Breaking Down The Law: Recent Episodes

Stewart J Guss

Breaking down the Law, Breaking Down the Law a podcast hosted by attorneys and legal specialists discussing everyday law and how it affects regular people, regular people. Let's break down the law with our hosts, Stewart Guss and Ashley Rodriguez. They have the inside scoop on everything legal and newsworthy.

Episode 18: Impaired Driving Prevention Month

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Brantley Sasseen. He is joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode we will be asking Brantley about Impaired Driving and how we can prevent it and what are the consequences of driving drunk.

Brantley shares his personal experience with Drunk Driving.
Is drunk driving a felony?
How many people die per year from drunk driving?
How do we hold people accountable for drunk driving?
When did drunk driving become illegal?
How do you prevent drunk driving?
How do you stop someone from drunk driving?
What are some of the dangers of drunk driving?
What if someone is drunk driving and they get in an accident and they cause a wrongful death?

Brantley shares about his experience with an imparied driver and why he is so passionate about prevention and helping others with the same experience as him. So we hope you’ll join us for this episode!

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Episode 17: Law School during a pandemic!

For our inaugural episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Victor Rivera. He is joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode we’ll be asking Victor about going to law school during the coronavirus.

What is your current position at Stewart J Guss?
How long have you been at the firm?
Can you talk a little bit about your journey through positions with the firm?
Stewart J Guss always stresses that we are a client's first experience, What does Client first mean to you?
What was it like to be in law school during a pandemic?
How was the process of preparing for the bar exam changed because of covid?
Was taking the bar exam a few weeks ago different because of the coronavirus?
Why did you decide you wanted to become a lawyer?

Victor shares about his journey to start law school, through law school and how he handled the changes during a pandemic. so we hope you’ll join us for this episode!

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Donald Garcia , a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, California. Who has over 20 years of experience. He is joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode we’ll be asking Donald all about fender benders. Having worked for insurance companies for several years, after graduation from law school, Donald dedicated his career to pursuing the rights of those who suffered personal injuries at the hand of another.

There is no definition of a fender bender. You have no idea how bad the damage of your car or truck is because you can not see everything that a mechanic would see.
You might think you feel okay but you are not a doctor. When you call the police to get them there it’s okay to say you don’t know and get the police to the scene of the accident and get checked out.
Then follow the exact procedures of an accident. Make sure you take photos and videos. Learn more about the exact procedures to take after an accident.
If the police do not come for any reason and you don’t get a police report, make sure you go and file a counter report that you were in a car accident
Witnesses are important. If you think someone is a witness make sure you ask them if they saw anything? If they did see the accident make sure you get their name, number, DL.

Donald discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Donald by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Brantley Sasseen, a Personal Injury Lawyer. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez

During today’s episode we’ll be discussing the topics and conversations you should have with your teens about distracted driving.

Why is distracted driving a problem for teen drivers?
How many teens are involved in a fatal car accident?
What are the consequences of teen distracted driving?
What are other distractions besides the cell phone?

Check out this resources for more information https://www.enddd.org/

Tune in to hear about the one surprising statistic that has to do with teen males. Brantley and Ashley discuss these points and more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Brantley by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Brian Page, a New Orleans Car Accident Attorney. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode we’ll be learning exactly what a broadside collision is and the proper steps to take if you are in a broadside collision?

What exactly is a broadside collision?
What are the most common injuries with a broadside collision?
Designs of cars to help with accidents.
Airbags not deploying in broadside collisions.
So is there usually clear liability in a broadside collision?
Insurance issues.
What do we do after a broadside collision?

Brian discusses these points and more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Brian by visiting her online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #13: What is a mass tort and who is eligible?

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Tiffany Little, a Mass Torts Specialist. She's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be learning exactly what a mass tort is?

