I often get ideas and inspirations for the KellyGram from one of my morning devotional books. I have referred to Tony Dungy’s The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge several times in the past and today, I am referencing the message from March 9th. This passage made me keenly aware that I need to stop focusing on myself and my issues (we all have crosses to bare) and direct my attention to helping those around me and my clients, who are carrying their own burdens. It is dictated by my faith that I help my fellow men and women around me with their problems. Because their issues are not my problems, I can use my legal training, and life experiences – which include many peaks and valleys – to offer a kind and objective word as I assist them in what they are going through.

Aside from the matters of faith, helping others is therapeutic and beneficial to the person giving the help. I am in the business of helping others, so I am at my best when I am caring for someone other than myself. Just something to ponder over this beautiful South Carolina weekend!

I don’t know whether my extreme case of spring fever is emanating from the fact that I am older, still dealing with a personal tragedy, or simply just want to get out and have fun (probably all of the above!), but I am ready for Spring! The Midlands, and indeed all of South Carolina, has lots of festivals throughout the spring, and the ones coming up in March and April are some of my favorites. I so enjoy events like St Patrick’s Day in Winnsboro, Myrtle Beach, and Columbia, the Master’s and Heritage Golf Tournaments, A Taste of Lake Murray, and the Cayce Festival for the Arts. And, of course, Easter comes early this year (March 27th). Spring is a time of new beginnings, optimism, and hope for the future to run rampant.

God has given us much to be thankful for here in South Carolina, and I strongly urge each and every one of you to get out there, to enjoy our beautiful state, and to have fun!

The Mike Kelly Law Group has a very close working relationship with the Beasley Allen Law Firm out of Montgomery, AL. They are national leaders in pursuing high-end plaintiff’s litigation of all types, and when we at the MKLG come across an injured victim that requires exceptional fire power in order to effectuate a just result, we associate the Beasley Allen firm.

Beasley Allen has made me aware of a new cause of action they are pursuing – talcum powder litigation.

Studies are showing a link between the use of talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Talcum powder has be used since the 1890s, and today about 40% of women still use talcum powder. Sadly, each year 25,000-30,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and scientists believe that approximately 10% of these cases (2,500 to 3,000) are related to the use of talcum powder.

Last week a jury in the state of Missouri awarded a 72 million dollar verdict to the family of Jackie Fox against Johnson and Johnson, producer of baby powder. Fox died of ovarian cancer in October 2015 and evidence showed a link between her cancer and her long term use of Johnson and Johnson’s talc product. If you or your loved one have experienced something similar, please contact the Mike Kelly Law Group for assistance in investigating and handling your claim.

Columbia is home to the Hamilton Owens Field, which is a state of the art facility located in the heart of Rosewood. After my wife’s death last year, I was appointed by the Richland County Council to be on the commission that oversees this airport. In this position, I have learned so much about how well Hamilton Owens Field operates and benefits our economy in ways we take for granted.

During my years as USC’s School of Law Building Fund Chairman, I had the privilege of flying on both of the University’s planes, which are housed out at Hamilton Owens Field. I witnessed firsthand just what a well-oiled machine Hamilton Owens Field really is. Our director is Chris Eversmann, a veteran public servant who runs a very efficient operation – the citizens of Richland County are lucky to have him at the helm of this important facility.

In addition to the state of the art terminal and numerous hangars for aircraft, Hamilton Owens Field is the home to the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame and at the end of the runway is a historic Curtiss-Wright hangar. After many years of neglect, it finally will be developed and restored as a facility of the Hunter Gatherer microbrewery, which has its initial location downtown on Main Street, adjacent to the University. In the next 18 months the Curtiss-Wright hangar will be a showplace. I have attached important links to the Mike Kelly Law Group Facebook page.

As I have said before I love, love, love my job almost every single day, and I have been in love with it for the past 38 years. Each year our three locations take in about 600 cases, and I do my best to get to know each client personally. One of our dearest and sweetest clients is a 78-year-old woman from Orangeburg, SC named Annie Mae Corley. I have represented her family on multiple occasions and in late 2014 she was in an automobile accident and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. At her age, any injury can be very difficult to recuperate from and this required her to receive medical treatment, including a lengthy round of physical therapy for problems in her back and ankle.

Annie Mae Corley is the proud mother of five sons and two daughters, and as of today has forty, I repeat forty, grandchildren! (She is forty grandchildren ahead of me – LOL!) She still drives a car, cooks her meals and is very active. I am happy to report that in mediation this week, I was able to get her claim successfully resolved with a good result. Mrs. Corley is a woman of God and an awesome person, and I have the honor of representing many others like her.

I read a recent devotional from one of my favorite heroes, Tony Dungy, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Super Bowl Championship coach of the Indianapolis Colts, entitled “When Expectations Derail Your Dreams”. I have known more than a few people who grew up to be what their parents or teachers wanted them to be, as opposed to being what they WANTED to be. Being in a career or situation that is not following your dreams is a bad place to be in my opinion. Although I have never learned this lesson personally, I know this from seeing other people that are stuck in the wrong place. I have always been in the job that I am crazy about, getting paid to help people…it can’t get any better!

If you or someone you know is stuck in a rut that you shouldn’t be in, it is never too late! If at all possible, people should follow their passions and pursue their dreams. You owe it to yourself and to God, who gave you your individual talents, to do nothing less.

This week will bring another set of milestones for me. This Friday would have been my 11th wedding anniversary, so as you can imagine it is most likely going to be a pretty tough day. Fortunately, I have many friends, and staff members who are keenly aware of what is coming up and they will be there for me.

On an extremely positive note, Sunday is my baby boy’s 29th birthday! I am so proud of him! He has walked through many challenges and has made major progress in becoming a full-fledged adult. He is clearly dedicated to bettering himself. I also appreciate him agreeing to move in with me one year ago, to give me some much needed comfort and support. As I continue to experience God’s hourly and daily blessings, birthdays now mean a lot to me. Whereas I used to minimize birthdays, my whole perspective, in light of the loss of my wife, has changed. We need to be ever so thankful when another birthday comes around that we have another year to experience life and all of its blessings. That is my two cents worth.

Have you been a victim of fraud? We recently filed against Bank of America for violations of the federal Truth in Lending Act as well as committing fraud. An elderly couple from the Upstate, who had their home paid for, took out a home equity line of credit with Bank of America. They were offered Accidental Death and Disability coverage for the loan, however they declined. Going against their customers’ wishes, Bank of America fraudulently and illegally charged the couple each month for several years. This was of course wrong and we have reason to believe this was not an isolated incident limited to this couple. If you or anyone you know has experienced a similar situation, there may be a claim for damages. Please contact the Mike Kelly Law Group at (866) 692-0123 for further information with regards to a possible claim.

 

I follow most every sport and have done so for a very long time. When the Carolina Panthers landed in Charlotte, NC, I scrounged up the money and have been a season ticket holder since. Even though college football is my first love, I enjoy many other sports, such as NFL football. I was a lukewarm fan for years, but the most recent edition of the Carolina Panthers has won me over, or as Dabo Swinney says, “I am all in…” for the Carolina Panthers.

What does this have to do with the practice of law? We can learn from the offensive and defensive units of the Panthers. What it means to pursue excellence in the handling of our clients’ cases, and more importantly, patience and persistence. As they say, “Rome was not built in a day” and neither was this year’s 15-1 season for the Carolina Panthers. Here is to hoping that they take it all the way to the Super Bowl!