Working Hard, Making it Work

40 Hour Week (For A Livin') Performed by Alabama

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_Hour_Week_(For_a_Livin%27)

There are people in this country who work hard every day
Not for fame or fortune do they strive
But the fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay
And it's time a few of them were recognized
Hello Detroit auto workers, let me thank you for your time
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line
Hello Pittsburgh steel mill workers, let me thank you for your time
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line
This is for the one who swings the hammer, driving home the nail
Or the one behind the counter, ringing up the sale
Or the one who fights the fires, the one who brings the mail
For everyone who works behind the scenes
You can see them every morning in the factories and the fields
In the city streets and the quiet country towns
Working together like spokes inside a wheel
They keep this country turning around
Hello Kansas wheat field farmer, let me thank you for your time
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line
Hello West Virginia coal miner, let me thank you for your time
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line
This is for the one who drives the big rig, up and down the road
Or the one out in the warehouse, bringing in the load
Or the waitress, the mechanic, the policeman on patrol
For everyone who works behind the scenes
With a spirit you can't replace with no machine
Hello America let me thank you for your time
Songwriters: David Loggins / Don Schlitz / Lisa Miriam Silver
Forty Hour Week (For a Livin') lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

It's Friday.  It's the end of the first week of operations of my law firm.  A lot of people said I should not go solo, and I am getting a lot of feedback that tells me this is the dumbest decisions I have ever made.  (To be fair, there are way more people supporting me in this endeavor that are denigrating me in this endeavor, but dealing with the naysayers has been quite interesting).  I still have no clients.  I still have not earned my first dollar or done my first bit of "lawyer work".   But still I look into the future with a great deal of optimism.

For the past few months I have been doing the legwork to start this thing.  Parts of it have been mystifying and parts of it have made me so upset.  I'll talk more about all these things in future posts.  But one thing that has kept me going over the past few months of "startup" effort (and throughout law school, honestly), was the thought that I was going to run a firm where I helped people plan for the future and get things set for all the eventualities of life.  People need an attorney who is a counselor, a friend, a part of their lives (however briefly).  People need an attorney who cares about their life, their situation, and the things they are trying to accomplish.  They dont need an attorney who is out to make money at the cost of everything else.  

Which brings me to the point of the song "40 Hour Week (For A Livin')."  I heard that song for the first time when I was a high school kid, and it has resonated with me since then.  As a lawyer, I want to help the people who are described in the song, and others, who have worked a lifetime's worth of "40 hour weeks".  Whether it is pushing paper in an office, or doing the really hard work that drives America forward, day in, and day out, one day at a time--folks like this are who I strive to serve.  People have done their best jobs, often with little to no thanks, and deserve to know that their hard work, and the things obtained by the dint of their efforts, will not be in vain.  

Contact me to talk about an estate plan, today.  You dont need an actual "estate" to need an estate plan!  Protect the people you have worked so many "40 hour weeks" to provide for, by making sure you have a will set up ASAP.  Click the contact link to reach me.