A few days ago, someone asked me if I like being a lawyer. Of course, I responded, "Yes." The truth is that I do love my profession . . . most of the time. Unfortunately, sometimes the stress of practicing law gets in the way of enjoying the work. When I started thinking about why I still enjoy my work in spite of the challenges, I realized that, in many cases, the challenges are what make this profession a noble one. The desire to serve our clients well causes us to work harder, to put pressure on ourselves, and to strive for perfection, and we become better attorneys in the process.

Fortunately, my legal career and my bar service have afforded me the opportunity to work with lawyers who I respect because of their work ethic, dedication, intelligence, professionalism, and most sincere desire to "do good" for their clients and their profession. Ultimately, what gets me out of bed and into the office every morning is the challenge to emulate those qualities that I admire.