Paying the Piper

Posted by rdweaver | March 23, 2012

I am home from one of the very best vacations I ever took. Not only was the time away relaxing and refreshing, it was spent at one of the most beautiful places on Earth - Maui - and it was spent with wonderful people -- my wife, my youngest daughter, my son-in-law, and my two youngest granddaughters.

Aside from surviving the famed "Road to Hana" and lounging on pristine beaches, we took in the sights at Lahaina and its environs, made two short cruise excursions and toured the Ocean Center, which has an aquarium that completely encircles you with exotic fish and sea life. Most impressive was seeing the whales, and my wife managed to catch one on film as it was breeching.

But my very favorite times occurred when Maddy, my four-month-old granddaughter, would sit with me and snuggle her head into my chest, and when Lily, my two-year old granddaughter, would play our own made-up game, which consisted of our chasing each other across the room, with the engraved turtle on the tile located at the entry of the condo being "home base".

The miracle of technology enabled me to keep up with the goings on at the office, which I managed to do early in the morning while everyone else was still asleep. At those times, I was able to handle email and correspondence, so that I avoided losing too much productivity during my absence from work. For someone like me, the peace of mind that comes with keeping up with my practice while away enabled me to make the most of my vacation and the limited time that I had to spend with those of my loved ones who live so far away from me.

Ironically, however, I did not always think that taking this much time away from work would be a good idea. Fortunately, I gave in to the prodding of my wife and agreed to go, and I am now convinced that it was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

But it was an expensive decision (Maui is NOT a cheap place to spend a vacation). So now it's time to "pay the piper". Fortunately, my wife managed to put back enough money to see us through, and I have a lot of clients who provide me with plenty to do.

Now that I am rested and refreshed, I am ready to get back to work!

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Texas Independence

Posted by rdweaver | March 02, 2012

It was 176 years ago today that a group of settlers and adventurers gathered in a small house along the banks of the Brazos River and declared their independence from Mexico. On the day before, 32 volunteers from Gonzales, including my great-great-great grandfather, rode through the lines of the Mexican army to join William Travis, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett and the other defenders of the garrison at the Alamo.

I was born in Texas, and I have lived here my entire life (except during the time I was in the military). I attended Texas public schools, where courses in Texas history were required of all 7th graders. I grew up hearing about the exploits of great Texans, ranging from Stephen F. Austin to Lyndon B. Johnson. I have traveled to many places in the world, but there is no other place I would rather live.

My love for Texas does not mean that there is not much that can and should be improved. Texas' rich culture is predicated upon the idea of rugged individualism; that a person is endowed with a right to determine his or her own destiny. However, as modern Texans look more and more to the government as the solution to all kinds of problems and difficulties, a "culture of entitlement" has arisen. In the process, individual liberties are sacrificed.

Under the Mexican Constitution of 1824, Texans were guaranteed that right. However, sensing pressure from American immigrants, President Santa Anna suspended the guarantees of the 1824 Constitution, and that action gave rise to revolution. Parallels to what is happening today are hard to miss. The only difference is that we, as citizens, in our effort to make sure that we get our slice of the public pie, are standing by and allowing our freedoms to be eroded.

The world is much more complex today than it was for our ancestors in 1836, and the task of balancing individual liberties with necessary restraints for the public good is no easy one. But fundamental change in the minds and attitudes of our politicians and the people who elect them must occur if that task is to be successfully accomplished.

Whenever we ask the question of what might be "in the public good", let's consider the proposition that individual liberty is, and always has been, "in the public good".

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Vacation? No Problem!

Posted by rdweaver | February 27, 2012

For most people, the annual two-week respite from work is a chance to get away for a time of relaxation and enjoyment. The day-to-day cares and concerns of the job are put on hold, at least for a little while. Some folks meticulously plan each moment of their vacation, while others simply go on the fly.

For me, as with most lawyers who operate their own firms, vacations are rare and require a considerable amount of planning. Usually, whenever I decide to take a couple of weeks for holiday, I have to block out the time several months in advance. Then, I have to file a notice with the Courts in every lawsuit in which I am involved setting forth the dates upon which I am unavailable and requesting that no hearings or trials are set on any of those dates. Even then, some kind of scheduling problem arises that requires me to make arrangements either to have the scheduled matter attended to by another attorney or to have the matter re-scheduled.

Fortunately, most attorneys are accommodating in scheduling around an opponent's vacation plans. But the time, effort and expense involved in blocking out even a couple of weeks sometimes is immense. And it is for that reason that many lawyers like myself simply don't take a lot of vacation time.

I am less than two weeks away from boarding a plane for Maui. Some months ago, our youngest daughter, with her husband and children, planned a trip to Maui for their annual "R and R". My son-in-law works with the U.S. State Department in Korea, and we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to meet up with them and have a nice vacation with our two youngest granddaughters.

I am looking forward to the trip.

Being self-employed in a professional practice has its benefits. But its biggest drawback is the fact that if I don't work, I don't earn any money. And even if I am not working, staff salaries, rent and other overhead expenses still must be paid. So when I plan a vacation, I have to take into account not only the cost of the trip, but also the loss of income that results from my not being in the office.

I try not to think too much about it, because doing so would only rob me of whatever pleasure I otherwise would derive from the time off in an exotic place.

It's a little easier this time. The thought of having the chance to spend time with Mandy, Gayer, Lily and Maddy makes the time away from work well worth it.

Even so, if it goes the way all of my previous vacations have gone, I will continue to spend considerable time pondering, thinking and worrying about my clients and their legal affairs, and I will stay in touch with my office staff via phone and email.

Aloha!

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Posted by rdweaver | February 20, 2012

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Posted by rdweaver | February 15, 2012

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Posted by rdweaver | February 14, 2012

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