I became a lawyer because I thought I would be good at it. After college, I had been a journalist and a teacher—two jobs that really help me as a trial lawyer. I have to get to the point and teach the jury why my client is right.

I was born and raised in Dallas but went to law school in Boston. I came back afterwards and started representing corporations in all different kinds of lawsuits. I was good at it, but I eventually grew tired of the system. These companies had a seemingly endless supply of resources that they would use to overwhelm their opponents—especially individuals who couldn’t compete because it was too expensive. Also, I’d get paid no matter whether I won or lost. I didn’t want to do it anymore, and so 5 years after getting out of law school and working for big law firms, I decided not to represent corporations anymore. I wanted to help people.

It's been more than a decade since I made that switch. Now, every day, I get to help real people who are dealing with unimaginable tragedies. It’s a tremendous responsibility and I’d rather be doing that than anything else in the world.

I’ve had a lot of good mentors in this field. Trial lawyers are competitive and singularly focused but I’ve learned that most are also generous and caring—especially the trial lawyers who represent individuals. The list of trial lawyers who have helped me is long. I cherish the opportunity to pay that back. Now that I’ve been doing this awhile, I find myself talking to more and more younger lawyers at conferences, workshops, and when they ask us to help out on a case. I’m still learning from other lawyers, and I hope that I’m continuing that tradition with the new generation of lawyers who have made it their life’s work to help people when they need it the most. I’m grateful that this is my profession.