Get Rice: Ronnie O'Brien Rice, Ph.D., Lawyer

 I realize that 2020 has been a year that many people wish they could chug like a bottle of scotch. However, the truth of the matter is that 2020 is still a part of your life. It is important to learn how to embrace the ups, downs, highs, and lows to improve your situation.   We are only able to control a certain amount of the circumstances that occur in our life. Yet, we do have the ability to control our reactions when things do not go as planned. No, my friends, this is not one of my “feel good” posts. This is a reality check, a get off your butt and be productive in your life post.  If you are reading this a few years from 2020, understand that the United States just voted, and a new President will be inaugurated in January. Some people are upset and frustrated while others are happy with the choice of our country’s new leader. Regardless of your perspective, you are still in control of your life.  Life is what you make it . Does life throw some curve balls ...

We all know about great companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, but are we aware of their failures? Of course, we should celebrate the big and small wins. Nevertheless, we need not overlook the failures that were faced by ourselves or others. I am guilty of going off and being a little peeved (Tony Robbins) when things do not go as expected or planned. However, I think that is not an excuse to try to focus on the failure, how to rectify it, and ensure that it does not happen again. How many times in our lives have we failed and made attempts to cover it up without getting to the source of the issue? We believe that if we just focus on our strengths and positives, the negative aspects of our personalities will just disappear. We must face failure.  Most of the time, facing our failures is easier than facing someone else’s. We know the right things to say and which buttons to push with ourselves. Yet what happens when we must talk to our colleagues, employees, or peopl...

Now I know you wondering what in the world I am talking about, but yeah you read correctly. Let’s discuss the new trend today……relationships that end in restraining orders. Don’t get me wrong I know most of you have experienced this situation at some point in your life and your reasoning for filing was valid, but let me tell you lately I’ve worked with several clients who have had accusations against them which have been false. Somehow our society has become one who utilizes the legal system to moderate their relationships. Yet most people do not realize the court systems frown upon citizens exploiting it for frivolous claims. Webster defines frivolous as not having purpose or value. A restraining order  is defined as a document or process that one engages when someone feels threatened or harassed. However, this process is used to cover one’s tracks and there has been influx of unmerited Restraining Order reported. So….as the GREAT lawyer I am, let me present to you relatio...

 I know we hear this time and time again, that’s Thanksgiving is about giving ‘thanks!’ But, how many of us actually do this? Take time to give thanks by doing something for others, spending time with love ones, and being appreciative of the things you have. Know there are people less fortunate than you. Thanksgiving is a chance for you to express your appreciation for the big and small things in life. I know that everything in your life might not be going as planned. But, appreciation is a way to (1) focus on what you have, (2) find opportunities for growth, and (3) destress your life from everything that seems to be going wrong. And know this, there is always someone who can use your help. So, you complaining about something that is not going right might be something small for someone who does not have a place to live or food to eat. Sometimes we can get lost in our own world where we feel that the small problems of our life are major. Spend some time with others who think ...

We forget that the power of life and death is in the tongue. We must do a better job with making sure we are mindful of what we say to others and more importantly ourselves. How many times have you been thinking that something bad or good is going to happen and it happens? Some people call it the Secret Law of Attraction, etc. However, you want to classify it, it works. I know you are wandering what am I talking about. But it is simple. What you say controls the life you live. . So, what are you saying to yourself? What are you saying to your spouse? What are you saying to your family? Do wish your living situation were to change? Do you wish you had better luck? Change what you are saying to yourself, verbally and internally. The good book talks about guarding your heart as the issues of life flows through it. I would say the same thing to you. Be mindful of what you focus on , as that is what you are going to think, and what you are going to say. This life is about being ...

What am I talking about? The answer is simple. Create something where everyone can be feel invested. Too many times we want employees to be invested in our vision. And to a certain degree, they need to be invested because that’s how they are going to get paid. But, we need to understand that the amount they are invested is dependent on how much they are invested. So how do you create something that they are invested in? I’m glad you ask. You can create investment opportunities for employees within the company, you can create a joint-venture opportunity for the products and service provide, or you can create bonus opportunities for them.  1. T hink back in the old days where companies gave employees shares of the company. Just because you are a small business does not mean you cannot create shares for it. Also, you can also create a business for investment and invest in whatever you want. Just make your employees members of the investment company.  2.   Create opportun...

What is publishing? Publishing rights allows a person to sell or do business with music, books, curriculums, etc. And when I say do business with it music or books, I mean partner with other companies or brands to put on maybe a concert, party, etc. With publishing rights, there come contracts, collaborations, and deals that help promote a specific song, album, book, or movie. When you are trying to publish a body of work, it takes multiple people to publish it. For example, you need a producer, artist, sound engineer and others to get a song ‘off the ground.’ And like any other project, there can be conflict that arises out of these projects. This is where having a good contract in place helps. I’ve worked with several groups of people to either help develop a contract or handle contract disputes . All in all, I’ve found that without having a contract, things can go haywire. When it comes to artist, many either not business savvy or do not care about the business side of deve...