Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Partners

I am very fortunate.  I practice law with two of the best lawyers I know, and fortunately, they are my closest friends.  We are a partnership of three non-traditional lawyers.  Non-traditional because we are all trial lawyers and we are all also mothers and wives.  Few, if any, firms like ours existed when I was a child, at least not to my knowledge.  Our firm is coming heading toward our sixteenth anniversary.  

All of the lawyers in our firm work cooperatively.  We have little ego; what egotistical behavior there is is usual comes from me.  We all try cases, we all write briefs, we all argue before Courts of Appeals.  When one of us has a case going to trial, another of us pitches in as second-chair.  Sometimes, more often than not, the remaining lawyer takes the laboring oar on motions and jury instructions.  Today, we helped Kristi get ready for her Court of Appeals argument scheduled tomorrow.  Thankfully, this time our client is the respondent. 

When Marie and I started this firm, we did not know what to expect. I decided to leave my previous firm and go out on my own and called, Marie, my friend and law school classmate just to tell someone.  I was surprised with her response, "Can I join you?"   I did not know if we could make it.  We have.  Kristi joined us the following year, still in law school, recommended by my mother, who was Kristi's co-worker selling tickets for basketball and theatre events.  The three of us have survived ups and downs and have changed and grown.  Four of our kids have been through or are in college, two have been born, and now one is getting married.  We take care of each other, our clients, and our families.

We are also fortunate to have the finest staff in all of Kansas City.  They have been with us for many years.  I don't know where we would be without them, especially Ann who has been with me more than 25 years. 

Sometimes, it just feels good to think about who makes this firm possible so that we can represent the courageous people that we represent.