The Athlete's Lawyer

The 2012 Herndon Aquathon will be in memory of our dear friend & neighbor Jack Corkey, shown here with Ken & Doug Landau, at the Herndon Virginia Great Harvest Bakery

Dear Friends, Team mates, Training partners & Poseurs:

So that you can race in warm conditions in a unique event that was contested in the 1990s, we are bringing back the Herndon Community Center Aquathon in memory of our dear friend Jack Corkey of Great Harvest Bread. You can even shower, hot tub, sauna, work out more after !

WHEN: Saturday, February 25, 2012 Read the rest of this entry »

Transition Triathlon Store in Leesburg, just off the W&OD Trail has almost everything a multisport athlete would need to train and race ; plus free seminars & wetsuit rental !

Doug Landau and his family visited Transition Triathlon Store and came away with Newton running shoes, gifts and replacement parts that are hard to find in retail stores in Northern Virginia. Transition Triathlon, Loudoun’s new triathlon store in Leesburg is just a few yards from the W&OD trail. In addition to being convenient (how many stores can you bike to and do your multisport shopping ?!!?), it carries apparel, nutrition, accessories for swim, bike, run training, racing and …WETSUITS for RENT! Read the rest of this entry »

Herndon Virginia triathlete and trial lawyer Doug Landau advises disabled athletes to avoid so-called "injury lawyers" who do not actually go to court, do not contribute their time and effort to victims' groups, do not have staff or offices and who can only "talk the talk"

One of the rules at the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU is the “KISS Rule” – Keep It Shortt & Simple ! So if you are considering a lawyer for your injury case, do not walk out, but RUN (like Forrest Gump !) if they have:

• A big butt (from sitting all day in their comfy office instead of actually getting out to to court, the crash scenes, their clients’ homes or workplaces or exercising their body and minds);
• Cannot tell you when you can see them “in action” (see above!)
• Does not or has not actually competed (so they do not know what it is like to be in your running, cycling, tennis or aqua shoes);
• Does not belong, contribute and teach/participate in their STATE Trial Lawyer Associations and the National TLA that advocate in the legislatures for victims, who otherwise would have no voice (such as the American Association for Justice, the DC or Virginia Trial Lawyers);
• If they have to advertise in yellow pages, TV,radio, newspapers & billboards to get new clients (meaning their past clients do not think much of them and therefore do not refer friends, family or acquaintances when they need legal help)
• No real office, no real staff, no real presence (this really hacks me off, especially when a so-called personal injury or disability lawyer has a nice office that is not handicap access or does not have their names identified inside and out);
• Just as one good race does not make a career for a great athlete, the best injury lawyers have many good results, care deeply about what they do, and are constantly trying to become even better (and helping others to be better as well)

If you come into a lawyer who has any of the above, do not walk out – RUN FORREST RUN !

Find a real trial lawyer who can invest the necessary time, effort, staff and money in your case. Poseurs can caused needless harm in the peloton as well as the courts, so keep a safe distance. You will not be sorry you did.

Even injured trial lawyers like Brian Buckelew of Atlanta Georgia know the importance of staying active even when in a cast

Just as Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has little patience for so-called personal injury lawyers who do not go to court, do not try cases, do not adequately prepare (or do so on the cheap), do not have real offices or staff, he also keeps his enthusiasm for so-called sports medicine specialists who needlessly sideline their patients.  For example, when an injured triathlete was placed in a hard plastic walking cast, not having him exercise his upper body with weights, machines and an ergometer was a mistake.  Likewise, not having the athlete Read the rest of this entry »

All 6 Landaus participated in the Manhattan Beach California xMas 5km, including the "barefoot barrister" Doug Landau !

In the Fall issue of SPOKES magazine Herndon injury lawyer Doug Landau was called the “Bicycling Barrister” because of his heavy schedule of cases (representing cyclists injured in crashes) and races.  As he trains barefoot, when weather and surface conditions permit, lawyer Landau jumps at the chance to race without running shoes.  Notable barefoot races include winning the Playa Del Race beach sprint in California in 2010 and the Madeira Beach, Florida 5km in 2011.  This year the whole Landau family was able to participate in the XMAS DAY 5K! Manhattan Beach Yuletide 5K Run/Walk and Kids Dash.

