Federal Judiciary

Happy First Anniversary SRBPS - Marshall

By Michael C. Smith

 Yes, it's now officially been one year since I joined SRBPS and opened our new Marshall office.  It's been one of the best professional experiences I've ever had, and I want to thank everyone who made it possible.  Of course thanks go out to my oh-so-patient wife Jamie, my long-suffering three boys, who have spent the year wanting to know when Daddy would be off the computer so they could play Webkinz,  my paralegal par excellence Pam Matthews, without whom nothing could get done (done right, anyway), my partners Clyde, Homer, Bryan and Larry (who began his first legislative session without Speaker Craddick yesterday - flowers are accepted, but PAC contributions are probably preferred), Carl, Brendan, Mandy, and the rest of the gang at my old firm, and all my friends with the State Bar board, the Litigation Section Council, and all the other organizations that always had a encouraging word when I needed it (although most of the Council's remains subject to Council privilege.  We gather again in San Antonio tomorrow, and what a year it's been since last year's January meeting!). 

But I especially want to thank the lawyers that I've worked with the last year - the ones that were patient during the transition, as well as the ones that have called up and asked me to join their team since then, and the ones that have been representing the other side who who have been consistently professional to work with.  The longer I do this (and, frankly, the more funerals of old lawyers I go to) the more I appreciate the professionalism and camaraderie of the legal profession, and I count myself fortunate to be a member of the bar. 

What makes this profession so damn much fun every single day is getting to work with the people I get to work with.  We work together collegially almost all the time, despite the fact that we spend most of our time each day either doing our best to bash each other's heads in at various stages of the litigation, or conspiring with each other to bash somebody else's head in (much more fun), all to try to make sure that our clients get the very best we have to offer, and always within the sidelines set for us by our judges.  And then we go out and tell war stories together afterwards (most of which bear no relation to reality, of course, but that's half the fun).  And I have realized that more this year than ever.  I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone out there for a great year.  It has been a pleasure working with you, and a privilege to be a part of this wonderful thing that we all get to do for a living.

Full post as published by Eastern District of Texas Federal Court Practice on January 14, 2009 (boomark / email).