This issue of the Sacramento Lawyer is devoted to the fine art of balancing work and family, and is the second in a series taking a look at our lives outside the daily tasks of our profession. The last issue addressed lawyers in the visual and performing arts, featuring several prominent lawyers who are also accomplished artists. On April 14th, the Sacramento County Law Library hosted a gala to celebrate the opening of a five-week exhibition showcasing a remarkable collection of sixty-eight different works of art from fifty-four Sacramento-area artists. I found the event impressive and inspiring, and offer congratulations and thanks to the law library for providing us this well-attended and memorable event.

Tradition has had it that the first edition of the Sacramento Lawyer each year features a photograph of the newly-installed president on the cover and some general information about the president in the issue. I have not checked to see how far back this tradition dates, but it is one that has occurred as long as I can remember and serves the very useful purpose of introducing the general membership to its new president. This year, however, we varied from tradition by waiting for the third issue to highlight the new president.

I was thrilled last December when the editor, Chris Krueger, called to ask me what I thought about putting a picture of my family on the cover in conjunction with this issue on balancing family and work. Instead of remembering how impossible it is to get four children to sustain a natural smile simultaneously and therefore politely declining, I eagerly agreed. I saw it as an opportunity to give my wife and children a little well-deserved credit for their contributions to my accomplishment. While the past couple of years have been marked by hard work and long hours on my part to achieve the goal of SCBA presidency, the real sacrifice has been from my family. My children have only a vague notion of what I am doing, but they have a very real and direct understanding of what the impact has been. My wife, Audrianne, has been especially understanding and supportive, particularly considering the added burden of responsibility this endeavor has given her. As you will read in my article inside this issue, our family life has been quite an adventure these past two years, during which time I have developed a profound personal understanding of the concept of balancing work and family. While I am grateful for the opportunities and achievements my career in the law has afforded me, my family is the true measure of success for me, and the one of which I am the most proud.

May / June 2005