When the Newsletter Committee asked me to interview Chris Gibson for a member profile, my initial response was, “Chris who?”  For a moment I thought I would be interviewing that guy who used to host “Good Morning, America.”  I then learned that Debbie Roan was so skeptical of Chris Gibson’s existence that this summer she wagered her ALA Legal Expo drink tickets that he would not appear.  (She lost, by the way.)  Needless to say, I was intrigued by this mystery member and looked forward to learning more about him.

It’s what you don’t know …

Anxious to regain my footing in the upheaval that accompanies growth (I admit, a great problem to have in this economy), I re-joined ALA and registered for my first Regional Conference.  My "by-the-seat-of-your-pants" management style served our four attorneys/one paralegal firm well, but I could feel my rear end beginning to show as I tried to accommodate the growing responsibilities and demands of adding a practice area and integrating new personnel.  We tripled in size, added two partners, an IP-specific docketing software, new financial structures, non-contiguous space (with all the resulting us-and-them issues), and changed health-insurance providers.  Why was I stubbornly re-inventing the wheel with every issue I confronted?  What I didn’t know was keeping me up nights.

Earlier this year, I received a letter from the Texas Workforce Commission that stated "You have been randomly selected for an audit."  The proposed date on the notice showed a little less than three weeks time before the audit and included a rather intimidating list of records from years prior to be available for inspection.

Greener homes are in the spotlight these days, but what about the other places where many of us spend huge chunks of our time—our offices?  Some simple changes of habit can save energy and resources at work, and these small steps can be multiplied by persuading the powers-that-be at your workplace to adopt environmentally friendly (and often cost-effective) policies.