What is a Mass Tort Case?
What is the difference between a Mass Tort and a Class Action Litigation?
The main difference between mass torts and class actions is how the large group of plaintiffs is treated.
Is it still safe to consume the medications or still have the device implanted?
What if someone is experiencing issues from a medication; how do I find out if there is a potential claim/lawsuit?
What if someone doesn’t have the medicine anymore, how will they prove they took the medication?
What if they already had several health issues and pre-existing conditions? Does that mean they would not qualify for a claim?
How long do these types of cases usually take?
What happens if they die and their case is still open?

Tiffany discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Tiffany by visiting her online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Stewart J. Guss, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in car accidents resulting in injury. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be learning exactly what a contingency fee is? While it might seem straightforward, many drivers don’t realize you can often get a lawyer for free with no obligation.

The first question you always ask a lawyer is how much is this going to cost me? Nothing upfront for a personal injury lawyer, we will work and never charge you unless we make a recovery. Some lawyers however do charge upfront.
Why should I give away some of my recovery when I can just handle it by myself? We work to get you what you're actually entitled to not what they are going to offer. One thing a good personal injury lawyer will do for a client besides getting the most from the insurance, we will also negotiate all of your medical bills.
Some doctors won't even see you if you were in a car accident but sometimes we can offer you a LOP so you don’t have to pay anything upfront for your medical bills.
Our clients are always first, we tell you what your options are and let you ask all of your questions and support your decision on your case

Stewart discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Stewart by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Brian Page, a personal injury lawyer in New Orleans who specializes in Personal Injury cases. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, Brian has a love for motorcycles but we also know that sometimes comes with extra safety measures that need to be taken!

Can you tell us a little bit why motorcycles can be dangerous?
What is the most common cause of motorcycle accidents?
What do you think are the top safety tips for motorcycle riders like what advice would you give them?
How can you prevent an accident when you're on a motorcycle?
What happens if you are in a motorcycle accident? What should someone do right after that?
What if like a family member was in a motorcycle accident, and unfortunately it is catastrophic. How would a family member go about taking care of everything after that?
What are the main laws when it comes to riding a motorcycle and is it different from state to state?

Check out the full episode for more details!

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Stewart J. Guss, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in Personal Injury cases. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be addressing the timeline of a personal injury case. Some examples include:

What is the typical life cycle of a personal injury case?
We've got a situation where you wake up in the morning and this is an example I use. No one puts their pants or skirt on in the morning expecting to be in a car accident, but unfortunately, they're you're driving to work and Yikes, it happens Monday. Yeah, ruin your day and you know, it's a terrible situation, but one that we have to live with until we get the Jetsons flying cars, but that may be a while away. So what's the first thing that happens once an attorney gets involved? And I think we talked the other day about how it is very important to make sure that you contact an attorney as soon as possible after an accident because there are some things that you don't expect there are some the insurance company is going to be trying to take advantage of you.
So the first thing that happens after we are retained, you've already started, you've gotten checked out, you've started your medical care. When we get involved, the first thing we do is we start our investigative phase. And by that I mean we send out a formal notification to the insurance companies that are involved that we represent you. And please don't talk to our client, talk to us, keeps them from trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and order the police report. if we need to. We'll send an investigator out to look at the intersection or talk to witnesses.

Check out the full episode for more details and many examples or you can visit Stewart Guss online at www.attorneyguss.com for more information.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #9: How do I determine the value of a Personal Injury Case?

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Stewart J. Guss, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in Personal Injury cases. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be addressing the questions that relate to determining the value of a personal injury case. Some examples include:

How to determine what the value of my personal injury case is?
Are there different types of personal injury cases?
What if I can never work again?
Does my potential earnings matter?
How many factors play a role?

Personal Injury cases have so many factors it can be hard to determine the value upfront. Listen to this episode to see all the factors that could affect your case?

Check out the full episode for more details and many examples or you can visit Stewart Guss online at www.attorneyguss.com for more information.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #8: How to find the right car insurance?

