Category Archives: Community Involvement

Our team at Rodriguez & Associates is passionate about our community, inspiring the greater Bakersfield and Kern County area!

Rodriguez & Associates Drop-Off Location for Toy and Shoe Drive

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Rodriguez & Associates’ offices, 1128 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301, is a drop-off location for Celebration Nation’s Christmas Toy and Shoe Drive for Kids of Farmworkers now until December 16, 2022.

We are collecting new and gently used toys, shoes and kids’ clothing.

The end of the harvest season is difficult for many farm workers as they live off savings to make it through the winter. In order to supply basic needs like shoes and clothing to their children, they go into debt by taking out loans and as the lowest-paid labor force, they are unable to afford Christmas gifts.

Their children are the reason for farm workers showing up every day to help feed the rest of the nation. Let’s help lift their burden this holiday season and enjoy Christmas by providing their kids with gifts and bringing a little joy into their lives.

In addition to dropping off toys and all sizes of shoes, clothing and socks at our office, you can shop online and have the items shipped directly to:
Celebration Nation
10 Woodland Rd.
Saint Helena, CA 34574

For more information about Celebration Nation, their event and programs as well as other California drop-off locations click here.

To learn about all of the ways Rodriguez & Associates stays involved in our community and gives back, click here.

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 9:58 pm

Rodriguez & Associates Sponsor the Fog Run to Benefit At-Risk Youth

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Rodriguez & Associates is one of the Platinum Sponsors for the 32nd Annual 5k-10k Fog Run at Lake Ming, CA on January 8th, 2022. 

This is a fun, family-friendly 5K-10K race to support at-risk youth including Kern County Probation Department’s Stockdale Helping Hands program. The race takes place on a beautiful scenic course overlooking beautiful mountains and lake views. 

Stockdale Helping Hands (S.H.H.) is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to guide at-risk youth towards success by removing barriers and equipping them with their basic needs. S.H.H provides at-risk youth with clothing, hygiene products, and other necessities to go on with their daily activities. S.H.H helps set up our youth for success and makes our community a safer place. 

Our office is proud to be sponsoring and participating in this important run for the Kern County youth. 

Click here to sign up for the Fog Run. 

At Rodriguez & Associates, we strive to serve our community both in and out of the courtroom. We are able to help those in need as well as strengthen the community we work and live in by supporting our local organizations and charities.

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 11:48 pm

Joel T. Andreesen Helps Raise Close to $1 million for Student Athletes

Friday, August 27, 2021

Joel Andreesen at WorkFor years, the senior partner at Rodriguez & Associates, Joel T. Andreesen, has helped our Bakersfield community. As the outgoing President of the CSUB Athletic Scholarship Fund, he’s helped raise close to $1 million for student-athletes. Because of this more student-athletes than ever before can achieve their educational goals with athletic scholarships.

Joel stated, “This year’s record setting fundraising total of $938,433 is a testament to the Kern County community, CSU Bakersfield Roadrunner nation and the Roadrunner Scholarship Board of Directors and their commitment to all current and future Roadrunner student-athletes. He adds, “The increased donation amount will help Roadrunner athletics get closer to its goal of fully funding all available student-athlete scholarships. I want to express a big thank you to all the Roadrunner donors who helped make this a record-breaking year!”

We thank Joel for everything he’s done for our student-athletes.

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 4:16 pm

Joel T. Andreesen, Senior Partner at Rodriguez & Associates, Encourages Community to Support CSU Bakersfield’s Roadrunner Scholarship Fund

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Joel from Rodriguez & AssociatesAt Rodriguez & Associates, we encourage our employees to be involved in the community. For the past 10 plus years, Senior Partner Joel T. Andreesen has been active in the CSU Bakersfield’s Roadrunner Scholarship Fund. He currently serves as president of the CSU Bakersfield board of directors for the scholarship fund.

What does the scholarship fund?

At CSU Bakersfield, there are a total of 14 sports. Many people assume that the money to fund those student-athlete scholarships comes from the State of California-from the state government. However, much of the money comes through fundraising efforts. The role on the scholarship fund board is to fundraise; to go out into the community to encourage people to give to the scholarship fund to fully fund the scholarships for these student-athletes.

Where does current fundraising stand?

Right now, we are in the middle of our fundraising drive for the 2020/2021 year. The fund drive ends on June 30th. The goal this year is to rate $750,000 for the scholarships for these student-athletes. Now, at that amount, CSU Bakersfield will only be funding about 65-70% of the scholarships that are allotted for the sports at CSU Bakersfield. So, it is important that we get the community involved and hopefully raise upwards of $2 million because that is the number it is going to take to fully fund all the scholarships for CSU Bakersfield sports.

Would you say the best way for residents to get involved would be donations right now?

There are a variety of ways you can donate. One of the easiest ways is to go to the https://gorunners.com/ website, there is a drop-down menu that will allow you to donate. An annual donation can be made. A monthly donation option is available.  Or you can make a longer-term commitment and commit money over a five-year period. It is important that people donate, as right now are only 460 donors to the Roadrunner Scholarship Fund. For a division one sports program such as CSU Bakersfield, that number needs to get up to over 1,000 donatees. That’s what we are working hard to do.

