Shares

It's official and I can now share this very exciting news. Beginning in 2010, I will be a shareholder of Robichaud & Anderson.

I am thrilled. It is faster than I thought it would happen, but I have already felt as though the firm was "mine" for quite some time and it feels great to have that made official.

Last night at that law firm annual party, Robichaud of R&A announced to our staff that I would become a partner in January, which is why it's now ok to announce in the blogworld.

I have been thinking today about how fortunate I am to love going to work every day. It's a rare thing, I think, to love both the work and the people. Sure, there are rough days and frustrations, but this law firm and I are a match made in...downtown Minneapolis. It feels right and I think the best is yet to come.

I mean, when an annual party ends at bar close with a red hot dance performance by middle aged lawyers, how could anyone ever want to leave that?

So, as of 4 weeks from now, it will be Robichaud, Anderson, & Kristina the Shareholder.

Marketing Ideas

The life of a lawyer at a small law firm involves constantly thinking up new ways to get clients. Recently, one of our more useful contacts terminated and we are on a mission to start 2010 with a strong marketing effort. We've got the traditional bases covered: newspapers; radio; TV (yes, launching a TV commercial in 2010!), and wining and dining classmates, colleagues and others who can be good referral sources.

But, I know that I have some people out there who read this and MUST have some good ideas for creative marketing strategies. Come out, come out wherever you are. Come out of the woodwork - and please, share what's worked for you in your quests for clients. I'm not necessarily even just looking for strategies applicable to law- a lot of marketing I think applies across different industries, so let's hear (read) those ideas.

Go!

Where Credit is Due

Re: Previous post.

1) It was my wife who pointed out that the creepy wife blogger was thankful for freedom.

2) It was my wife who noted I should be thankful for a lawyer card.

3) She has good ideas. Sometimes I hear them and run with them.

4) My name is Kristina and I am a copycat robotface.

Lawyer Card

On one one of the crazy wife/mom blogs I read, someone yesterday wrote she was thankful for "Freedom." No explanation. Now. I am not religious and I think the closest thing I have to a holy text would be the Bill of Rights. So, believe me, I am not dissin' freedom. But what does it mean to just say you're thankful for freedom?

There's freedom of the press. There's freedom of religion/irreligion. There's the presumption of innocence. The freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. There's the right to a jury trial. The right to confront witnesses. The right to NOT be a witness against oneself. I don't know if crazy wife/mom blogger meant any or all of those things. Maybe she meant the freedom to have a traditional marriage and make babies. Whatever.

My brother is, in a very literal way, not free right now. I visited him yesterday. There was a huge line of people to visit loved ones yesterday morning because of an institutional policy to not allow any visitors on holidays. They were lined up for the chance to spend 15 minutes talking to their loved ones through glass on telephones. And I bet they were thankful for the chance to do that.

I, however, felt so fortunate as I entered the facility with no wait time, presented my driver's license and bar admission card. The deputy verified my identity and handed me a pass stamped "contact." Seven red letters that meant I got to wrap my arms around my brother, hold his hand while we were talking, and squeeze him extra tight for Thanksgiving.

When I left my visit, my heart felt heavy. Missing my brother. Sad for my family. Sad for other families that are not together.

But then I realized we are damn lucky. I wouldn't be surprised if my brother was the only one in the whole institution who got to hug his sister yesterday. Yep, this year we are, indeed, thankful for the lawyer card.

Oh, and freedom.

2 years

I don't know how to link back to posts, but if I did, I would send you back to November 15, 2007. Or whenever Sarah logged into my blog and posted pictures of my new baby, Johan.

I spend a lot of time rejecting parenting norms. For example, I drank 2 glasses of wine while 7 months pregnant after just passing the bar exam. Johan has been eating peanuts since he was 9 months old. I don't really censor my language around Johan- they're not bad words; just grown-up words. You get the idea.

BUT.

There's one thing about being Johan's mom that I am pretty sure is just as cliche as hell. Tonight, while I rocked the birthday boy, my sweet 2-year-old to sleep, I started thinking back to two years ago tonight. To the first time I laid eyes on my child. To the first time I held him in my arms. To the first time his tiny hand wrapped around my finger. While I was remembering all this tonight, I had to acknowledge the expansiveness of my love for him. It's pretty fucking incredible.

See?

CCMB

There is a crazy christian mommy blog (henceforth, CCMB) I read on occasion (read: every day). The CCMB-er is popular and famous for having a sick kid. My wife pointed out that she has more Twitter followers that Ice-T.

Now that's fucked up.

I digress.

She is a loud and proud advocate of what she calls "small government." I assume this means she thinks that school vouchers and/or group prayer are the answers to the problems in public schools; advocates low or no taxes; and thinks poor children should just suck it up and get a (corporate) job if they want health care. I am pretty sure she ONLY thinks the government should be in people's lives to the extent it dictates who people can marry and whether or not they should have to have a child. Since, you know, she knows what God would want America to do.

The past few days, her sick kid has had some great successful surgeries or procedures or whatever to fix his sickness. They left their home in Minnesota where they were getting amazing medical treatment from the top notch Children's Hospitals and flew to Boston where they received cutting edge medical treatment from some of the world's best pediatric surgeons.

Minneapolis. Boston.

Small government? Please. These cities are both bastions of Democratic, left-leaning politics. Higher taxes that create funding for fantastic hospitals, advanced medical research, and the best doctors.

I am happy that the CCMB-er's kid is going to be ok. I am happy for their family that they are able to reap the benefits of the large government they decry. But I really wish they'd think about that next time they think about voting for cut and slash politicians favor tax cuts at the expense of important public services.

Yes, I realize I probably need some public services to break me of my obsession with the CCMBs.

Shoes!

Today while shopping, Johan saw a pair of white and blue tennis shoes with Elmo on them. Who knows exactly why every toddler is totally obsessed with Elmo, but Johan drank the koolaid and it's too late. Anyway, we bought the shoes in the size he will grow into next. Upon arriving home, he wanted to wear them immediately. It was ridiculous to watch him stomping and rambling around the house in too-big shoes cheering for Elmo. If I was any good at all, I would have taken a video of it.

You'll just have to take my word for it. The boy is a budding fashionista.