Landau Injury Law

Former Editor in Chief of the University of Miami Law School "Res Ipsa Loquitur" newspaper Doug Landau looks sideways at a current issue while visiting the lovely Coral Gables, Florida campus

During his most recent trip to Florida, Dulles area injury lawyer Doug Landau visited his law school alma mater in Coral Gables, Florida.  Always interested to see what is being taught at “the U,” two of Landau’s study group partners (Racquel Rodriguez and Ervin Gonzalez) teach on campus in addition to stellar careers at their respective law firms.

While at the University of Miami, Landau received a full tuition scholarship as Editor in Chief of the Law School Newspaper.  The “Res Ipsa Loquitur” is still being published, and Landau picked up several copies.  The Oak Hill injury and disability lawyer may send the “Res Ipsa” an article or two in advance of his reunion.  The University of Miami Law School is a national law school, which means that students are taught not just the state law, but the law in other states as well as the Federal Statutes such that they can successfully practice anywhere.  Landau says, “the proof is in the pudding,” as he and his study group mates all passed their respective bars exams on the first try (Landau and Ervin Gonzalez have multiple bar licenses) and had jobs with top law firms lined up for when they graduated.

Many ABRAMS LANDAU clients have undergone Magnetic Resonance Imaging (”MRI”) studies to help their treating doctors diagnose their back, neck, spine injuries and orthopedic injuries. Often, South Riding workers compensation, personal injury and Social Security Disability lawyer Doug Landau’s construction worker clients have to have an x-ray to make sure they have no metal in their body BEFORE they can have the MRI testing.

Landau notes, “Just as you cannot have metal in your microwave, you should not have metal in a body that is being subjected to MRI technology.” In fact, Federal health officials have warned that patients who wear nicotine or other drug patches during M.R.I. scans risk burns, because some patches contain tiny metal elements that can be heated by the device’s huge magnet. Landau suggests that patients intending to have an MRI find out whether their patches contain metal.

For the complete New York Times article on this subject by Gardiner Harris.

Professional plowing help for ABRAMS LANDAU's Doug Landau to get to the Law Shop after the 2010 winter storm

Record setting snowfall in the Washington, D.C. area has lead to closures of the Courts, the workers compensation commissions and even ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd.  During the first snow storm, when cars could not get out of Doug Landau’s neighborhood, the intrepid Triathlon Trial Lawyer ran out to the Fairfax County Parkway and ran behind the Virginia Department of Transportation snow plows all the way to the Landau Law Shop.  The Historic Downtown District of Herndon” looked like a ghost town !

Imagine the seasoned multi-sport athlete and trial lawyer’s surprise when he saw foot prints leading up to and away from the Victorian house on the corner of Station and Center Streets !  Did the weight of the snow push in a window ?  Did looters knock down the door ? Did the 120-year-old house sustain severe storm damage ?  No, it was the tracks of the U. S. Post Office deliveryman dropping off important mail for Landau’s injured and disabled clients.  Inspired by the Federal worker’s exploits, Landau put his sock feet into plastic bags before donning his sneakers, so that his feet wold at least remain dry on the hour long trudge home.  After the snows finally stopped, Landau hired professionals to help him get his xTerra out of the neighborhood so that he could get to the office and continue to help people.

DC and Virginia injury lawyers Jay Wingfield and Doug Landau compare notes at the 2010 AAJ Winter meeting

One of the important advantages Virginia dog injury lawyer Doug Landau has over other lawyers is that he attends national and international meetings of top trial lawyers to learn the latest methods, teach and share strategies.  Most so-called personal injury lawyers are too cheap to attend and unwilling to pen their minds up to new ideas and methods of truly helping injured victims and their families.  It takes time, effort and money to attend, support the programming and teach for the state and national trial bar and speciality organizations.  Reading the law journals simply is not enough these days.  While Landau actually goes through the Bar Association journals from Florida, New Jersey, Virginia, Fairfax and the District of Columbia, getting additional information online and especially in person is critical to staying current with trends in the law and medicine.  ABRAMS LANDAU has been a long-time sponsor of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Annual convention, and has taught on numerous state and national Continuing Legal Education programs.  If you would like to see Fairfax, Loudon and Leesburg injury lawyer Doug Landau  “in action,” teaching, trying cases  or racing, please e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555 today.

Abrams Landau herndon high school intern Alex helping with the filing at the Law Shop

ABRAMS LANDAU has been assisted by a Herndon High School Intern this Winter.  While Dianna, Beatrice, Shawn, Kristin, Melissa, Pat Doug & Co. will continue with their regular duties at the Herndon Reson area law firm, an additional set of hands in the afternoons enable the Law Shop team to stay on top of our cases despite the record-breaking winter weather.  Alex has been helping us with the phones, computers and filing.  When you speak to her, please encourage her good work and with her luck in next month’s high school step dance competition !

ABRAMS LANDAU's main building undergoing renovations with "green" Hardy Plank in Herndon Virginia, with both decks on the back of the Law Shop shown

While most clients are familiar with the friendly front of the ABRAMS LANDAU home in the downtown historic district of Herndon, some have asked about the back of our main building.  On the ground level, we have an enclosure for bicycles, as we have clients who have cycled to meet with bike crash injury lawyer Doug Landau ! We also have bikers who park their bikes with us while attending the popular “Friday Night Live” concerts or other events in the Town of Herndon.  Then we have a porch on the main level off of the main conference room.  Above this, the Landau Law Shop has a balcony with views of the Herndon Town Green, the W&OD Trail, the Fortnightly Library and the Municipal Center, where many clients and staff parked this winter, as it is covered, cared for by the town plows, used by the police and free of charge !

