case that are so ugly there is nothing you can do to address them

There is no HIS story unless you tell HER story, Part VIII:  My Grandmother, MARY BROWN “Mary Brown” That’s how my grandfather would address my grandmother.   Her full name was Mary Louise Brown Owens.   I have no idea why my grandfather would address her as “Mary Brown” but I used to get a kick out of hearing him call her by that name.   My grandmother was always a pistol (and not always the fun way).   I DREADED staying with her when I had to spend the night with grandparents as a kid.  She would make me go to bed before it got dark (WTH??).  I had to make my bed, wash my face and be fully dressed (no pajamas) before I could eat breakfast.   I was only allowed two teaspoons of sugar on my Rice Crispies (No Fruit Loops, No Apple Jacks, No Honeycomb.  The woman was EVIL).   And the day was FILLED work.  I would have to hang clothes on the clothes line (there was NO dryer. The HORROR).  I would have to sweep and mop the liv...

  How many times have you heard people say: “I didn’t know it was a problem”. Take your pick.  It was something you said.  It may have been something you wore.  It may have been something you did.  For whatever reason, the results of your actions caused someone pain or discomfort. And then, your actions are brought to your attention.  You are surprised about it.  You are now aware of it.  You genuinely want to change your actions.   However, you are confused about it.  And that confusion causes you to become filled with questions: Why is it a problem? Why is it what I said or did a problem? Who else has a problem with it? It wasn’t a problem before so why is it a problem now? But have you ever asked yourself this question about why you are struggling to understand the problem in your words or action?: “Is the reason you are having a difficulty understanding the problem is because in YOUR world, you don’t think it’s a problem?” And w...

Everyone swears their case is a ‘slam dunk’.  However, the reality is various parts of your case may have problem areas that need to be addressed.   Addressing those issues head on may make a difference in the outcome of your case.   The Bad Part about your legal case 03/30 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : It's important to get an appreciation of the bad parts of your legal case

  Reeves Point of View, “Still Growing Up” series, part 47:  Remembering and Reusing your learned old skills One of the dangers of getting older is the usage of skills.  As we get older, we tend to use a certain set of skills on a consistent basis.   However, other skills we have tend to either be unused or forgotten altogether. And it happens without you realizing it. How many of us have been asked to do something NOW that we used to be able to do back THEN?  What is our first response?  Do we try to remember it?  Do we try to relearn it?  Do we try to reuse it??  More than likely, we probably found some way to pass off the responsibility to someone else or we politely told someone that we don’t DO those things anymore. But before you ‘pass off’ those opportunities, try them.  Try tapping back into those ‘old’ skills that you once used.  You may be surprised at how much you remember.  You may be surprised by how much you can s...

Spring 2001. After 3 years of trials and tribulations, I was in a great place.  I was getting my law degree from Florida State University College of Law.  I had never thought that me being an attorney would be a THING but here I was.  My mom and grandmother were there.  My dad and my brothers came up.  My frat brothers were there as well as a few friends.   It was great. Yet, the thing I remember most was being told that we were told to NOT do anything disruptive when we walked across the stage.  This event was a solemn event and we were to respect the gravity and significance of the day.   In other words, ‘Don’t act a FOOL on stage or you will be embarrassed.’. For me, this presented a unique challenge.  I was so excited.  I was so elated.   I was so happy to have been in this unique position in my life.  I am graduating law school.  You only graduate from something once and I didn’t want to let this moment pass me by wit...

When you find yourself trying to evaluate your legal case, it’s ok to appreciate the good aspects of it.  However, it’s important to not let it go to your head so you can keep it in perspective. The Good Part of your legal case 03/29 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : There are aspects of your legal case which may be helpful.

At some point in your legal case, you are going to make the calculated decision of whether to deal with it early or ignore it altogether until you absolutely have to deal with it.  You should give some thought to dealing with it early.   Dealing with a legal problem early 03/28 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : There is a benefit to addressing any legal issues that present themselves early

  Reeves Point of View, ‘STILL GROWING UP’, Part 47:  Don’t freak out when YOU become the family expert Get ready.  Brace for it.  At some point in your life, YOU will become the family expert.   And when I say FAMILY, I’m not talking just blood family.  I’m talking family, friends, associates, casual colleagues, fraternity brother, or sorority sister.   At some point in your life, YOU will become that expert. For me, it happened when I was 32.  No one told me it would happen.  I wasn’t even prepared for it to happen.  It just happened. I had graduated from law school.  I had only been practicing law for a few months.  And then the calls began.  They didn’t flood me all at once.  But they came a little at a time.  One question here.  One question there.   And almost ALL of them were outside of the area I was currently practicing.    Don’t get me wrong.  I didn’t have a problem t...

