Monthly Archives: March 2013

Mayor Buckhorn Proclaims Monday ‘Ride to Work Day’

Monday, June 18, is not just any ordinary Monday.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has proclaimed June 18 “Ride to Work Day.” Many local businesses, such as Blick Law Firm in Carrollwood, will be participating.

In recognition of the 21st Annual National “Ride to Work Day,” the law firm at 4351 Gunn Highway is hosting an open house on Monday, June 18 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., and will be offering refreshments, free driver’s license checks and opportunities to win door prizes to all licensed motorists.

“At Blick Law Firm’s open house, we are not only promoting this day with the City of Tampa, but we are educating safety to all those who come by,” said Becky Speer, marketing assistant at Blick Law Firm.

There are many benefits to riding to work on two wheels, such as:

  • Commuting to work by a bicycle, scooter or motorcycle provides an effective way of reducing the rising cost of gasoline while lessening the many harmful effects on the environment.
  •  It also cuts a fraction of the parking spaces needed by larger passenger vehicles, thereby reducing parking congestion in the active Tampa Bay community. As prices of fossil fuels continue to grow, the overall supply of these fuels is diminishing. With efforts such as “Ride to Work” Day we are taking a small step towards a bigger cause in support of the use of alternative means of transportation, in turn benefiting the Tampa Bay community in more ways than one.

For more information regarding National “Ride to Work” Day and Blick Law Firm’s open house, please contact Blick Law Firm at 813-931-0840 or e-mail Dana Blickensderfer at dana@blicklawfirm.com.

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Help Patch Give a Ton to Fight Hunger

Nearly 20 percent of Tampa Bay area residents go to bed wondering where their next meal will come from. Some 30 percent of children struggle with hunger.

Those figures come from Feeding America Tampa Bay, which is a regional food bank that supplies more than 700 agencies throughout West Central Florida with the food their clients need to survive.

According to Debbi McCarthy, director of development for Feeding America Tampa Bay, the agency serves a poverty population of some 700,000 people in a 10-county area that includes: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Hardee, Highlands and Manatee.

“Florida is ranked fourth in the nation for family hunger in households containing at least one child,” McCarthy said. “In the past 12 months, the food bank supplied more than 2 million pounds of food to its 10-county service area – enough to provide more than a million and a half meals every month to those who would otherwise go hungry.”

With summer just around the corner, the need for support is growing even stronger, McCarthy said.

“Summer is a particularly difficult time for food insecure children, who have no access to the federally funded school meals,” McCarthy said. “Heartbreakingly, many children face a long, hot, hungry summer.”

You Can Make a Difference

That’s why Carrollwood Patch is kicking off the Give-A-Ton Food Drive. It’s our aim to collect a ton of food for Feeding America Tampa Bay to help take a bite out of hunger during the difficult summer months.

To help make sure our neighbors don’t face a long, hot, hungry summer we’re partnering with our 18 sister Patch sites throughout Tampa Bay and businesses right here in Carrollwood to collect nonperishable food items. Feeding America Tampa Bay will in turn distribute our collections through its partner agencies to people in need.

Starting today, these businesses will be collecting food during their normal hours to help us meet or exceed our goal of 2,000 pounds of food:

(We are in the process of finding additional drop-off locations, so we’ll update this story as soon as we confirm them).

So, how far will a ton of food go?

“Two thousand pounds of food provides 1,600 meals,” McCarthy said. “We like to think of ‘missing meals’ for families when doing Hunger Math. One ton of food can gather 400 families of four around the table for a shared dinner. That’s a vision Patch readers can share with us and take pride in.”

To get involved in the Give-A-Ton Food Drive, just drop off nonperishable food items at one of our partner businesses. You can also make a financial contribution to the drive directly on Feeding America Tampa Bay’s website. Just go to the donation page and look for the Give-A-Ton Food Drive option.

Thank you in advance for your help Carrollwood Patch readers! Together we can make a real difference for those who face hunger every day.

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Log on for legal advice

Whether it’s a problem with a deadbeat roommate, a ticket for underage drinking or any one of a host of other college-age issues, many students inevitably come into legal questions. One thing they usually don’t have: a lot of money to solve them.

