Wisconsin Lawyer
Vol. 80, No. 7, July 2007

by George C. Brown, executive director

There is a young ash tree outside my office window. Eight years ago, when the Bar Center was built, it was a six-foot-tall stick with a few leaves; now it stands 12 feet tall and has a full complement of branches and broad, green leaves. Yesterday, for the first time, I noticed that situated in the main crotch of the tree is a bird's nest. From its appearance, it is a robin's nest.

Now, just like you, I'm busy. My days are filled with meetings, phone calls, letters to read and answer, email, and more email. There are decisions to make, reports to read and write, and projects to develop. I frequently travel for presentations at local bar meetings, as well as other evening meetings and receptions. Some days, I feel like I don't so much leave the office as escape it.

Don't get me wrong; I love my work. But, again, just like you, there are those moments, those events, that take you aback, that shake you a bit and make you think. For example, a number of years ago I knew I had been working long hours when, on arriving home at 9:30 in the evening, I was greeted by my youngest son, then a high school junior, who asked, in that warm, yet accusatory tone that only a 16-year-old can muster, "What are you doing home so early?"

Seeing the robin's nest was one of those events. The birds are gone now. So, sometime in the last two months, not 15 feet from my nose, a pair of robins built their nest, laid their eggs, fed their chicks and taught them to fly, and left. In the rush of my everyday existence, I never saw any of it.

What you do as a lawyer is incredibly important. The people and the businesses you represent depend greatly on your advice and counsel. But it is summer in Wisconsin, where the winters can be harsh and their evenings long. Don't forget to take the time to enjoy the robin's nest just outside your window.

Wisconsin Lawyer