Do you spend more time with your coworkers than you do with your family?  If you do, have you ever stopped to consider why that may be the case?  The West is a culture preoccupied with work. While I love the fast-paced nature of the legal field, it's crucial that I take the time to reflect on why I do what I do every day at the office. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, here are just a few things I am thankful for:

1. I'm thankful for my clients.

I've said it before, and I will reiterate it here: I've got the best clients in Texas. I learn so much from them, and they honor me by trusting me with their lives every day. Whether I am helping them survive a bitter divorce or organizing their business for the start of a new venture, each client challenges me to provide better service and value than I did the day before. That's a tremendous blessing that I do not take for granted.

2. I'm thankful for my staff.

This year I hired a legal assistant named Tim, and my productivity soared. He keeps me on task, helps me with administrative tasks so that I can focus on legal work, and most importantly he keeps me in communication with clients when I'm in court or otherwise unavailable to talk to them directly. Tim has allowed me to be more efficient and responsive to my clients, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

3. I'm thankful for my family and friends.

If it weren't for my friends and family, my life would be totally out of balance. Being in a service-based industry is difficult because other people's life problems become my problems. It's very easy to get overwhelmed by all of the very serious concerns that clients bring to my office. It's also easy to take on more work than I can handle because it's much harder to say no to a potential case when my cup is overflowing with obligations.  Today I vow to prioritize my family over my potential profit. If I can't offer the best service at the time due to having a full case load or simply not being able to handle the problem before me, it is my ethical obligation to refer that potential client to another professional who can.  I'll no longer value my professional life over my personal life because integrity goes a long way, and I took an oath to behave ethically and professionally at all times.

I hope and pray that you are taking time off from work to spend time with the people who really matter in your life. I know I will, and I can't wait to kick back with my friends and family to recharge before coming back to work to serve more clients and help more people along the way.