To someone else, it could easily be concluded that 2015 was the worst year of my life. I lost the love of my life in February, but with much prayer and friends holding me close, I still consider myself a very blessed man as we close out this year. Whenever I feel down, I sit and think of all my blessings, personally and professionally. I am thankful for my beloved children, my family, my staff, my friends, my business, my clients and how fortunate I am to be able to do something that I love- serving others. I am truly blessed to have all of these in my life.

It says in Luke 12:48 when someone is given much then much will be required in return and when someone is entrusted with much, even more will be required. As I move forward into 2016, my pledge is that I will not take any blessing for granted and I am going to do my best to live up to the dictates of Luke. I plan to continue to help and serve others, be the best attorney and counselor I can be and be generous and kind to those not as fortunate as me.

God has been good to me and I plan to return his favor.

The holiday season is a hectic time for all of us as we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the shopping, the traffic and the holiday parties, but let’s not lose sight of the true meaning of the Christmas season.

 

December 25th celebrates the birth of God’s most precious gift to us, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not about the gifts that are under the tree, but about the time we spend with family, friends and the gifts of love that will always live within our hearts.

When I was a boy, my sole focus, especially during the Christmas season, was what I would be receiving from Santa Claus, and also my family and friends. As I have matured and become a man, with grey hair and more wrinkles, might I add, I have become somewhat wiser. I am certainly not a wise man yet, however over the years, I have learned that it is better to give than to receive.

 

In our society, through both professional and personal matters, there is a stark divide between those who have and those who do not. As people, we should love and encourage one another no matter what our situation. As you read this KellyGram, my hope is that you are inspired to merge this divide and give freely, not only this holiday season but for the years to come!

 

Tis the Season of Giving!

 

As a student of public speaking, I believe that President Bill Clinton, along with President Ronald Reagan were two of the best communicators that occupied the Oval office. The strength and passion they exuded as they led our country was one that deserves acknowledgement and reverence.

 

In President Clinton’s 1992 inaugural speech entitled, “I Still Believe in a Place Called Hope”, he spoke optimistically of America’s future. In today’s world, it is difficult to hold onto any amount of hope. With tragedies like the ones in San Bernardino, California, Paris, and even in our home state of South Carolina, it is hard to see any glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, I see much reason for hope as we head into the holiday season! All of Columbia and the state of South Carolina have many people donating their time, talents and treasure to make this holiday season better for those less fortunate than others. I am proud and blessed to be a part of the Mike Kelly Law Group team and community that values the importance of serving others! It is because of this that, like President Clinton, I Still Believe in a Place Called Hope!

 

One type of case we handle at the Mike Kelly Law Group is first party bad faith insurance claims. First party is your insurance and not someone else’s liability insurance. Unlike third party insurers, your own insurer (think – Homeowners, Auto, Umbrella, etc.) has a fiduciary duty to treat you in good faith and utilize fair business practices. There are a lot of good people in the insurance industry including agents, actuaries, and claims representatives, but I have found in the last 38 years of practice that insurance companies LOVE to take in premiums but do not like to pay out claims as much! That is how successful insurance companies are some of the richest corporations in America!

 

I, like so many of you, spend most of our hard earned money on insurance premiums and in return we must demand that our own insurers treat us properly and adequately pay claims. If you feel that your first party insurance company is not treating you fairly then let us know and we will be happy to review the matter for you. We’re here for the people of South Carolina!

 

This is Thanksgiving week, and frankly, it is one of my favorite times of the year. As you get older, they say you get wiser (at least in theory). This has been a challenging year for many of us (myself included) to say the least, but I cannot be more thankful for all the blessings that have also come my way!

 

My blessings always start with my children, my faith, my family, my church, my legal career and the people I serve who have made my ability to make a living possible, my clients. The Mike Kelly Law Group recently started its eleventh year of operation (hard to believe!) and I am filled with gratitude for the clients who have come back to us for their legal needs over and over again and refer their friends.

 

I have asked my work family members, who are so faithful and loyal, to think of one thing they are thankful for and the response was overwhelming. Here are a few of their responses (they will post more on our Mike Kelly Law Group Facebook page):

 

“I’m thankful for my Immediate and extended family.”

 

“I am thankful for the blessing the Lord has bestowed upon me this entire year, keeping me in good health to be able to enjoy my family and friends, especially my eight precious grandchildren.”

 

“I am thankful to live in a State and be a part of a community that responds positively to the misfortunes of life, whether they are manmade—as the shooting in Charleston a few months ago—or natural—as the devastating flood last month.”

