Blog

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

Posted on June 9th, 2010 by John B. Woelfel

As a father of four, my favorite time of year is baseball/softball season. All of my kids love the sport and their games become the centerpiece of our time together as a family. With the 6 year-old in Tee Ball, the 7 year-old playing soft pitch softball, the 11 year-old playing fast pitch softball and the 13 year-old playing fast pitch baseball, there are lots of ups, downs and learning opportunities.

I love being a lawyer almost as much as I love being a Dad. As a lawyer, it’s important to me I teach my children how to respect the law and be aware of how to behave properly. One of the best ways of getting them to listen to me, not always an easy task when it’s Dad talking about the office, is to make stories about sports analogous to life lessons about the law.

I explain how Tee Ball is similar to the start of a case. You are learning the fundamentals about the defendants and your client, trying to figure out which base to run to and where to throw the ball. Then I try and illustrate to the 7 year-old how the next step is more complicated, investigating product identifications and placing certain products around the environment of our clients that could help our case. It’s similar to learning the subtleties of reading the pitcher before you attempt to steal second base. Finally, we move on to the “Big Leagues” where the competition intensifies, just like with the older kids and fast pitch. That’s where the combination of skill, preparation and work ethic determine success. Being able to read the seams on a pitch to determine whether it’s a fastball or a changeup can be the difference between success and failure. I try to impart to them how hard I work is as important to winning a case as it is to them winning a game.

Succeeding at the highest level of law means delivering for your clients. Doing your best is fulfilling as an attorney, much like it is as a father, and beneficial for our clients and children. Along the way, we deal with the other team, opposing counsel. However, at the end of the day we are friendly with each other, displaying good sportsmanship. We understand that each team is trying to do their best for their clients.

Finding satisfaction in a job well done, we can rest easy when we go home at night to hear about the kid’s day at practice. The next morning we wake up anticipating what the day will hold as we come into the office and work together as a team in order to win cases for our clients and hoping our kids get the game ball.

Feel free to contact John Woelfel if you would like to discuss this or any legal matter.