That’s where “Minute With Mike” hopes to come in. The free video campaign, created by USF graduate Dana Blickensderfer, is designed to encourage legal discussion with attorney Michael C. Blickensderfer and launches today at oneminutewithmike.com.

Students can submit their legal questions to Dana’s father, who will provide a video answer on the site every Wednesday. The Oracle talked with Dana Blickensderfer, who graduated in May 2010 with a degree in mass communications, about her idea and how she hopes students could benefit from it.

The Oracle: What kind of cases does Mike Blickensderfer, the lawyer who’ll be answering questions on “Minute With Mike,” usually handle?

Dana Blickensderfer: He has extensive experience in personal injury litigation and claims. He also served as a prosecutor both in Florida and in Long Island. Other areas he served were in narcotics, Medicaid fraud and DUI offenses within New York City. He also served as a public defender, practicing criminal law within the felony division in Tampa, Florida.

Other legal experience includes real estate, family law, criminal defense, social security and labor law.

O: How does “Minute With Mike” work?

DB: Well, every week Michael will receive legal questions through our forum, and from those questions, he will pick ones to discuss and answer on the air through our video channel on (the website).

Every week students can tune into “Minute with Mike” at noon to see if their legal question was answered. Students may even remain anonymous. The videos will even remain archived on the website so students can freely view answers to legal questions at their leisure.

O: What kind of legal issues do college students often deal with?

DB: Criminal charges for example, DUI, underage drinking and substance abuse or (they may) be a victim to a crime. They may be victims to personal injury cases such as car and motorcycle accidents, slips and falls, and alike. Usually the average college student deals with legal contracts, for example, promissory notes on school loans, leasing agreements, car notes, bank accounts, etc. Driving laws are also a common issue that may not be understood, and here we offer a chance to educate students for free on these topics.

There are so many instances where an attorney may be beneficial to helping you understand your legal rights as students.

O: Where did the idea for “Minute with Mike” begin, and why did your family firm, Blick Law Firm, want to do it?

DB: We wanted to do this because it makes consulting with an attorney easier for (a student’s) schedule and, well, it’s just more fun. It is great that we can be creative and use social media concepts to create an even better way for students to get free legal consultations.

I want it to be a site where people can feel comfortable enough to ask any legal questions they may be wondering. It is hard when you are a student and you have questions and you do not know who to ask or where to turn to.

O: What kind of difference can professional legal advice make when dealing with problems typically encountered by students?

DB: You go to college to get a better education for a promising future. Unfortunately, on that journey one may make poor choices or find themselves in a situation that may hinder their future goals. An attorney may be able to alleviate the effects of consequences and may offer solutions to a situation that you thought there was no way out (of). Handling things on your own may create more stress and could potentially damage your chances of getting the best outcome possible.

We not only offer this free Q&A format on “Minute with Mike” but also, with a student ID, we offer free consultation in person or over the phone. We really want to help and be available to those in legal need.

O: How has your life changed after graduating from USF?

DB: USF is definitely missed. Being on the outside looking in, I really miss the first week back at school and having a fresh start. The real world has no spring break. But, I am really enjoying the work experience at my job. I am doing what I went to school for, which is very exciting.

I think the biggest challenge is the freedom. The world is your oyster and you can go down any road you want. The tough part is deciding what to do with life after college. I love what I do, but definitely do not know where it will lead. It is exciting and scary at the same time. Heck, I might go back to get my master’s in a few years.

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Monday Business Profile: Blick Law Firm

Helping the hurting. It’s a little statement that goes a long way.

In today’s economy, foreclosures, bankruptcy and personal injury cases are growing in the state of Florida. Having the right attorney to handle your needs during difficult times isn’t always easy to find.

Located at 4351 Gunn Hwy, Blick Law Firm in Tampa has been servicing the community’s needs since 2006. Owned and operated by the Blickensderfer family,
this law firm consists of one power house group that bans together to fight for the rights of its clients.

Patch spoke with Public Relations Market Specialist Dana Blickensderfer about the firm:

Patch: How long have you been in business?

Blickensderfer: We’ve been in business since 2006. We have a title
insurance side and a personal injury and criminal side. We handle anti-summons,
bankruptcies, foreclosure defense, as well as criminal traffic laws or DUI.

Patch: What is Michael Blickensderfer background as an attorney?