 

“I am most appreciative for each day that my family is healthy, safe and secure. Our lives are busy, especially at this time of year, and I have to remind myself daily to cherish the time that I can spend with my wife, 2 daughters, parents, and siblings.”

 

“I am thankful for my family’s health and well-being.”

 

“I am thankful for God’s Grace.”

 

“I am thankful that I learned the importance of true selflessness. There is a lesson to be learned when you completely give of yourself to someone who can’t do anything for you.”

 

“I am thankful to be a part of the Mike Kelly Law Group and the ability to serve the people of South Carolina.”

 

We would like to hear from you too. Please go to our Facebook page and let us know what you are thankful for during this holiday season.

 

I, like billions of other people on this planet, was shocked and horrified at the senseless loss of life in Paris. I have tried to read everything I could find on the subject and why this merciless act happened. The Paris attacks were also the subject of this past Sunday’s sermon of Reverend Charles D. Petit at my home church, St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Forest Acres, SC.

 

Now the furor is rising in our own country about whether we should accept any Syrian refugees for resettlement. I can certainly understand both sides of the argument. I do feel that if Syrian refugees are properly cleared by an extensive security clearance procedure that we should consider taking them, because that is why/how this great country was founded, and virtually all of us have ancestors (including mine, who came from Ireland) that came here for a better life. I also respect my friends who have the opposite view, i.e. that we should not take any refugees for fear that they will turn on us.

 

Massacres in the name of religious extremism/fanaticism were occurring before Jesus was even born, and my overarching prayer is that people will learn to get along, respect each other’s views and respect the Rule of Law. The actual Rule of Law movement and its connection to our very own University of South Carolina will be the subject of a future KellyGram.

 

I have been blessed to live on this earth for 63 years. I have been through blizzards, droughts, and have seen a good part of this world. My heart however lies in the great state of South Carolina, and I frankly have never been through a six week time period where the weather has been more dreary, depressing and dangerous than what we have just recently experienced.

 

This past Tuesday afternoon, I walked out of my office at the Mike Kelly Law Group in the Congaree Vista and saw the most beautiful sunshine! It truly warmed my heart, brightened my spirit, and made me thankful for something that I have taken for granted for so long: THE SUN! Like in the beginning of this year, when I lost my wife, I have learned many lessons (even though I did not want to learn them in this way). I have learned that the simple things like a smile, a gentle touch, a kind word and even the sun coming up are so very important.

 

One of my favorite poems is “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This past Friday, our newest attorney Stephen Vicari, passed the Bar, meaning he will be sworn in officially as an attorney in several weeks and become an official member of the legal community here in South Carolina. We are very proud of Stephen!

 

Everyone who has ever taken a Bar exam in the nation knows how stressful it is. Even though I passed the Bar 38 years ago last week, I still vividly remember the grueling process of preparing for the Bar examination, taking the Bar examination (three days of hell on earth!) and then painfully awaiting the results. I remember calling the Supreme Court as a 25 year old lawyer after waiting for an agonizing period of time before I was informed by the Clerk that I had in fact passed. What a celebration we had that evening!

 

The consequences of not passing the Bar (besides being humiliated) is that you cannot practice the craft that you spent not only all your time on, but tens and now hundreds of thousands of dollars for your education.

 

As most of you know, the Mike Kelly Law Group has offices in Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Winnsboro, SC. I must confess, as a small town guy, I really love our practice in Winnsboro! We have one full-time paralegal, Altina Johnson, one full-time attorney, Paul Swearingen, and I travel to this office at least once a week.

 

I do not believe that the Mike Kelly Law Group should go to Fairfield County, make money, and run back to Columbia without giving something back to the community. We try to stay very active with the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, the Ad Hoc Downtown Redevelopment Committee, the Winnsboro Rotary Club, and many other special events. Other than a few select holidays, my favorite weekend is Rock Around the Clock, which is happening this weekend in beautiful downtown Winnsboro.

 

Festivities will kick-off Friday evening with special Halloween activities for the kids from 5-8pm, followed by the Street Dance starting at 8pm with live music by FlashBack the Party Band. There is also a Shag Contest at 9:30pm.

 

On Saturday, the festival begins at 10am with a wonderful Car Show put on by Winnsboro’s native Sam Edenfield, owner of Independent Body Shop. The Car Show DJ will be DJ Fitz McGill. There will be lots of food vendors, arts & crafts vendors and exhibitors, main stage music all day, local group and school performances and then fun for the kids with a petting zoo, face painting, inflatables and Thomas the Train. There will be many booths with giveaways and other items of interest.