Jessica Wilson our local lawyer

Our neighborhood storefront lawyer

by Brian Abate

Though I’ve been fortunate enough to never need a lawyer, it has always looked like a very interesting job based on the cases I’ve read about or seen on television. This month, Jessica Wilson (of Jessica Wilson Law Office at 221 Columbia St.) was kind enough to talk to me about her career, and her journey from the west coast to Cobble Hill, while also giving some important advice. Right now, Wilson does trust and estate work exclusively. That includes estate planning which means wills and trusts as well as surrogate court proceedings (when someone passes away either with or without a will.) Additionally, she does guardianship proceedings and gives free legal consultations. Wilson also dispelled the myth that the government can take someone’s money if they pass away without a will. “That isn’t the case, well, usually not,” Wilson said. “There are strict guidelines on where the money goes. For example, if you’re married with no kids, 100 percent goes to your spouse. If you are married with children, then the first $50,000 plus half goes to the spouse and the other half goes to the children. They’ll look for your bloodline. If you’re not married and have no children it can go to your parents. If your parents aren’t alive, it can go to your siblings. “It goes all the way out to first cousins and if there are no relatives alive, then it would go to the state. In an interesting case I had recently, somebody died and the closest relatives were first cousins and we had to do a genealogy review to find out who these people were. We ended up finding one cousin who had never even met the person who died but he ended up inheriting some of the money.” In addition to some interesting cases, Wilson had a unique path to becoming an estate lawyer. She grew up on Long Island and attended law school at Lewis & Clark in Portland but ended up moving to New York City to be closer to her family. “My aunt is also a lawyer and she does exactly this, trust and estates,” Wilson said. “I did trust and estates for a little while right after graduating and I wanted to challenge myself and thought ‘I want to be a litigator.’ I worked for the district attorney’s office in Brooklyn. I did it for a decade and it was extremely stressful but I also enjoyed it. “I know prosecutors get a bad rap but if I ever encountered a bad search or I didn’t believe a witness, I could always go to my supervisor and they always dismissed the case so I had a good experience in that way. I was in a lot of different areas while I was there. I did grand jury for a long time, I was a felony assistant, I did a lot of fraud work in the racketeering division and then I did environmental law for the city. “For the last four years I was there, I was in the conviction review unit where we looked at old homicide convictions from the ‘80s and ‘90s where someone was claiming they were innocent. While I was there, we exonerated 20 people.” Some of the cases Wilson reviewed involved Louis Scarcella, a former NYPD detective who was accused of framing numerous people for murder. Many convictions linked to him have since been overturned. Wilson also explained why she decided to go back to doing trust and estate work. “After Trump became president, I realized I couldn’t work for the man anymore so I quit and became a criminal defense attorney for a short while,” Wilson said. “It was very stressful and I didn’t love it. While I was still doing that I went on a yoga retreat with my aunt and she said ‘why don’t you come back to doing trusts and estates.’ And that’s just what I did. She has a big firm and I was of counsel at her firm, brushing up on everything, and then I opened my own place here about three and a half years ago.” I also asked about the transition from the fast-paced environment of working for the district attorney to working in a much calmer environment on Columbia Street. “It’s a very neighborhood practice and people just wander in off the street,” Wilson said. “A lot of clients are parents with young children. I kept working during the pandemic and it was actually very busy. Part of it was everyone being stuck in their homes but people were also scared.” Additionally, working during the pandemic created some challenges. “It was a lot more work,” Wilson said. “There was a lot of faxing back and forth and I’d drive to people’s houses to pick up or drop off documents. I couldn’t have the office open which was a challenge but I was happy to be working and I live in the neighborhood which made it easier.” Wilson then told me about some of the best parts of her work as well as some of the toughest parts of her work. “I think it’s very difficult to deal with people when money is involved and it’s very tough to see families coming apart and fighting,” Wilson said. “Sometimes there isn’t any planning ahead and everyone is scrambling to do something at the last minute when it’s too late. I would advise anyone to plan ahead to avoid ending up in a situation where it’s too late for anything to be done. It’s also very sad to be dealing with clients who have lost a loved one. “The best parts are I really enjoy working with neighborhood people. I love this neighborhood and I also enjoy working with seniors to put together aging-in-place plans. I think age is a great leveler but there are ways for seniors to stay in their homes as they get older. I like working with a lot of millennial couples with minor children. They’re all very interesting and they all have very interesting jobs in the tech world. “The best part of my practice is that I’m my own boss. I don’t have to answer to anyone! After being in the bureaucracy of the district attorney’s office I value my independence the most.” Jessica Wilson Attorney-at-Law: 221 Columbia St, between Union and Sackett,(212) 739-1736 Appointments: jessicawilsonlaw.com

Jessica Wilson at her Columbia Street office.

