Growing up on a Brangus cattle ranch in Central Texas, my brother and I knew we had to be ready. From as young as fifth grade, “being ready” meant waiting by the back door after school with boots, jeans, and a pocketknife, watching for our dad’s truck to return down the gravel driveway after a full day of work in town. He’d honk (just once) and we’d hop in the truck to go feed the cattle or fix fences.

I moved away from our small town, for college at Abilene Christian University and law school at SMU, but I have not forgotten the lessons from the ranch:

Growing up on a Brangus cattle ranch in Central Texas, my brother and I knew we had to be ready. From as young as fifth grade, “being ready” meant waiting by the back door after school with boots, jeans, and a pocketknife, watching for our dad’s truck to return down the gravel driveway after a full day of work in town. He’d honk (just once) and we’d hop in the truck to go feed the cattle or fix fences.

I moved away from our small town, for college at Abilene Christian University and law school at SMU, but I have not forgotten the lessons from the ranch:

  - Be early.
  - Have the right tools.
  - Take ownership of the job.
  - Work until the task is done.
  - No excuses.

Although the tools of the job are different, those same lessons still guide my job as an attorney, where I am proud to represent hardworking people whose lives have been forever changed by the carelessness of someone else.