Why is it crucial to donate to this fund?

So many of these student-athletes remain in the Bakersfield area after they graduate. They become a part of the Bakersfield community by going to work for various businesses. By investing in the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunner Scholarship Fund, you are really investing in the future for Bakersfield and Kern County.

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 8:49 pm

Daniel Rodriguez Discusses the History of Jury Trials

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Daniel Rodriguez, founder and president of Bakersfield personal injury law firm Rodriguez & Associates, spoke with Vanessa Dillon on KGET Studio 17 about the history behind jury trials.

Daniel shared in the interview points including:

  • Jury trials began in about 600 B.C in Ancient Greece
  • Trials typically lasted one day. It was broken up into three sections; the accuser went for three hours, then the person being accused had three hours, and then the jury (of at least 200 people) would deliberate and take a vote.
  • The jury would take a stone (the white stone meant innocent and the black stone meant guilty) and toss one of them in the middle. Back then, it was a majority rule, not a unanimous verdict.
  • The most famous trial in history was the trial of Socrates. He was found guilty of impiety and corrupting the youth and was sentenced to death by poison.

To watch the interview, click here.

Rodriguez & Associates is a Bakersfield, California personal injury law firm that serves those that are in the most need. If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury you can contact us at our office: 1128 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA at (661)-323-1400 and visit our website for more information.

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 3:54 pm

Dodger Tickets Giveaway

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

We had another contest with HOT 94.1 Radio station to give away Dodger tickets for tonight’s Game 5.

The listeners were asked to take selfies in front of our building or sign. These were the finalists.

Robert Gonzalez won. He’s pictured below with his family holding a Dodger flag in front of our sign and with Daniel.

Thank you to everyone who participated. Go Dodgers!

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 8:51 pm

A Bakersfield Personal Injury Law Firm That Gives Back

Monday, May 6, 2019

We are not only personal attorneys in Bakersfield, we live here too. And since this is our community, we find it important to give back.

We give back to the community in many ways. Just past April, we sponsored CSF Medical Non-Profit Foundation’s “A toast of love to save lives” event. We gathered with the community to show love and empathy for the less fortunate and low-income individuals in need of surgery. It was a memorable event.

We also donated money to the Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation; a portion of that money was used to construct a Burn Unit, which was finished this year.

As parents, we are big believers in helping the children of Kern County. We support students in many ways. Most recently, we’ve supported children at Arvin High School with college scholarships. We also recently participated in Fremont Elementary’s Career Fair. It was a special day being there for the kids. We love helping young people stay inspired to stay on the education path.

We also sponsored an invitational track meet put on by the Kern High School District to support young people with special needs and disabilities. The son of our Litigation Director participated in the event.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

-Muhammad Ali

Kern County is our home. We believe serving others – whether it be in the courtroom or through a sponsorship or anyway we can – is essential in helping our Bakersfield community.

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 3:25 pm

Supporting High Schoolers in Kern County with College Scholarships

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Our team couldn’t be bigger education advocates. We support Kern County students in a number of ways – attending career fairs, speaking at schools and funding scholarships, to name a few. These thank you letters from some of the Arvin High students who benefitted from our scholarships mean so much to us.

Knowledge is power. Our Bakersfield personal injury law firm is so proud to be able to give back and support young people – they are our future.

thank you note from maria zuniga to daniel rodriguez

certificate of appreciation from arvin high school

Posted by Lorrie Ross at 6:38 am

Three Things They Don’t Teach You in Law School

Monday, July 2, 2018

After finishing law school in San Diego eighteen months ago, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I was ready to begin the journey of a trial lawyer. I’ve grown up around lawyers, spent a lot of time with them, and one thing they always told me is that law school is a great learning experience but it doesn’t exactly prepare you for the realities of practicing law. This, to me, seemed like one of the great ironies of being a lawyer and I was skeptical considering how many hours I spent reading, writing, and arguing like a lawyer during my legal education. However, as I’ve already learned in my first year of practice, the theory holds water. Here are three things they don’t teach you in law school:

 

 1. It’s okay to be yourself.

Law schools indoctrinate students with legal theory and case law. There is some discussion about alternatives, but in most cases, applying the law to the facts is clear cut, on one side of the line or the other. There is little room for human experience or feelings.

Real life, however, is not so black and white, and more often than not, real cases often come in shades of grey. Just as in life, so too, does the human factor play into so many cases. Impressions matter. Cooperation matters. Character matters. Law school doesn’t teach you about the advantages in law practice of embracing who you are, where you came from, and what you are passionate about.

In nearly every interaction as a trial lawyer, rapport plays a significant role. When talking to a new client about a case, for example, sharing something about yourself early on lowers the resistance most clients have in sharing their story and asking for help. When going over a witness’ background in deposition, asking them about their passions, and when was the first time they knew they wanted to be in the position they are now, likewise lowers resistance and makes information gathering that much easier. Curating that connection between you and their passions or ambitions creates a rapport that may leave the defending lawyer muttering to themselves, “This lawyer knows my witness better than me.” Either way, you are far more likely to get the information you need if you embrace this dynamic early on in a deposition.

