Wedding Industry Struggles to Catch up After Covid- Marred Year
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www.thebusinessjournal.com UPDATED DAILY APRIL 16, 2021 thebusinessjournal.com the FOCUS | 10 Economic Development Report finds need for more spec industrial space in Central Valley the EXECUTIVE Matter of life and death PROFILE | 12 Local family law attorneys recount threats, violence Ravyn Cullor – STAFF WRITER In May 2006 a Fresno spouse might be involved. family law attorney was Aguirre said while he had shot in the neck leaving initially thought he’d been Kevin Deniz his office. While no one shot in the head, he was hit Co-founder & Ag Real Estate has been arrested or in the flesh of the back of his Specialist charged, he suspects, like neck and ultimately wasn’t Farmcom Real Estate an uncounted number of seriously injured. attorneys, he was targeted Utah-based family law the LIST | 8 due to a divorce case. attorney Steve Kelson Architectural Firms That attorney was L. Kim began studying threats Aguirre, and nearly 15 years and assaults made against later, he can’t be sure of who attorneys, particularly those This Week Online 6 shot him, but he suspects in family law, in college. Leads 9 it could have been one of a He said Aguirre is far from People on the Move 14 number of opposing parties alone, even in violent Public Notices 20-24 he was dealing with in his assaults. Opinion 26 family law practice. “Lawyers practicing family After the shooting, he said 13 clients called saying their Life & Death | Continued Page 2 BUSINESS Wedding industry struggles to catch up after Covid- marred year By Breanna Hardy Page 5 THE TSUNAMI SERIES A look at pent-up demand in the PHOTO BY OH LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHY | Jared and wake of Covid-19 Breana Rickman at their backyard wedding. SENSITIVE TIME PRIORITY HANDLING PERIODICAL: FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2021 ISSUE #325844 $1.25 PER COPY USPS 145-100 2 www.thebusinessjournal.com FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2021 Life & Death | From 1 law are first or second up there as was the first he reported to the far as threats and assaults go, after police, and caused him to upgrade criminal law,” Kelson said. “People security systems and keep a care most about their life, liberty secured weapon at the office, he and property, and when they feel said. like they lose those things it raises All three attorneys said the emotions.” nature of family law and divorce Kelson said research on the cases drives the rates of threats topic is scarce, but he has been and violence against counsel. conducting surveys for years and Unlike a number of other areas has found that around 40% of all of practice, Aguirre said divorce attorneys who responded had cases are emotional because they been threatened or assaulted, but can threaten to remove one’s that number jumped to 54% for children, property and way of life. those primarily practicing family In Kelson’s research, the law. opposing party was significantly While Kelson’s surveys do more likely to be the assailant, include violent assaults, they and family law attorneys saw also indicate attorneys more threats and assaults by opposing often receive threats or are parties more often than other inappropriately approached in lawyers. It also showed threats their office, at court, at home and and assaults were usually made by elsewhere. men. During an office renovation, “You see the weirdest things in Fresno attorney Glenn Wilson said family law,” Kelson said. “There an associate of an opposing party is stalking, people showing up at got into his own office and called an attorney’s home, sometimes him from the office phone. The threats are even directed toward intruder threatened to find and family members.” kill Wilson if he didn’t drop out of The surveys allowed attorneys the case. to give specific details on As a former law enforcement experiences they had, which officer, Wilson said he was used ranged from death threats, to being threatened in relation to aggravated assaults, attempted his work and as an attorney had hiring of a hitman and even received a number of them. a threatening call after the The threat from his office phone Life & Death | Continued Page 5 VIRTUAL BUSINESS SERIES (PART 2) TOPIC: From Linear Economy to Circular Economy: The Next Scan here to register! Business Opportunity MAY 12TH, 10AM LIVE VIA ZOOM WITH Q&A thebusinessjournal.com WITH JOHN SHEGERIAN CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2021 www.thebusinessjournal.com 5 Life & Death | From 2 opposing party murdered his during a stand off with law just because they don’t want bad concerned now of it defining him wife. enforcement. publicity.” as an attorney. The surveys did not include Soley’s daughter, family law Wilson said he