For our episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Tiffany Little, our intake and referral team manager who deals with the insurance on a daily basis. She's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be addressing all topics related to how much car insurance you need and the different types of car insurance coverage.

Single person vs family does it matter when it comes to car insurance?
What type of insurance coverage is available?
What should I look for when buying car insurance?
What the heck is PIP?
How much insurance coverage do I really need?
When should I drop full coverage and maintain liability insurance only?

Tiffany discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Stewart J Guss, Attorney at law by visiting us online at www.attorneyguss.com

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #7: Business Loss Lawsuits

For our episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Jason Ruen, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in Personal Injury Litigation. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be addressing several questions about Business Loss Lawsuits which are brought on by the COVID Pandemic.

What exactly is business interruption insurance?
What exactly does business loss insurance cover? Does it cover employee wages?
What does a Business interruption claim denial look like? What are the steps after you have been denied by the insurance?
How do I calculate my loss claim?
What type of business qualifies?

Jason discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Jason and Stewart J Guss, Attorney at law by visiting us online at www.attorneyguss.com

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #6: What happens when you are in an Uber or Lyft car accident?

For our episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Stewart J. Guss, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in car accidents resulting in injury. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be addressing a question, “What happens when you are in an Uber or Lyft car accident?” While it might seem straightforward, many drivers don’t realize rideshare car accidents are not exactly the same as a normal everyday car crash.

Have you ever taken an Uber or Lyft? What exactly is a rideshare company? Evolution of a taxi cab without the middleman. A software company that puts drivers and passengers together after too many fireball shots at the club.
Steps after the accident: Is anyone hurt? Are you safe? Call the police to investigate the accident and get a police report if you are a passenger in a rideshare or you have been hit by a rideshare vehicle.
Rideshare accidents can be tricky when it comes to who is at fault. Make sure you get a free case evaluation and talk to an attorney to answer all your questions before you talk to any rideshare representative.
When you are a passenger it is never your fault!

Stewart discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Stewart by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.com

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #5: Probate and Estate Planning

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Roxanne Ghobrial, a Probate and Guardianship lawyer in Houston, Texas. She's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode we will be discussing the questions that often come up during Probate and Estate planning.

What does probate mean?
What if my parents pass away and leave me a house? What if I want to sell it , or keep it, what if there is a mortgage on it?
What if my siblings and I don’t agree?
How do we protect ourselves from the unexpected?
What if the will is 30 years old?
What about bank accounts, how do we handle those?

Roxanne and Ashley discuss all of these points, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Roxanne by visiting her online at https://ghobriallaw.com

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #4: Litigation is where it is at!

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Jason Ruen, a personal injury attorney in Houston who specializes in Litigation legal services. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we will be discussing the difference between pre-litigation vs litigation in the personal injury law sector.

My job is as the head of the litigation department, a lot of the times these claims can be taken care of before trial happens before a lawsuit needs to be filed. But there are a lot of times in which we actually have to file suit on these cases. And that's where my department comes in. We file suit personal injury cases that have no other means, typically, to get the client what they need to get their recovery.
A lot of times we have to file suit because for various reasons, the defendant might not be taking responsibility. or there might be a dispute on liability. And the only way to really figure it out is to put it in front of 12 people who are gonna judge it and give us the verdict.
Everybody's heard of the McDonald's case, for example, it is a great example of people that actually don't know what happened, that have made a decision based upon information put out there by corporate interests
When was your last trial? When was the last time you took a case to the verdict? Those are questions. No one is going to settle your case with you for a million dollars if you don't have a law firm that can get a million-dollar-plus verdict.

Jason discusses these points and so many more that we couldn’t fit in these show notes, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Jason by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.co

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #3: Pre-Litigation Law is Legit!

