The Voice of Southwest Louisiana July 2017 Issue

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Q&A M. Steven Beverung, Esq. Attorney at Law By Jessica Hunt What many people know (or think they know) about being a lawyer, they've learned from watching television. I spoke with Attorney Steven Beverung who has practiced Law in Southwest Louisiana for 35 years to find out about what it is really like. QWhere are you from? AI'm from Crowley which is a town about 60 miles east of Lake Charles. I graduated from Crowley High. I went to undergraduate school at LSU and I went to Law School at LSU Law Center. QWhen did you open your own practice? AI came to work with Mr. Fred Book in 1982 after one year with the Court of Appeal. I became a partner about three years later. He retired May of 2016 so I've been holding down the fort since then. I've been doing private practice for 35 years. 24 QWhat areas of Law do you practice? AI have a general practice—general civil office litigation practice. I do a lot of successions, wills, collections. I also do family law. QDo you have a favorite area? AI prefer to do successions and office practice, some litigation and I do personal injury which is fun to do. QWhat about those areas drew you in? AGenerally dealing with people is what I like to do. Dealing with people is got a reward in itself. Family Law can be depressing because of the situations with children. I do enjoy helping people. On personal injury cases, Money cannot replace a lot of the things that you do but you can put people in the right direction. Successions help distribute property to the heirs and settling any disputes that they may have. QWhat is Civil Law? AIt's very broad. Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is anything that is not a violation of a criminal statute. Civil law, Family Law, divorce, domestic relations, contract law, successions, things like wills and sales and real estate. Criminal law is if you are prosecuted by the District Attorney or city Attorney for a city statute or a federal crime, such as July 2017 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 4 • Number 10
Clients need to have a realistic view of what can be done and listen to the lawyer and hope that he doesn't tell you what you want to hear but what is going to happen... In his spare time, Mr. Beverung enjoys gardening, hunting, watching LSU sports and spending time with his family. robbery and fraud. QFor many, what they know about law stems from what they see on TV—what is it really like practicing law? AOne of the problems on TV is everything is in condensed form. They put something in an hour program that would take two or 3 years in real time. Particularly in the criminal field and civil litigation. It takes time. And it's expensive. You have to pay for it as you go along. On a personal injury case, especially on a big one, the client doesn't pay until it's resolved so then it's taken out of the fee they are awarded. You see the court room scenes, they get away with, like hearsay, and some of the stunts you see you would not be able to pull. QHave you seen any changes in Law in over 30 years? AYes, it's completely changed. What really hit me most is the lawyer advertising they have now. When I first started practicing, there was no lawyer advertising or very little. Now you can't turn around without seeing an ad for a lawyer. Other than that, the basic premise of everything has not changed too much. A few things have been streamlined. Family court is different. When I first started practicing they had no family court. Cases were assigned to judges. All the judges did family law. QI think it is fair to say that many people who seek legal guidance did not plan to do so. What is something you wish more clients did to be prepared? AWell, if they come in with a problem they need to bring all the documentation that would affect that. You get one year in which to file the suit or you will lose all rights to that. Clients need to have a realistic view of what can be done and listen to the lawyer and hope that he doesn't tell you what you want to hear but what is going to happen. There are some things that you may feel that you have a right to that you really don't and some things that you don't realize you have something, you really do. You need to seek the professional help. Find an attorney you can talk to. You can consult an attorney, you don't have to hire them. Volume 4 • Number 10 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM July 2017 25
Page 1 and 2: July 2017 Vol 4 No 10 Sasol is buil
Page 3 and 4: editor’s By Brenda Hill A Passove
Page 5 and 6: SWLA news New Projects for week end
Page 7 and 8: Derrick D. Kee, Esq. HAWKINS KEE LA
Page 9 and 10: them as they transition to college
Page 11 and 12: ... local business Sasol expects to
Page 13 and 14: Iron Plus C Complex Supports Oxygen
Page 15 and 16: Beyond Imagination By Ronald J. Bla
Page 17 and 18: Nathaniel Williams invites you to c
Page 19 and 20: You can’t always predict the weat
Page 21 and 22: Volume 4 • Number 10 WWW.THEVOICE
Page 23: By Jessica HuntLYFT Zippy was dead.
Page 27 and 28: Pick up your copy of The Voice of S

The Voice of Southwest Louisiana July 2017 Issue

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