Blickensderfer: The attorney has been in practice for over 20 years. He’s
licensed in New York, New Jersey and Florida. He has a lot of trial experience
in the courtroom. He’s worked as a prosecutor and then moved into defense.

Patch: Is this your only office?

Blickensderfer: No, we also have an office in Orlando in the Celebration
area. We take advantage of the technology today such as Skype because it allows
us to communicate with clients more frequently.

Patch: Do you have a retainer fee?

Blickensderfer: We have a retainer of 33 1/3. There’s no fee until the client gets paid in regards to personal injury.

Patch: Does the firm sponsor any charities or organization?

Blickensderfer: Yes, we actually host quarterly bike and car shows in our
parking lot. We try to promote the community and their businesses. We also have
a whole list of organization that we sponsor on the community page of our
website.

For more information, log onto www.blicklawfirm.com

Do you own a business that you want us to profile? Email us at camille.spencer@patch.com. Tell us in the comments.
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Blick Law Firm Re-Launches Video Campaign Offering Legal Help

Today, Blick Law Firm introduces Minute with Mike, a video campaign designed to encourage legal discussion with attorney Michael Blickensderfer.

Minute with Mike’s objective is to bring awareness to the community of Blick Law Firm’s services, answer legal questions online and offer their commitment to help.

Every Wednesday, audiences can join www.oneminutewithmike.com at noon where attorney, Michael C. Blickensderfer will answer your legal questions over the web on the air- you heard right! On this free legal forum you will have a chance to ask a question and watch Mike answer your question.

“We want to give back to the community by offering a sight where people can go to get legal questions answered for free without the inconvenience of leaving their office or home,” said Dana Blickensderfer, public relations specialist at Blick Law Firm. 

Want to submit a question?

Here’s how:

Submit your legal questions on the www.oneminutewithmike.com website and see if your question gets answered by Mike. Blick will try to answer as many questions as possible based on their practice areas, but cannot guarantee every question will be answered.

Feel free to use Facebook and Twitter to also post your legal questions for Mike to review and possibly answer on a Minute with Mike.

For more information, please contact Blick Law Firm public relations specialist, Dana Blickensderfer at 813-931-0840 or dana@blicklawfirm.com

For further information regarding the law firm’s legal services, please visit our website at www.blicklawfirm.com.

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Blick Law Firm re-launches Minute with Mike campaign to encourage legal discussion

TAMPA- Blick Law Firm introduces Minute with Mike, a video campaign designed to encourage legal discussion with attorney, Michael Blickensderfer. The campaign re-launches March 28, 2012.

Minute with Mike campaign’s objective is to bring awareness to the community of Blick law firm’s services, answer legal questions online and offer their commitment to help.

Every Wednesday, audiences can join www.oneminutewithmike.com at noon where attorney, Michael C. Blickensderfer will answer your legal questions over the web on the air- you heard right! On this free legal forum you will have a chance to ask a question and watch Mike answer your question.

“We want to give back to the community by offering a sight where people can go to get legal questions answered for free without the inconvenience of leaving their office or home,” said Dana Blickensderfer, public relations specialist at Blick Law Firm.

Want to submit a question? Here’s how:
Submit your legal questions on www.oneminutewithmike.com website and see if your question gets answered by Mike. Blick will try to answer as many questions as possible based on their practice areas, but cannot guarantee every question will be answered.

Feel free to use Facebook and Twitter to also post your legal questions for Mike to review and possibly answer on a Minute with Mike.

For more information please contact Blick Law Firm public relations specialist, Dana Blickensderfer at 813-931-0840 or dana@blicklawfirm.com

About Blick Law Firm
Blick law Firm is a local Tampa Bay legal firm specializing in personal injury, criminal and real estate law all across the state of Florida. The owner, Michael C. Blickensderfer has 25 years legal experience in Florida, New York and New Jersey. Blick Law Firms practice areas include criminal law, DUI/ Traffic, real estate transactions, loan modifications, short sales, foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, title insurance and real estate litigation. We also serve clients in personal injury, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and falls premises liability, dog bites, marine and aviation accidents and wrongful death. For further information regarding our legal services please visit our website at www.blicklawfirm.com.

* The hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience. Copyright © 2010 by Blick Law Firm. All rights reserved. Disclaimer

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