As the Landau family had to catch the “red eye” flight back to Dulles Airport, this race, close to LAX, was the perfect antidote to reverse “jet lag.”  The race, which started in the dark under Manhattan Beach Pier, followed the shore illuminated by Read the rest of this entry »

Triathlete and coach Brian Clark and Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., trade training tips at the RATS Annual Ironman party

The ringing of bells on the feet of thousands of runners echoed on the streets of the Nation’s Capitol on December 11th.  The Jingle Bell 8km road race took place at Freedom Plaza during the “Occupy Washington” encampment, much to the surprise of the tent inhabitants and racers !  It was a tad ironic that Habitat for Humanity of Washington, DC, which works to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness in the nation’s capital by building affordable, energy efficient homes for families Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Kunkel of the Reston Area Triathletes was all smiles at the RATS annual Bonzai Kona Ironman Triathlon party

The Reston Area Triathlon Club, otherwise known as RATS had their annual “IronMan watching party” during the broadcast of the Kona Hawaii race.  The club allowed Doug Landau to attend at the December 10th Bonzai Bike and Multisport Store party, where a large projection screen was set up and food served.  Triathlete Coach Brian Clark enlisted Landau to help prepare burgers, buns and sausages, and “war stories” about races and training adventures filled the evening during the commercials.  Landau also presented RATS President Kevin Kunkel with a check towards their good works.  Landau and “Kona Kev” see each other training regularly at the Sport & Health Club at Worldgate in Herndon, Virginia as well as during Reston Bike Club evening rides and races when the weather is warmer.

The Herndon injury lawyer also told RATS members about the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU‘s free bike helmet program for schools as well as for individual local children who cannot afford head protection.

From the club’s web site: Read the rest of this entry »

Northern Virginia trial lawyer & triathlete Doug Landau and National Road Running League director & "DC Running Coach" Mike Hamberger at the USAT Duathlon National Championships, Mason, Ohio

Picking on yesterday’s post, running as a team can be lots of fun.  After college and graduate school, it’s hard to find other working adults to run with if you are not a member one of the excellent local running clubs, such as the DC Road Runners Club, the Potomac Valley Masters, Montgomery Road Runners, etc.  However, these clubs are very large, and can field several teams at the races.  I have run for the DCRRC at the National Masters Cross Country Championships in Maryland and been on teams with President Bob Platt and others.  But being on a smaller team that runs several races in a season can be a different experience.

DC Running Coach Mike Hamberger has once again put together a series of road races of varying distances, including some short events (a mile and a 2-miler!) so that those of us who are “unattached” (other than to our spouses and “significant others”) can still compete after University.  Check out the NRRL Series schedule and gather your mates to enter this competitive area series.  You may find that you intended to run in some of these road events any way, so doing so as a team gives you “extra value” and incentive to train and run your best.  Good luck to everyone at these fine races.

Potomac River Running Company‘s “Run with Santa” was healthy fun for all ages.  Staged at the convenient Reston Town Center Ice Rink, the Run With Santa 5K had a great festive atmosphere, hot drinks, FREE kids races, music and even a team competition.  Contested a month ago today, on Sunday, December 4th, 2011.  The Run with Santa 5k benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  The 5k loop went through the residential streets of Reston and finished at the Reston Town Center. Participants received a commemorative technical long sleeve t-shirt and a special goodie bag from Santa. Some runners dressed up in their favorite holiday costumes for the race.  (In how many races can you beat three super heroes, 4 Santas and a half-dozen elves ?!!?)  Whether you dress up in a Santa suit or dress as an elf, you will join in the festive holiday atmosphere at the Run With Santa 5k. There were awards for the best costumes!  There was a free kids fun run (a few hundred yards) with finishers receiving a finisher medal!  The fun run will took place after the 5k, just before the awards ceremony.

The “World Gators” again had the lowest total time in the Team Category, with Annie Downer and Sarah Buckheit repeating their winning ways from the Goblin Gallop 5km. The rules mandated that a team may have an unlimited number of participants and the top 4 times from team member will make up the team score.  Even though the rules required that a scoring team of 4 must have at least 1 female, the equal opportunity “World Gators” again had several women scoring !  Landau was lucky to have been able to join forces with such fine female masters runners.  Team road racing can be lots of fun.  See tomorrow’s post for more on this topic.

Not likely to medal in 3 races in 36 hours again, Herndon Reston area triathlete and trial lawyer Doug Landau will instead concentrate on major sprint races in 2012

We know of no other lawyer or law firm courageous enough to make their trial, speech or hearing schedule available so that you can see the best lawyers “in action.”  Triathlon trial lawyer Doug Landau does the same thing with his sports competition plans.  If you tell people that you are going to court, teach or race, you had better do it, and do it well.  But putting his agenda “out there,” Landau makes sure to “bring his ‘A game’” each and every time.  The best Virginia injury lawyers, like the very best athletes, declare their goals and then work very hard to achieve them.  People remember Muhammed Ali and John Newcombe for their ability to confidently predict their victories.  They backed up their “talk” by training intensely and focusing on their plan and long-term goals.  Just like the ABRAMS LANDAU trial team spends a lot of time, effort and money investing in their client’s injury trials, Doug Landau trains year-round for high-level multi-state competition. Read the rest of this entry »