only recalls “It’s not something I like to written accounts of murders of attorney Lesley Soley, declined to the topic being discussed in law dwell on,” Aguirre said. “It’s not family law attorneys, but Kelson comment for this article. school in relation to penalties an something you want your whole outlined a few in an academic While threats and assaults are attorney could face if they were career to be based on, ‘you’re the paper he wrote on the subject that prevalent in family law, Kelson to disclose certain information one who got shot.’ was published by the Minnesota said the subject is little discussed, publicly or to law enforcement. Family Law Institute. and under researched. After spending years feeling Fresno attorney Judy Soley was “They don’t really talk about hyper-vigilant, particularly INFOGRAPHICS CREATED BY RAYVN CULLOR FOR THE BUSINESS JOURNAL | Surveys done on attorneys by killed in a Bass Lake restaurant that kind of stuff in law school,” because his assailant was never Steve Kelson between 2006 and 2018. in 2011 during a meal with her Kelson said. “Attorneys don’t discovered, Aguirre said he’s client when the client’s estranged really talk about it if they get hesitant to discuss his experience husband shot both women. The threats, whether they think it because the incident didn’t Ravyn Cullor | Writer can be reached at: 490-3461 or shooter later died by suicide would make them look weak or change his practice and he’s more e-mail [email protected] WEDDING INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO CATCH UP AFTER COVID-MARRED YEAR Breanna Hardy – STAFF WRITER The wedding industry saw a drastic While people weren’t ordering 100 looking for jobs, they need to look into decrease in activity last year, with many or 200-serving cakes as in past years, the wedding industry. postponements to 2021. Now some clients were splurging on small cakes Pardini’s Catering & Banquets is one vendors are wondering how they’ll because it was one of the main features vendor looking for more employees, make revenue stretch after holding of small family weddings. Now there’s a even after a successful year of 2020 deposits. shift in the business as clients look to go reallocating some core staff to its new Cassandra Turner, owner of forward with bigger weddings again. food truck, The Big Wagon. Weddings by Cassandra in Fresno, has “This year will be very interesting Jeff Pardini, co-owner of Pardini’s been in the business for 22 years. But because already it was filled because of Inc., is hopeful after a bumpy year. the last year and a half has been the the postponements,” Gable said. “We’re excited obviously that there's most challenging yet. Gable said the challenge with positive momentum in the event “I haven’t done an indoor wedding wedding postponements as a vendor industry,” Pardini said. since January of 2020. Everything has is the planning element. Despite not Pardini said there’s a “sense of been outside. Everything,” she said. physically working on the product yet, confidence that people are at least The wave of wedding postponements the business has reserved spots for confident to book events in the future. happened nearly overnight. clients, paid its employees and spent But now after the governor’s recent “It was like on a Friday it happened time designing the product. announcement, people are chomping and then by Monday I had six weddings Now 2021 has offered new hope of at the bit.” I had to postpone,” Turner said. lifted restrictions and herd immunity As of June 15, if all goes according to Turner had to rearrange 20 weddings as more people get vaccinated, and plan, California will do away with the in all, either changing the location or Frosted Cakery is seeing growing Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which date. One client moved her wedding PHOTO BY OH LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHY | Small backyard demand. will eliminate capacity and business three times. Some clients got married wedding, moved from Sunnyside Country Club to In some cases, clients want to place restrictions. anyway and others opted to wait out the bride's parent's home May 30, 2020. deposits just to reserve a date without “People should start making their the pandemic. even having a consultation. plans sooner than later because the keep brides happy, while making sure Typically coordinating weddings To keep sales booming, Frosted demand is going to be very high for the her vendors still made the bottom with an average of 300 guests, smaller Cakery has started selling its cupcakes upcoming year,” Pardini said. line. Many in the event industry are weddings were a change of scenery. in Clovis at Chocolate Wishes at Pardini’s has almost two years’ worth self-employed, so they see each other Some clients had a small official the Sierra Vista Mall.