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Giving Back: A Call to Lawyers to Get Involved in Their Communities
By: Cade Lovelace

How did you serve your community in 2016?

Serving our communities is a central tenet of both the TYLA and the State Bar of Texas. TYLA’s mission includes advancing “the role of the legal profession in serving the public.” The State Bar’s mission includes enabling “its members to better serve their clients and the public.” These organizations recognize that finding a place, a cause, or an organization to better your community is important to our profession. 

How did you further these missions in 2016? When I look back at my year, I find places or organizations to which I wish I had dedicated more time. I then wonder how those groups would have grown or benefited from my participation or my fellow attorneys’ participation. The answer is unattainable, but the issue lingers. What difference can we make?

As 2017 starts, do not let this year pass with the same hesitancy or regret. Look into your community for a place or organization that sparks your interest. Look for a group that works on issues that are central to you that include people who are dedicated to that cause.

Our profession has shaped our communities, in both large and small ways. The history books are full of attorneys who participated in making our communities better. Many of us chose this profession due to those attorneys and the results they accomplished. 

Therefore, we have the obligation to continue this tradition of inspiring future generations of attorneys. Additionally, as you are successful in serving these organizations, your profile in the community will grow, benefiting your professional development. However, many times, the rewards of participation will go beyond this professional benefit.

Schools need volunteers. Neighborhoods need committee members. Youth sports leagues need coaches. Religious organizations need teachers. 

How will you serve in 2017?

W. Cade Lovelace a founding partner of Lovelace Killen, PLLC, in Fort Worth and Burleson. He can be reached at clovelace@lovelacekillen.com.