  Reeves Reflection:  I was NICE and WHOLESOME when they met me When I was in college (or at least my freshman year), I was a happy go-lucky, goofy, loud, socially awkward, country kid from Arkansas.   I didn’t know much about anything but I was carefree. Then, I met THOSE GUYS!!    The first phase of my corruption started with Frank.  Frank is from Queens, NYC.  He was a bassist.  He liked Iron Maiden and Rush which resulted in my exposure to hard rock and an appreciation of Bass Guitarists.  He introduced me to a Crazy Italian named Caesar (who is an entirely DIFFERENT story!  I still remember his mother telling me I was too skinny and feeding me enough breakfast foods to feed a small nation.).   Frank brought me to his parent’s place in the Queensbridge Projects (the First time I had EVER stayed in the projects).   The second phase of my corruption was with Mark.   Mark is from Manhattan, NYC.  A basketba...

Use a professional to get referred to a professional 03/27 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : If you have a doctor, dentist, mechanic or other professional, you have a good starting place to find a professional

  Letter from GEN X to GEN Z:  Learning how to RESEARCH YOU When I graduated from College, I didn’t have a CLUE!  It was 1991.   Computers were fairly new (Not everyone had one).   There were no laptops or tablets.  Smart phones were not here.  Cell Phones were here (they were big enough to knock someone in the head).   I had just graduated with a degree in Biology but I wasn’t going to Medical School.  I was 21 years old.  I knew what I was going to do next.  I had a summer job lined up.  I was going to Officers Basic Course for the Army in the fall for 5 months.   But after that, I didn’t have a clue.   Back then, there was no “Monster.com” or “Indeed.Com” or ‘Linkedin’.   There was no facebook, twitter, or IG.   E-mail was becoming a new thing at the time.   It didn’t mater because I still didn’t have a clue. When I was done with my Summer job and my military commitment, I was back to square one...

  Reeves Reflection:  The decision to leave a job you enjoy Let’s be real.  We ALL know how easy it is to leave a job we hate.  Leaving a job that is draining us takes NO heavy lifting.  Yet, how many of us have had to grapple with making the decision to leave a job we enjoyed?  And when I mean ‘enjoy’, I’m talking about a job that provides us stability, security, and reliability and we tolerate it because it satisfies all of our needs? In my life, I have had to make that decision a few times.   And let me be the first to tell you, the decisions were NEVER easy.  The decision to transfer to a different job, which meant leaving the job I enjoyed, to further my education.  I LOVED my first full time job out of college.  I was working in the Headquarters office of a State Agency in Tallahassee, Florida.   I was in a college town (FAMU & FSU).  The legislature convened there.  My place was right off of the interstate. ...

  There is no HIS story unless you tell HER story, Part VII:  My cousin, my sister, my friend (Latitia Owens) As an only child, I’ve never really known what life is like to have siblings.  I can only imagine periods of ups and downs.  I can only imagine periods of push backs, fights, falling outs, and support.  As my wife (who has 3 brothers) tells me, you really don’t appreciate the dynamics of having siblings. So, the closest I have had are friends, frat brothers, and family.   And in my family, the one sibling that stands out is Latitia.   We started spending time with each other when we were around 5 or 6 years old (She is about 8 months younger than me).  Her father was my mom’s big brother.  She lived in Little Rock (AR) and I lived in Pine Bluff (AR) (about 45 miles away but for me, it felt like a million miles).  We saw each other during the big 3 holidays (the 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).   At an early age, we wo...

  There is no HIS story unless you tell HER story, Part VI:  My College Caribbean Connection (The Caribbean women who made my college experience worth while) Anyone who knew me in College knows that I was a HOT MESS!  I was loud!  I had absolutely NO sense of style (I was wearing out of style glasses for about 2 years)! And, in most situations, I was clueless. And my sophomore year was particularly tough.  To start, my high school buddy who attended UT with me our freshmen year decided to not come back.  As a result, I had to ride the bus from Little Rock (AR) to Tampa (FL) (24 hours on the bus).  Also, one of my brothers from another mother (and college roommate) decided not to return.  And to top it off, I was starting my first year as a Resident Assistant.    So, I was coming back to school under new circumstances and new responsibilities and feeling like I had to meet new friends.   Little did I know that a chance enco...

  Ask yourself this question.  What does a Leader LOOK LIKE to you??? Is it your supervisor in your office?  The pastor or priest of your church?  The president of your organization?   Or is it the dynamic, outspoken person who always challenges the system? Or the person everyone comes to when they need something done?  Or the person everybody asks “what are you going to do?” How many times have you looked in the mirror and thought “all of those people are NOT me?” But before you write yourself off as not being a leader (which I have done countless times), take a look the moments you have done things others have not. Maybe it’s the time you spoke up when no one else would.  Maybe it’s the time you stepped in to help with a project that was going down in flames.  Maybe it’s the time you agreed to do something no one else wanted to do. The reality is that there are so many people who desire to be ‘thought of’ as a leader but are not really lead...