DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve a detailed buddy who can also be my lawyer.
Not too long ago, I’ve discovered it awkward to speak to him about issues as a result of if I convey up delicate points, he might activate his lawyer mind after which later recommend that I pay him for authorized counsel; in the meantime, I believed we had simply been speaking as mates.
How can I draw the road with him on what’s official authorized enterprise and what’s friendship?
I don’t need to be disrespectful to him, however I additionally don’t know learn how to simply be mates if I concern that he’s going to invoice me for his recommendation.
— Drawing the Line
DEAR DRAWING THE LINE: Speak to your buddy and categorical your considerations.
Make it clear that you simply respect him in all of the methods — as a buddy and as authorized counsel — however you’re discovering it troublesome to know which hat he’s carrying typically.
Counsel that the one time you count on him to offer you authorized recommendation is if you rent him to take action. Make it official earlier than discussing your issues. In any other case, ask him to be prepared to speak to you as your buddy.
If he looks like a dialog goes too deep into his space of experience, invite him to talk up and let you know that if you wish to go additional, this must be knowledgeable engagement. It might add readability if he indicators his intention to invoice you by inviting you to debate the matter in his workplace.
This recommendation can be utilized for these of you who’re therapists, coaches, instructors, and so forth. No matter your expertise, know if you’re providing a present as a buddy and when you ought to be compensated for it.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve a buddy who has invited me to attend a Juneteenth occasion at our native museum.
We frequently do cultural issues collectively, so I’m down for going, however I really feel uncomfortable as a result of I don’t know what Juneteenth truly is. My hometown didn’t rejoice this after I was rising up.
Are you able to fill me in?
— Understanding Historical past
DEAR UNDERSTANDING HISTORY: As of 2021, Juneteenth is an official federal vacation.
It commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was formally ordered in Texas.
This present day got here greater than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation that declared slavery over. It took that point for troopers to succeed in Galveston, Texas, and announce to the folks on a plantation there that they have been now not enslaved, and for everybody to know that their liberty was lastly their very own.
A celebration naturally broke out, and over the generations, folks in Texas and all through the South have acknowledged that day as sacred.
Over time, the phrase unfold. In 1979, Juneteenth turned an official state vacation in Texas.
Due to ongoing agitation and awareness-building — particularly by activist Opal Lee, now 98 years outdated — President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth Nationwide Independence Day Act into legislation on June 17, 2021.
This present day celebrates a big second in American historical past, and I like to recommend that you simply attend the festivities and be taught extra about this a part of the American story.
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founding father of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to assist folks entry and activate their desires. You’ll be able to ship questions [email protected] or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.
