By David Daggett on 2/25/2008 6:42 AM

Healthy Living Expo

     Last weekend our Lewis & Daggett team participated in the Healthy Living Expo at the Winston-Salem Convention Center. This is an annual event in town that brings out our large cross section of folks from our community.

     From the photo above you can see that members of our L & D team had a good time, and engaged a number of attendees in the fun of the event. As you know from our Values and Culture, we enjoy this sort of interaction and it makes us feel like we are furthering our law firm mission.

     The event is a good opportunity for all of us to improve our teamwork outside the office. We are always favorably impressed at the commitment of our folks to events like this that are strictly voluntary in participation.

     The last several years we have also used the Healthy Living Expo as sort of a kick off for our Safe Sober Prom Night activities. Prom season is just around the corner so we try to start raising awareness within the community.

   Planning, teamwork, and friends made the Expo memorable and enjoyable. We enjoyed the time we spent together and the fun the we had sharing with the community what we all like to do here at the firm!

     Each year at the Expo we meet new friends, and rekindle old relationships. If you dropped by our booth, thank you! We were glad to see you!

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By David Daggett on 2/18/2008 7:31 AM

The Unexpected

     How often do really face the unexpected? Of course, many times the unexpected is a pleasant surprise, or even something beautiful. Last Thursday morning we woke up to an unexpected covering of snow. While we may have had to adjust some plans, it certainly was a beautiful morning!

Early Valentine’s Morning

     Unexpected beauty, unexpected surprises, unexpected visits, and unexpected treats are all fun to experience. The unexpected is many times part of what makes life so much fun. Presents during the holidays are always better when unexpected.

     Of course, as with most areas of life, there are also unexpected things or events that are not quite so positive or pleasant. As humans, we just hope that the positives outweigh the negatives so we are able to keep a bright outlook.

     At Lewis & Daggett we help people who encounter a different type of unexpected. We many times work with folks who are dealing with the worst unexpected event of their lives. It is our job to deal with the unexpected and try to obtain the best possible result.

     An automobile accident that causes serious injuries can be devastating. An illness or other condition that turns into a lifelong disability changes everything. Or, getting hurt at work not only can threaten your job, and your income, but also the well being of your whole family.

     Children and families who suffer life changing injuries or events need our help. I am always amazed at the quality, caring concern of our team of lawyers and professional staff. We are proud of the way they really take care of those who need us.

     Our L & D team embodies a collective ability to assist people with the unexpected in ways well beyond just the law - they care and want a just resolution so folks can have dignity and respect to continue even with their difficulties. Perhaps in today’s world that is an "Unexpected" positive we can all appreciate.

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By David Daggett on 2/11/2008 7:44 AM

Values and Culture

     Do you consider what causes any organization or group to well? What motivates any group to perform successfully? This was an interesting topic of conversation at a recent lawyer conference. We spent a good bit of time just listening.

L&D Team members Gail Fisher and Elvis Horning

     To us it seemed interesting that a large percentage of the conference focused only on business, numbers, costs, and expenses. The bottom line was that these were all money matters. While we certainly believe it is prudent to be financially responsible, we felt deep down that we were a bit different.

     So, the curious side of us pulled back out some of our old books on motivation and leadership. We also looked at models of what makes organizations really effective and have meaning. Our reading, I suppose, confirmed what we already knew and felt deep down - the strongest organizations are based values and culture, not just money and profit.

     Organizations appear to work best when the core or fundamental values and ethics are the driving forces. The organization then surrounds itself with individuals who believe in those values. Those values then become the culture, or feel, of the organization. Interestingly, research shows that organizations with money as a driving force have lessor continuity and tend to burn out more quickly since this is a rather weak "value."

     Then, from a business point of view we develop strategic plans that support those values and the culture derived from them. We previously discussed our Lewis & Daggett strategic plan in Renewal of Purpose. This supports our values and beliefs so there is really no effort to get folks to buy into our firm mission.

     If you have been reading here over the past several weeks, or if you have come into our office, you may have a bit of a feel for our driving values and ethics. We are proud of our team’s concern for folks who are seriously injured, disabled, or hurt at work. Certainly our Safe Sober Prom Night campaign is consistent with our firm culture. This caring is just part of our overarching values of caring, concern, compassion and respect for individual dignity resulting in client service.

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By David Daggett on 2/4/2008 6:54 AM

Always Under Construction

     Are we always working on something in our lives? Are we building for a better future? One of the exciting things about our work at Lewis & Daggett is that we are always working and improving how we do things, on each client we represent, and every case we work on.

     This past week was a bit of a tough week in our Lewis & Daggett family. We had two extended relatives of folks here at the office pass away. Those sorts of times are always difficult. At the same time, we are always impressed how we all come together in support of each other.

     The pastor at one of the funerals delivered a very interesting, heart warming, and even motivating message. He used construction as a metaphor for building in our lives. The lessons are worth sharing.

     All good construction begins a plan or blueprint to guide you along the way. Just like building a house, we need a plan or blueprint in life to guide us along the way. The plan is something we can refer back to and use to keep us on track. Perhaps that is one of the benefits of the resolution journal we are offering.

     Of course, all quality construction begins with a strong foundation. Our personal foundation is the principles and values upon which the rest of our lives are built. Our foundation usually includes our families, physical self, spiritual self, and our work. Supporting and building a strong foundation seems to allow us to have strong structures like friendships and relationships that we can build upon and continue to work on.

     Quality construction requires us to use good material, equipment, and tools. For example, at Lewis & Daggett we believe we have built a strong team of good people who use technology and processes to make us as strong as possible.

     As a building progresses, it is important to continually measure to make sure we are on track and that everything fits together properly. Likewise in life it is prudent to take time to measure to make sure our pieces are correct and that they fit together properly. I've noticed that successful people tend to measure and adjust frequently.

     On construction projects everyone works together. Of course there's a foreman or leader, but everybody works together with scheduling, timing, and doing their separate roles. That spirit of cooperation certainly makes our own personal and professional lives more fulfilling and more successful.

     There are always things that are not in our control, like the weather, that can affect our construction projects. Just like in construction, success in life will be dictated by how we react to unforeseen problems. Our ability to adapt and make good decision when the unexpected arises certainly applies to our legal profession. As things change, or we find new evidence, we adjust the plan so that the project will continue to be successful.

     Life, unlike a physical building project, is always under construction. However, having good plans, building a solid foundation, working with good materials, remembering to measure, and being able to adapt will allow our lives, careers, and relationships to be strong. The improvement and growth of the building process is exciting!

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