The Point of No Return

I have toyed with the idea of writing a blog for years. All of the typical questions popped into my mind: What would I write? Who would read it? Do I really have anything to say? Then it occurred to me that really what I want to do is write for myself. As a lawyer, I meet so many interesting people from all walks of life. Each has his or her own ideas about the direction of the country, the problems we face, and the problems we will face. In some ways, I think I have a unique perspective.

I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of a labor and employment lawyer. After high school, I attended the University of Georgia. While there, I was an active member of the Demosthenian Literary Society. Demosthenian, named from the Greek philosopher Demosthenes, is a parliamentary debate organization, first founded in 1802. At Georgia, I gained a deep love for debate and the exchange of sometimes wildly different ideas. 

I graduated with a degree in history, with a focus on foreign policy, and promptly began wasting my degree as a bartender. I later bought a bar and restaurant and ran that, working 16 hours a day, until my father suggested I go to law school. His reasoning was simple and compelling. "Son," he said, "if you work this hard as a lawyer, you'll be rich." I was persuaded.

Since graduating from the Southern Illinois University school of law in 2002, I have been consistently practicing in state and federal courts throughout the country. My primary focus is labor and employment law, but I handle litigation and trial for many smaller clients in other areas of the law. I handle cases for both employers and employees, but 95% of my practice is representing manufacturing plants in employment litigation.

Part of my reluctance to start this project has been because litigation has become such a nasty business. Undoubtedly, opposing lawyers will comb through this blog, looking for any weakness they can exploit or any insight they can gain. Employees who are suing my clients will undoubtedly post inappropriate comments here and fill my inbox with hate mail.

On balance, however, I've concluded that those things could happen anyway and, in any event, this is not a legal blog. So, here it is, the point of no return. I sincerely hope you enjoy the discussion, and thoughtful comments are always welcome.