Happy Valentine’s Day. Today is a holiday when people traditionally express their love through greetings, gifts, and, importantly, sharing their time together. When periodically thinking about that concept in terms of our legal community, several different things have come to mind. But one consistently pops up: Tom Homann dinners.
I have been to my fair share of annual dinners for organizations in our community, but THLA’s stand out to me because they consistently talk about something others usually don’t: love. Of course, there is a good reason for that when you consider the organization’s mission and purpose. But that emotion, as well as a rainbow of others, is one that we all experience.
As you are practicing, remember that. Emotions can be some of the greatest motivators or some of the greatest obstacles for getting to resolution. Take time to understand the reasons why your client is in front of you before you devise a plan about how to solve their problems. Otherwise, you run the risk of only treating a symptom.
Finally, in the spirit of the holiday, in addition to the private expressions that I will share today, I wanted to make some public declarations. I love our profession and how it enables us to tangibly better our communities. I love our court system and our enduring quest to ensure justice for all. And I love the SDCBA, which provides so many opportunities for its members.
Yours,
David Majchrzak
2022 SDCBA President