Fall Cornucopia by Ron Cogswell from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

I feel very lucky to have had this practice for almost three years and the success that has come with it. Every few months, I get a call from a law student or a recent law graduate who wants to talk about how I started my practice and what I do. I try to caution them that my firm is unique so they should create expectations based on what I do.

Here are the top 3 things I am grateful for in my professional life.

1.  Freedom. When I considered having my own firm, my ultimate goal was freedom: freedom to handpick my cases, freedom to write and speak, freedom to set my schedule, and the freedom to pursue crazy ideas.

At the 2014 AZ Basset Rescuee Howl-o-ween Picnic (Photo by Julia Kolsrud)

2.  I get to help people in ways in which they can’t help themselves. It’s so rewarding to see that what I do makes a difference in my clients’ lives.

3.  Rosie, my basset hound, gets to go to work with me. I never plan to work in another building or take another position unless she is welcome.

I know I’m not your typical lawyer. And I’m grateful I’ve been able to handcraft my entire career. Because of my nontraditional career as a lawyer a lot of doors are opened for me in terms of speaking, writing, being regarded by others as an expert, and being invited to be part of national committees. There is no such thing as a typical day for me.

I’m grateful my practice allows me to take a lot of risks at least in terms of marketing and speaking ventures, though I would never take on the same level of risks with my clients. If anything, I’m quite conservative when it comes to my client matters because I would never went to take a case that I felt unprepared to handle.

There are a lot of plans on the horizon for next year and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you.