From our very first meeting, I work to develop a rapport with clients. I'll tell them a little about myself, and I will explain the legal process. After we have reviewed every aspect of the case - often with outside experts who review the facts with us -- we'll determine whether the claim is viable or not. So, the early part of the process is a give and take, where we earn a trust and rapport with our clients. After all, it can be a long and grueling process as we proceed together through the ups and downs of litigating a case.

All along, I'm accessible. I answer my phone. People like to get their questions answered. A lot of lawyers don't do that nowadays. The fact is, many clients are as interested in understanding what really happened - the "whys?" and "what ifs?" of their case -- as they are in the issue of compensation.

Even when we don't take a case on, we really make every effort to inform the client why we didn't. Our non-retention letters can be five pages long, so the client understands the details of why we did not take the case. Most other firms usually don't do that. That's the kind of effort that people appreciate -- and they'll remember us. We are big on client service, even when someone is not yet our client.

The fact is, it's a big town - there are lots of lawyers out there. Clients have plenty of attorneys to choose from.

But I think we differentiate ourselves with our hard work and commitment to high standards. Our work product is very important here. All documents that go out are carefully prepared, with no spelling or grammar errors. It's on our everyday work product that people judge us, and rightly so.

Paul and I were good friends in law school, but today we are a true team. We collaborate on depositions regularly, and there are very few depositions in which we don't leave the session smiling. I spent 17 years at the Beasley Firm, and Jim Beasley, Sr. was a true mentor. He was knowledgeable and didn't mind sharing his experience and "know-how." A lot of lawyers would never be so generous with their time and their knowledge. I'm first to admit I wouldn't be where I am today without his early guidance. Today, I make it a point to share what I do, what I know, with younger lawyers.

I've always been a people person, and I always cared about the institutions I was a part of. With all of the revelations about sex abuse of children by individuals in the Catholic Church in recent years, I am disgusted to the point that I am no longer a practicing Catholic. Predator priests have ruined innocent lives. For years, powerful people covered up for the guilty, interested only in "protecting their brand." Pennsylvania has a very strict statute of limitations, with the normal limit on a sex-abuse claim being the 20th birthday for a minor - children repress a trauma like sex abuse - and it is often not until decades later that many of these victims are finally able to come to grips with these events.

One thing is certain in my work: A lot of people truly depend on us. The stakes for the clients and their families are always great. It's an honor to represent our clients. I'm proud of what we do - every day.