July 2011 Archives

In the 2011 issue of Minnesota Super Lawyers, we profiled Shamus O'Meara of Johnson & Condon. In this unpublished interview excerpt, O'Meara speaks about an important lesson he learned from his parents.

I grew up in a family where I had six siblings. My dad was involved in our lives. I remember this vividly: My siblings and I were putting in a sprinkler system at the church that we attended as kids, the church my parents still attend. And here's my father working late with us, putting in this sprinkler system. The pastor came up to him and he said, "Bill, I've given you this job because I always believe that if you want to get something done, give it to somebody who's busy, because they'll find a way to get it done."

I firmly believe in that. It does ring true. People are busy for a reason. Because people believe in them. They trust in them. Someone that does that a lot at a higher level, who's busy, will end up becoming even busier as a result.

We recently spoke with Dorsey & Whitney managing partner Marianne Short for a Q&A in this year's Minnesota Super Lawyers (available online, digitally, via app, and in magazine form). In this excerpt she discusses why she thinks mobile communication devices are both a blessing and a curse for lawyers today, and how she insists there be parameters at her firm.

[Technology] makes the practice of law very efficient and it gives a huge array of flexible time opportunities for lawyers, particularly young parents with children. But, that I can reach you at midnight to confirm what time our meeting is can be  invasive -- you would feel compelled to stop brushing your teeth to answer. So in a way we are able to get out of the office to be able do our work and yet the office is able to get into our vacations and our families and our T-ball games. It's been a blessing since people can work effectively while the young child is sleeping, but you do have to put some parameters on it or you never get away, even for a moment.

In the latest issue of Alabama Super Lawyers (available online, digitally, via app, and in magazine form), our cover story is about Mike Atchison of Birmingham's Burr & Forman. Atchison, who has been practicing law for 40 years, started working as a reporter, covering issues involving the Ku Klux Klan and experiencing sermons by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., before attending law school. Over his career, Atchison learned the important lessons of treating everyone with respect and always doing the right thing. Says his Burr & Forman colleague Ed Hardin, "If there ever was a true gentleman, it's Mike Atchison. In spite of the personal consequences or obstacles or risk of personal ridicule or social pressures, Mike always does what is right under the circumstances."

We also include a Q&A with Celia J. Collins, partner at Johnstone, Adams, Bailey, Gordon & Harris, about the changes in employment law, how she's worked to get more women involved in Alabama politics and how she still makes time for triathlons. (Earlier, we featured an online exclusive excerpt from the Q&A.)

Finally, we feature a profile of Rising Stars listee Chris J. Williams of Maynard Cooper & Gale, who became the first attorney in Alabama to become an accredited professional in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).