Italian mental health issues surface in Africa

by Dario "Pio" Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondent

Last June 14th Italy Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi di Maio took part as the guest of honor at a ceremony laying the first stone for a psychiatric hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. The New Uhuru International Neuro Psychiatric Hospital has been financed by the Italian private health corporation San Donato Group and it will house more than six hundred patients, aiming to become a leading hub for psychiatry in central-east Africa. Up til here, this is not a big piece of news. A Minister Foreign Affairs is used to join many similar events and this is witnessed by the lack of attention given to the ceremony by almost all international agencies. Nevertheless, soon after the event, the so-called hospital was accused of being a madhouse and the Italian government was charged with endorsing psychiatric practices banned in its own country. The charges have come from the associations belonging to the National Committee for Mental Health, which promote Dr. Franco Basaglia’s (19241980) approach to psychiatry, a community-based model of mental healthcare, that had driven Italy to abandon asylums in 1978. Such a revolution later influenced the WHO (World Health Organization, ed) programs on mental health and it’s still one of the greatest contributions to modern psychiatry. The associations released on June 21th an open-letter to the Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the already mentioned Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi di Maio and the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza. There they asked three fundamental questions about the building of the hospital: “How is it possible that the Minister of Foreign Affairs endorses a project which goes against all the competent laws and strategies in force in our country, as well as the international conventions signed by Italy in regard of the rights of psychic and social disabilities and the WHO’s guidelines on mental health policy?"; “Did the Minister of Health give his consent to such a political endorsement given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs that conflicts with his national guidelines?”; “Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs, directly or not, finance the operation, or has it already done it?”. None of the answers received a reply, although they were widely spread through most of the national media. Surely the situation is much more embarrassing for the Italian government as the president of the Hospital’s moneylender, the San Donato Group, is Angelino Alfano, former politician and predecessor of the incumbent Minister Luigi di Maio. Such an entrenched net of relationships, alongside the stunning silence of the involved members of the Government, raises many worries not only about the fate of patients with mental illness in Africa, but also in regard to the recognition of the value of Basaglia’s revolution in Italy. The country has already seen various attacks at the level of regional governments to community-based psychiatry in favor of great hospitals similar to the old asylums, but the Government has formally kept the spirit of Basaglia in its guidelines. That is why the operation in Kenya has become an huge concern for the afore mentioned associations, which deeply feel like such a project might be the first signal of a widespread erosion of practice.

Raised on Missouri soul: discover Bhi Bhiman’s musical journey

Interview by Roderick Thomas

Soulful, diverse and talented are the words I would use to describe Missouri native Bhi Bhiman. Shortly before the release of his latest album I’ll sleep when I’m famous, I spoke with the singer, producer, and songwriter about his musical origins, latest album, and inspirations. My interview with Bhi below:

Roderick Thomas: Bhi, thanks for speaking with me. Let’s have some music nerd talk.

Bhi Bhiman: Happy to have some music nerd talk [laughs].

RT: Where in Missouri are you from?

Bhi Bhiman: I’m actually from St. Louis.

RT: When did you know you wanted to make music?

Bhi Bhiman: Seven years old. My brother had taken guitar lessons, and when he stopped playing the guitar, I picked it up and we (the guitar and I) became inseparable.

RT: You also have a great singing voice, when did you realize you had that vocal ability?

Bhi Bhiman: I started singing in college.

RT: Really? That’s sort of late for most singers.

Bhi Bhiman: Yeah I didn’t grow up singing in the choir or anything like that. I wasn’t one of those early singers.

RT: Who were some of your early musical influences?

Bhi Bhiman: I listened to so many people: Nina Simone, Chris Cornell, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole. I think growing up in St. Louis, an Indian kid, not Black or white, not Latino, I was always moving between spaces, which may have played a role too in my musical influences.

RT: You mentioned quite a few soul singers, and your music has such a soulful element to it. Would you say soul music is a big influence on you?

