I believe that a successful litigation practice is more than just a job. It's a calling, a passion, and a lifestyle. And in litigation and other dispute resolution proceedings, clients are trusting their lawyers to shape the outcomes of circumstances that almost by definition are uncertain and could end in any number of different ways. For these reasons, I think that any successful attorney-client relationship is not just professional, but also personal, and those who retain me should know a little bit about who I am and what I do outside of the office and the courtroom to the extent all of that helps mold and reflects on how I serve clients.

My favorite thing to do is scuba dive with sharks. [Insert your own lawyer joke here]. My wife (Renee) and I have been scuba diving since 2004 and are both PADI-Certified Rescue divers. When we have the chance we travel to French Polynesia, Hawaii, and other scuba diving destinations to experience and interact with sharks, dolphins, manta rays, and other marine life in their natural habitats. My wife has also taken her own enthusiasm for scuba diving to yet another level, combining it with her love of art and photography, and in recent years she has established herself as one of the world's most accomplished underwater photographers. I'm proud to assist her in all of that and you can find her website here.

I am also actively involved in youth sports in the community of Palos Verdes, where I grew up. For over ten years I served as a part-time assistant coach for the Track & Field team at Palos Verdes High School, and now that my own sons are involved in their own athletic careers I can often be found on weekends roaming the sidelines and dugouts of local fields coaching soccer and baseball. This all often means that the lines between work and play must blur, and there have been many times when I found myself squeezing in a client call behind the bleachers at a sporting event or responding to an urgent e-mail on a dive boat during a surface interval. But I don't mind – I see such circumstances as simply the inevitable result of a life dedicated to making the most of available opportunities, the advancement of healthy competition, and the service of others, and I look forward to the chance to involve present and future clients in pursuing those goals together.