If I were to sum up my impressions and observations about being a young father while also managing a busy legal practice, it would be a simple phrase—“challenging but rewarding.” There are several different aspects in which that sentiment holds true in my daily life: My interactions with my family at home, my ability to coach my son’s baseball team, my relationship with the clients we serve and the impact that my work ethic has on my children. In my opinion and experience, the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

Being a young father and managing the demands of a busy legal practice is somewhat of a balancing act. Prior to having children about eight years ago, I thought that the best feeling in the world was winning a hotly contested case through a favorable decision from a worker’s compensation judge. Since I had my son, and then subsequently my daughter, I can say definitively that the best feeling in the world is receiving big hugs from both when I walk in the door from a busy day. They do not care whether I had a good day, a bad day or most often something in between. They just want me to focus on them and vice versa for the rest of the evening. Because of that, my most productive work hours at home are late at night or early in the morning, so I do not intrude on our family time together. Fortunately, I have a very understanding wife who appreciates that this life is the one that we both signed up for together almost 16 years ago.