Growing up I saw how much my father enjoyed helping people in his work, and that stayed with me. We've been part of our community for three decades, and I've gotten that same feeling -- of true satisfaction -- over the years helping our community

Criminal work certainly is good preparation for trial work generally - I learned early how to address juries and how to cross-examine witnesses. As an attorney exposed to every kind of witness, I was in a position to handle personal-injury and accident cases more effectively.

We have many people come to us every day with a story, and a certain number come in with misinformation and unrealistic expectations. Many are greatly influenced by what they're seen in the newspapers, like the case os spilled McDonald's coffee leading to a million-dollar settlement.

The fact is, I won't discuss the value of a case in any preliminary conversation. It's simply reckless to discuss the value of a case before all information is received, including medical reports.

Accident, medical malpractice and other personal-injury cases require patience. I will hear from clients from time to time who say, "I hope my case doesn't take as long as my mother's case." The truth is, we have very little control over how long a case will last. It may take two, three, perhaps even five years. The process demands a certain degree of stamina - and confidence in the team that is the attorney and the client.

The process has changed over the years - we always invested our own resources in cases, to ensure that they received their proper day in court. That requires steadily covering expenses: And those expenses have ratcheted up in recent years. Ten years ago what may have amounted to $2,500 in trial expenses will today be $10,000 in expenses, for essentially the same services. That makes the stakes higher, and the importance of good legal preparation all the greater.

We are seeing more so-called alternate dispute resolution - in the last five years that has become a popular way to avoid an expensive trial. I generally agree with mediation, but binding arbitration is often not in my client's best interests.

It certainly is a more competitive world, and lawyers treat one another differently. We don't see the courtesies extended to one another the way we used to; that's a big change from when I started. But I love what I do - what I tell all young lawyers today, including my son, is that client service is the most important thing you can do as an attorney. Serving the client properly is at the heart of our success.