The Anthony Reeves Experience

Ever wonder why attorneys are so long winded?? 07/28 by The Honorable Anthony Reeves | Legal : Have you ever wondered why asking an attorney a question may result in a long winded response? There is a reason for that and we will talk about that today

  One of the most powerful feelings to have to overcome is the feeling where you were just ‘happy to be somewhere’. We’ve probably all experienced that at some particular point in our life where we are just shocked by the reality that we are in our situation. What becomes even more troubling is when you start wondering if you even deserve to be where you are. You wonder if somebody is going to discover that you have no business being where you are and that you are literally an imposter. Whenever someone approaches me for any variety of different reasons, I have to fight to remind myself that I deserve to be approached. I had to remind myself that they are not merely coming to me out of a sense of trying to make me feel good about myself. They are coming to me because they recognize that I have a skill set and then I have an energy that they can learn from, benefit from, or gain something from. When I look back on the milestones and the things that I’ve done in my life, and almost e...

At age 17, I hadn’t accomplished anything in the world.  At least, in my eyes, I didn’t think I had done anything.   So, when given the chance to go to Army Basic Training, I truly felt I was doing something significant.  I was completely unaware of any of the obstacles or challenges in front of me.  I was constantly worried that I was ‘one day removed’ from getting kicked out.  It’s not that I was failing anything.  It was because I was terrified about the unknown. So, when faced with the task of a 25 mile road march, my mind couldn’t process that type of reality.  At this point, I had already learned a lot.  I had never fired a weapon (I learned how to shoot an M16).  I had never even seen a grenade (learned how to throw one).  And this whole concept of a gas chamber? What is THAT about?   I had passed all of those obstacles. And now, I was faced with another challenge.  A 25 mile road march with more gear on my body that I a...

  Let me tell you about this woman!  NO! NO! That’s not right! Let me tell you about my friend! NO! Still doesn’t capture it. Let me tell you about MY SISTER!  That’s right!  MY SISTER! DANAE AICHER!! On April 28, 2021, she sent me a message letting me that she has been initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. My heart swelled up.   I couldn’t believe it since she had never gave an indication that she was interested in joining a Sorority (that’s usually how it goes). However, for me, it was more than that. Danae is one of my personal DORA MILAJE (and if you don’t know, I don’t have time to explain it to you.  Go watch BLACK PANTHER!  WAKANDA FOREVER!) I have known Danae since 1991 when she was a freshman in College and I was a senior.   When I met her, I didn’t know the impact she would have but she would.  She convinced her mom to allow my wife to throw me a surprise Birthday party at her  Mom’s house when I was in law school....

6 reasons why you should keep your settlement papers 07/12 by The Honorable Anthony Reeves | Legal : After you settle your lawsuit, you may be thinking of throwing away your settlement papers. However, the paperwork may contain some important information that may present itself in the future. Here are 6 reasons why you should keep your settlement paperwork

In recent weeks, I have been intrigued by the discussions surrounding how the topic of racism should be taught, especially to children.  And as I hear these discussions, I am hearing an increasing chorus of people who appear to be discouraging the discussion of certain unpleasant aspects of racism. What is becoming MORE intriguing is a growing discussion among some with the focus on NOT talking about racism to our children. I understand the desire to avoid messaging of any kind that appears to serve as an indoctrination towards a specific mentality.  I, also, completely understand the desire to protect the innocence of our youth as long as possible.   However, for those who don’t want racism discussed or taught, I have one question: “If you don’t want to talk about racism, has anyone told the racists, yet?” Now, there are going to be some people who will read this post and think I am being flippant but I am not.  And if some of you have children in communities w...

The reality of the Health Scare 07/09 by The Honorable Anthony Reeves | Legal : Have you ever had an abnormal lab report? How about your doctor telling your that you need to see a specialist? How about being told that you need to get a CAT scan, Biopsy, or XRay? Any of these things or all of things can make you feel scared about your health. Here are some things to think about when faced with a health scare

  Once I became an attorney, I was surprised by the number of times people asked me if I knew about a type of returning to refer to them. Most of the time, it would either be criminal or family law. And most of the conversations usually would start out with just giving me an overview of their case just so that I can get an impression about whether they had a good case or if I could give them some feedback. I usually didn’t mind. The conversation would take a unique turn when the person would ask me if I knew anybody who handles the particular area of law they needed assistance with. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know a few attorneys here and there but the thing that always caught my attention was that they wanted a pitbull to represent them in their case. Even when I told them that most State Bar require attorneys will take your case they have to provide competent representation, there was this expectation that if I referred them to someone, they wanted me to ensure that I connect him...

In my home town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, my grand parents had 6 children.   Of those 6 children, 4 of them were educated in a segregated school system.  The two youngest spent the first half of their education in a segregated system and the second half in an integrated system. We often focus on the high profile situations relating to integration that materialized after the U.S. Supreme Court Case “Brown v. Board of Education”.  Cases like the integration of the University of Alabama, the University of Mississippi, or the Little Rock (Ark) Central Nine. But there are countless stories of trauma and experience we don’t talk about as it relates to this experience. My Aunt Berniece (my grandmother’s sister) was the head secretary (Principal’s secretary) for the All black High School, South East High School.  However, when the schools were integrated, she was relegated to the lowest secretarial position.   She was given menial tasks to perform.  She was ridicule...

Not too long ago, I did a series of interviews where I interviewed my aunts, my uncle, and my mom about what it was like to grow up in the south during the 50s and 60s. For those of you who may not be aware, the laws of the time which segregated black people from white peoples were known as Jim Crow laws. Part of my desire to capture these untold stories from loved ones who actually lived it was to get a better appreciation of the historical traumatic reality that they had to face. One of the things that struck me when I spoke to all four of them was that they each said one particular point.  This is just how it was.  Can you wrap your mind around the reality that you had a large scale group of people who were being exposed to the most depressing and disturbing situation and it was normal for them? My generation was the first generation to actually grow up in an integrated society in terms of access to services, educational systems, and countless other systems and resources wh...

  For all of the things that I’ve done in my life, I think most people may be surprised to know that I came very close to not graduate from college. In order to graduate from my alma mater, you need to have a 2.5 overall GPA and a 2.0 in your major. Heading into the last semester of college, I was on the border for both. In other words, I had to maintain a 2.5 overall in order to ensure I graduated. That part wasn’t hard. It was a 2.0 in my major that was tough. Aside from my first semester during my freshman year, I struggled with a variety of different courses in my major. I have flashes of brilliance here and there. However, it took me until my senior year to realize that the struggles that I had was because I needed to change how I was studying. The lesson of today is not about studying. The lesson I wanna share today is the importance of having people in your life who will give you just an extra nudge to let you know to keep pushing so you can get to the finish line. Halfway t...