If you aren't a subscriber to Texas Lawyer's daily digital newsletters, you might be noticing for the first time a new name and face atop this letter. While I officially took over from former editor-in-chief Heather Nevitt who passed the torch in February, the print schedule lags a bit. As such, this is my first Editor's Note to appear in print, and suffice to say, my first introduction to print readers.

I'm excited to take over a legal magazine in such a big, diverse state that will continue to play an integral role economically, politically and legally throughout the future. It's a state that's home for me and in which I have deep roots. My grandfather liked to bluster about a time when a single traffic light hung between Dallas and Fort Worth and when I-45 used to be a fraction of the 10-lane monstrosity it is now. Alas, the Texas landscape is ever-changing, but one thing that remains steadfast is the maverick persona that regularly challenges detractors to take their way or the highway. In the case of lawyer and Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher, he really meant it. Before the point-to-point airline carrier took off, intra-state travel between the major cities in Texas was limited to highways or burdensome multi-city stops on a plane.