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Brantley Sasseen, a personal injury attorney in Houston who specializes in pre-litigation legal services. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be asking Brantley what goes into a personal injury claim, which is known as pre-litigation or the portion of your case that occurs before trial or settlement discussions. Brantley has over a decade of experience in pre-litigation and will share his advice on:

Pre-litigation is the process of collecting information about an accident or injury once an individual selects a law firm to help them with their case.
Your lawyer will assess what insurance coverages are available, try to identify the liable party, instruct additional pre-litigation investigations assignments, help the client with seeking medical care for their injuries and recovery treatments, and filing the claim with your insurance provider/s. They will also aggressively follow-up with your insurance provider and their claim adjuster to ensure your case is addressed quickly and not stuck in legal purgatory.
Once you receive a settlement offer from the demand package sent in by your firm, you either accept the offer or your lawyer will counter depending on what your needs are.
Benefits of pre-litigation include having more control of your outcome vs. going to trial and possibly losing without compensation. This is why pre-litigation settlements can be advantageous to secure car accident settlements.

Brantley discusses these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Brantley by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact Us: 281-783-3934 or BreakingDownTheLaw@gmail.com

Episode #2: Were you in a Car Accident?... Now What?

For this episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Stewart J. Guss, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in car accidents resulting in injury. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we’ll be addressing a question we hear all too often, “What should I do after I’m involved in a car accident?” While it might seem straightforward, many drivers don’t realize they could be making mistakes immediately following a car accident that could actually hurt their case. Some examples include:

If you’re in a minor car accident and no one is severely injured, pull over to a safe area to avoid creating a larger accident while you’re figuring out your next steps.
Don’t argue or yell with the other party (or the Police, ever). Don’t assume or place blame. So long as there are more than a few hundred dollars of damages, call the authorities. Let the authorities do their job and keep quiet while being cordial and expressing compassion by making sure they don’t need emergency assistance.
While you’re waiting for authorities, exchange basic pertinent information, such as proof of insurance, Driver’s License information, contact information, and so on. At this time, so long as it’s safe to do so, you can take pictures of the scene of the accident, I’d just encourage you to not film the other party, which can flare up emotions.
Don’t assume that intersection or private CCTV footage will be made available to you, so you should document the accident in a courteous and safe manner.
If the accident causes significant damages to your vehicle or injuries are present, you should really consider calling a personal injury lawyer before you speak with any insurance adjusters, law enforcement, and so on. Remember, insurance companies don’t want to make pay-outs and law enforcement might not have all the accurate facts at the time of their reporting. Your lawyer is your advocate and consultations for personal injury cases are almost always complimentary.

Check out the full episode for more details and many examples or you can visit Stewart Guss online at www.attorneyguss.com for more information.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact us! 281-783-3934 or breakingdownthelaw@gmail.com

Episode #1: Let’s Break Down the Law

For our inaugural episode of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast we're joined by Stewart J. Guss, a personal injury lawyer in Houston who specializes in car accidents resulting in injury. He's joined by Breaking Down The Law Podcast host, Ashley Rodriguez.

During today’s episode, we will be discussing who the real Stewart J Guss is and introducing the reason for the podcast and what it will be about.

So, most of my clients, it's a car crash or a truck accident, but for some folks, maybe it's a marital issue. They need a family lawyer or maybe they have one too many drunk driving. You know, who knows? There are legal problems that people run into every day all the time. And the one thing that you can predict about a potential legal problem is that it is pretty unpredictable when they happen.
So the more that we can do with this podcast in terms of giving people a little bit of knowledge ahead of time, giving them something to think about, and maybe having them start to plan a little bit for the unexpected.
I have curly hair, I looked like Weird Al Yankovic. And I realized in order to be successful in the MBA program, and in the business world, I would have to cut my hair and get a real haircut. (listen to learn more)

Stewart and Ashley discuss these points and so many more, so we hope you’ll join us for this episode! You can learn more about Stewart J Guss by visiting him online at www.attorneyguss.com.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the Breaking Down The Law Podcast with Stewart J Guss and Ashley Rodriguez!

Contact us! 281-783-3934 or breakingdownthelaw@gmail.com