Bhi Bhiman: Absolutely. I think any music that felt spiritual influenced me. I would hear gospel singers and their riffs, and soulful singing touched me. I listen to Sufi singers, and I can’t understand a word, but the riffs and whaling are sung with such passion, and spirit that you can’t help but be moved.

RT: Nothing like singing from the spirit.

Bhi Bhiman: That’s why I love world music – singing that touches your core.

RT: When did you start to get recognized for your music?

Bhi Bhiman: In 2012 I released my first album. Funny enough I got recognized in the UK first. I was invited to do this show on the BBC called, Later with Jools Holland. It was a wild experience. I was in the company of other musicians that I admire, like Soundgarden, on a major UK late-night show. That was a big moment for me.

RT: Very cool. I read that you also worked with Chris Cornell, is that correct?

Bhi Bhiman: Yes, when I was on the Jools Holland show I got to connect with him.Six months after my UK performance he asked me to open up for him on tour. So, in 2013 I toured with him for a couple of months and got a chance to perform with him.

RT: You’ve worked with Keegan Micheal Key as well. How’d that come about?

Bhi Bhiman: We were both on NPR in Minneapolis, I was the musical guest and he was the host. We ended up singing lean on me together. Later he agreed to be in one of my music videos. I’ve been blessed to have these great experiences

RT: You’ve put out quite a bit of music over your career.

Bhi Bhiman: Really? I feel like I don’t put out music often enough [laughs].

RT: Two EP’s and four full-length albums. You’ve definitely put in the work.

Bhi Bhiman: Thank you. I’m definitely a tough critique on my work so I appreciate that.

RT: Talk to me about your songwriting process. How do you start?

Bhi Bhiman: It varies. Sometimes it’s a melody that I quickly record with my phone, recently I wrote while using the piano, but usually it’s while I’m playing the guitar.

RT: Do you like to record in a particular place?

Bhi Bhiman: I record wherever I can. I don’t understand paying for hours of studio time, you can record anywhere these days. Kanye records in a hotel room in Paris and cleans vocals up later. I like to be in the moment when I record music.

RT: Do you write for other people?

Bhi Bhiman: I do. I find it freeing to write for other people because I get to be more carefree.

RT: What kind of music do you typically write for others?

Bhi Bhiman: A lot of different styles, certainly a lot of pop music, SIA, Lady Gaga. I just realized I only named white women [laughs], that’s not to say I only write for white women.

RT: [Laughs] Hilarious

Bhi Bhiman: Hi I’m Bhi, I write for white women [laughs]. No, but seri-

Bhi Bihman and his guitar.

ously, plenty of pop music.

RT: You mentioned you get to be more carefree when writing for others. Do you feel pressure when writing music for yourself?

Bhi Bhiman: I tend to tackle subject matters that require me to be thoughtful. In 2019 I released a music project as a podcast. I would release a song each episode and have discussions with ACLU lawyers, activists, and doctors about topics that were important and in line with what the music was discussing.

RT: Admirable. What inspired your new album, I’ll sleep when I’m famous.

Bhi Bhiman: Something heavy. I had a family member die by suicide in his teens. I think a lot of kids, teenagers, and adults too are struggling mentally and just in need of an escape. I advocate so strongly for mental health care.

RT: So sorry to hear that.

Bhi Bhiman: Thank you, the music is a response to what’s happening in our world. My audience is younger and this album is geared toward them. I want them to feel like they are heard and

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have another voice through my music.

RT: I’ve been listening to “Burn Out” from your new album. Do you have any favorite songs from I’ll sleep when I’m famous?

Bhi Bhiman: “Burn Out” is definitely one of my favorites. Before I had kids a certain kind of success was everything, now it’s like a switch has been flipped. There is so much to experience in life.

RT: What was the writing process for “Burn Out?”

Bhi Bhiman: I came up with that hook first, and it was one of the first songs I wrote on a piano.

RT: What can we expect from you for the rest of 2022?

Bhi Bhiman: Expect music videos and more music.

RT: Bhi, it’s been a pleasure, thanks for sharing your stories with us.

Bhi Bhiman: I appreciate it a lot, thank you! Listen to I’ll sleep when I’m famous out now on streaming platforms. Roderick Thomas is an NYC based writer, filmmaker, and Host of Hippie By Accident Podcast. (Instagram: @Hippiebyaccident, Email: rtroderick.thomas@gmail.com, Site: roderickthomas.net)