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was passed to protect American workers from being abused by their employers. Often times, employees are forced to work “off-the-clock.”  This occurs when managers and supervisors intimidate employees by claiming that there are plenty of unemployed individuals out there who want their job. (See our prior post as to the Fairfax County unemployment statistics.)  This makes employees reluctant to stand up in the face of abuse for fear of retaliation or losing their jobs.  When corporations require salaried employees to work longer hours or increase a person’s job duties or responsibilities, they may be violating the law.

Under the FLSA, a “Bona Fide Executive” or managerial employee typically receives a salary for all hours worked and is not entitled to overtime pay. To qualify for this type of pay arrangement, however, the employee’s “primary duty” must be “management” of the store or department to which they are assigned. Under the Department of Labor regulations, “the amount of time” an employee spends on a particular task can be a good indicator of whether “management” is their primary duty. Therefore, if a company continues to add more job duties and responsibilities that really isn’t “management” work, they could be violating the law by changing the very nature of the job. In some instances, adding the additional work will create a situation where the employee should actually be receiving overtime pay, even though they still receive a salary. There is nothing wrong with employees pitching in during tough economic times. But, a company cannot be allowed to violate the law and abuse its employees so its high level executives can continue to make their same salaries, receive big bonuses and not share in the increased work.  The ABRAMS LANDAU team has referred several callers with wage and salary claims to experienced labor and employment lawyers for their cases.   If you or someone you know has not been paid for overtime hours or other work obligations, e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555 today.

ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. building construction in the "Downtown Historic District" of Herndon, Virginia

Workplace injury lawyer Doug Landau has been “up close and personal” with building supplies and workers outside his second story window this week.  Construction crews have been erecting scaffolding around the ABRAMS LANDAU main building and delivery trucks have been dropping off lumber, hardiplank and other materials for the improvements to the Landau Law Shop in Herndon, Virginia.  Clients calling the workers compensation and personal injury practice may have heard pounding in the background and saws going outside.

ABRAMS LANDAU law firm's back porch construction - continuing our tradition of "Friendly, Not Fancy"

The ABRAMS LANDAU law firm hopes that when this construction is done, the building will stay warmer, resist chipping and moisture damage and keep its looks for a long time to come.  When you purchase a 120+ year old building, there are bound to be materials that need upgrading or replacement.  Architects advised that the use of hardiplank fits in the firm’s “Green” agenda as well as protecting the structure for many years to come.  The construction work will also include fixing the entrance, handicap ramp and porch railings.  While it has been bitterly cold, and we have had snow, the work men have gamely been pressing on, and the work may be finished this month.  It was many months in the planning and getting the Town of Herndon’s approval.  When it is done, we hope that clients will welcome the newer materials that keep the flavor of our old home.  We feel that the construction will continue our goal of a building (and a law firm) that is, “friendly, not fancy.”

Herndon car crash lawyer Doug Landau often gets calls from innocent victims who mistakenly think their rights are protected because the police gave the Defendant a ticket for speeding, running a light, etc.

WRONG ! Herndon car and bike crash lawyer Doug Landau wagers that we all know someone who has received a speeding or other traffic ticket, only to have it dismissed, reduced, or “beaten.”  Just because the person who caused a crash got a ticket DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY mean they are “guilty” in the civil personal injury case.

The ABRAMS LANDAU Trial Team has seen many cases where the Defendant was issued a ticket and their insurance company still denied the claim of the injured plaintiffs.  “It does not matter how serious the injuries are: broken bones, brain injury, head trauma – if the Insurance Company can deny the claim, they will do so to save the premiums dollars they have collected,” according to Loudoun, Fairfax and Leesburg car crash lawyer Landau.  What’s more, according to former Florida State Prosecutor Landau, many tickets are dismissed, not prosecuted, beaten and even appealed.  That is why it is so critical to take proactive steps after a car crash, EVEN IF THE OTHER DRIVER IS GIVEN A TICKET ! If you, or someone you know, has been injured in a car crash accident, please e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU (703-796-9555) BEFORE the Traffic Court date.  We have FREE information that can help you, even if we do not end up representing you.

Norman Landau had taught his son Doug that workers exposed to asbestos could get illnesses such as mesothelioma and asbestosis from the fibers that got into their bodies.  The Senior Landau had won compensation for wives of asbestos workers who had lost their husbands to these diseases and who had contracted these diseases simply by shaking out and cleaning their spouses work clothes.  Unfortunately, these types of tragedies continue deceased after Norman Landau tried these cases and made new law…

A McLean County, Illinois jury returned a $2 million verdict in favor of the family of a woman who died from asbestos exposure-related cancer. The plaintiff died from mesothelioma lung cancer after she laundered the work clothes of her first husband, a former worker at Union Asbestos & Rubber Company.  The jury heard testimony about how this woman was exposed to toxic asbestos fibers when she washed the work clothes of her first husband. Her spouse was employed at the former UNARCO Industries plant in the 1950s. “Asbestos related diseases are “latent diseases,” which means they sometimes take years or decades to manifest themselves and cause irreversible harm, according to Virginia occupational disease lawyer Doug Landau.  The lawsuit named Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, UNARCO Industries Inc., Pneumo Abex, Honeywell International, Inc., Johns-Manville, Raybestos-Manhattan, Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company as Defendants.

The Plaintiffs proved at trial that the company conspired, with a long list of product manufacturers and other businesses, to conceal information about the hazards of asbestos. The companies involved in the concealment of information agreed not to warn employees, consumers, and area residents about the dangers of direct and secondary exposure to asbestos materials. The jury also returned $100,000 in punitive damages against Pneumo Abex and $400,000 in punitive damages against Honeywell International. Exposure to asbestos fibers can cause asbestos-related illnesses and diseases like mesothelioma lung cancer, for which there is currently no cure.    If you or someone you know has been harmed by chemicals, products or occupational diseases, please e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555 today.