When meeting and conferring with opposing counsel, finding something meaningful in common diffuses tension and promotes cooperation. I recently asked an older opposing counsel for advice on something unrelated to our case as we were waiting for a deponent to show up to a deposition. In response to my question, this lawyer turned in his chair, sat up, and was glad to share his experiences with me. (Turns out he used to be a plaintiff’s attorney!) Just that simple exchange has made conflict resolution that much easier over the remainder of the case.

In front of a judge, too, credibility is of utmost importance. One easy way to establish credibility is to simply channel what you know to be true about yourself. This authenticity about yourself translates to an impression that you are being authentic about your case, your client, or whatever issue is before the bench on a given day. When you know your opponent has made a good point, say it! Then counter with your own reasoning.

In law school, I was taught that being an advocate necessarily means being an adversary at almost every turn. But this does not reflect the reality of law practice. Being a lawyer is about picking your battles and, as they say in the South, “A little honey goes a long way.”

Don’t be afraid to be yourself, you might be surprised by the results.

2. Some lawyers don’t follow the rules.

As law students, we are taught that rules matter. The Code of Civil Procedure, the jury instructions, the Evidence Code—all of it adds up to rules that are sacred to every lawyer, or so I thought. When I got out into practice, however, I was astonished to find so many lawyers bending or breaking the rules. It is true that such lawyers might be the exception that proves the rule, but I’ve seen it so often in my first year of practice that I’ve already had to adapt my approach. For example, large corporations defend themselves by limiting access to information through delay, deflecting responsibility, blaming others, and, occasionally, outright obstruction. The Code of Civil Procedure exists for a reason (among others): to hold lawyers accountable for obstructionist lawyering!

In basic discovery alone, the excuses are endless: “this will take a lot of time;” “we have no clue where the car is;” “I’ll have to go to my boss with this and who knows how long he’ll take;” “this is not remotely relevant;” etcetera, etcetera. Even casual “in the spirit of cooperation” emails with “responding” documents fly in the face of the Code and add more to the procedural plate of the plaintiff’s lawyer.

Holding a lawyer to his word shouldn’t be as difficult as it is and lip service alone is all too common. Meet and confer letters often don’t bear fruit. It takes the judge reminding the lawyer of his professional duties (by means of granting motions to compel, for example) to move the needle.

Seeing this in action, I’ve adapted my practice to be more proactive about heading these kinds of defense tactics off from the start. I’ve also accepted that patience, above all else, might just be the plaintiff lawyer’s greatest virtue.

3. Leverage what you don’t know.

There’s an old proverb that goes something like this: “A wise man never knows all; only a fool knows everything.” In law school, your success is measured based on what you know. How much law can you cram into your head before an exam only to word-vomit back on the page and move on? This is often the exercise in law school.

In law practice, by contrast, I’ve learned how important it is to be honest with yourself about what you don’t know. These gaps in the story are often the most crucial in terms of discovery. In order to uncover them, however, it is important to be brutally honest with yourself about what it is you do and do not know. Early on in a case, lawyers must wear the hat of detective. This is the essence of good discovery. And I have to remind myself of something that I learned from Sherlock Holmes, the greatest detective of all time: Often the loudest dog is the one that’s not barking.

Where are the holes in my case? Which parts of the story need developing? What is odd or missing? These are the questions that matter. Sure, good lawyers know a lot about the law. But great lawyers, I’ve found, are keen on gaps in their cases.

Being a lawyer is a lifelong journey. We’re always honing our craft. Graduating from law school, while a necessary hurtle, is only the beginning.

Posted by Rodriguez Associates at 8:34 pm

Running Against Father Time

Friday, May 4, 2018

Last summer, our Founder and Managing Partner, Daniel Rodriguez had a life changing experience in the African Savanna.

Daniel has always been a fighter and a fierce competitor, both in the courtroom and in life; he has always been an excellent athlete, as well.

After being diagnosed with arthritis in his big toe, Daniel was faced with the loss of his life-long passion for running.  However, in his typical style, he looked at the odds and decided to fight back.

Instead of choosing to slow down or give up, he chose to run not one, not two, but seven marathons in the face of his diagnosis! His vision is to run a marathon on each continent, beginning with a uniquely difficult run in Africa.

Through mile-high drops and climbs, possible quick sand, and the Kings of the Jungle, Daniel pushed himself beyond the confines of Father Time.

With his loving wife, Connie Rodriguez, by his side, he overcame all odds to prove that he is, and always will be, a fighter.

The videos below document his triumph, and set the stage for his upcoming runs (starting with Patagonia this summer).

Keep an eye out for Running Against Father Time’s television debut, and enjoy the videos below in the meantime.

 

 

 

Posted by Rodriguez Associates at 6:55 pm