Last week I turned 50. In anticipation of this event, I ramped up my wellness activities in 2023, which helped balance the avalanche of legal work my team and I coordinated for our clients.  I have written about wellness a good bit, including the two-part article called A Radical Day of Extreme Self-Care.  In the fast-paced world we all navigate, finding effective ways to unwind and rejuvenate is crucial for maintaining a healthy mind and body. For me, one such modality is the TriBathalon.  I, unfortunately, did not come up with the term TriBathalon.  The concept was introd ..read more

I studied abroad in England between my first and second year of law school. The program was scheduled for five weeks over the second half of the summer, but a classmate and I flew over a month early to backpack. We started in Amsterdam and moved clockwise by rail through Europe, sleeping in hostels and on trains as we traversed seven countries before our arrival in Cambridge the day before classes began. Lectures took place on Mondays through Thursdays, so many of us took trips on the weekends around the UK and to nearby places in Europe. It was one of the most transformational experiences of ..read more

I was sitting with a person during an exit interview earlier this week, which is typically the last meeting we conduct with a divorce client after the judge signs the paperwork. We simply chat for a few minutes about any loose ends that need to be taken care of post-divorce, such as transferring property or closing bank accounts, and I give advice about navigating life after divorce. The client, a man about my age, is embarking on a journey to co-parent three kids and navigate his first Christmas as a divorced dad. As we began our time, I asked, “How does it feel to be finally divorced, living ..read more

Guy Robertson was born in 1930.  He learned to be a man in rural Carroll County in the hills that rise above the flatness of the Delta outside of Greenwood.  I imagine Big Mamma and them would sit around the radio and tell stories during the evenings of his youth.  Although he had probably seen one in his teenage years, he was a man with responsibilities before his home would have a television.  After the divorce and Keith was born to his new wife, Joyce, I came along over five years later in 1974.  He turned 44 the same month. Mom and Dad raised us on Dianne Drive.&nb ..read more

Baseball people are nuts about statistics.  When I played, batting average was the key offensive stat.  As the leadoff batter, I focused way more on base hits than power numbers like home runs, doubles or slugging percentage, even though the fence at Leavell Woods Park was a mere chip shot from home plate, especially in right.  I created statistical goals and religiously documented my numbers for each game, creating a tangible measure of success in a game marked by lots of failure.  In baseball, coming up short seventy percent of the time on offense equates to being an All ..read more

Note: In this article and the podcast to follow, we discuss suicidal and homicidal thoughts and ideation. If that subject is too confronting, perhaps skip this article. If you are struggling, please raise your hand and reach out for help. You can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP and if you are experiencing suicidal ideation, know you’re not alone. We encourage you to call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1(800)273-TALK. ****** It was a Sunday afternoon in the spring. Rachel and I were making mango salsa and margaritas. My small kitchen was wrecked and Buddy Guy was playing in ..read more

Ernest Hemingway wrote the classic novel, The Sun Also Rises, which takes place in post-World War I Spain.  The book invites the reader to peak through a window into the lives of a group of expatriates who travel to Pamplona in Northern Spain to experience the festival of San Fermín, known for its running of the bulls. The book is witty and unexpectedly layered, which I did not fully appreciate when I first read it in in high school. Hemingway’s story brought the Spanish festival to the general attention of the English-speaking world. It has become the most internationally renowned celebr ..read more

Rachel and I love New Orleans, mostly because we share a passion for its world-class cuisine.  We were engaged to be married there on August 25, 2001.  It was a Saturday.  We had planned to spend the day in the city, but I had no preconceived agenda.  This was before couples hired photographers to capture the moment for social media, or hosted parties to involve friends and family.  As a veteran divorce lawyer, I have thoughts on that but I will save them for another day. Someone told me about Audubon Park, where the zoo is located.  There is a catchy s ..read more

I have represented more than a few soldiers and their partners —both officers and enlisted men and women.  Service members do stupid things like everyone else, but they are relatively easy to help because they are organized, efficient and follow instructions extremely well.  While income and benefits are predictable, their relational dynamics are taxed by trauma and distance. When L.C. finished the Fordice divorce which I have written about before, people from all over the state wanted his help.  Obviously, working out of town can be logistically difficult, so he sent me.  ..read more

I grew up a mile or so from Apple Ridge Shopping Center in South Jackson.  Apple Ridge was the turnaround spot for teenagers who cruised McDowell Road on Friday and Saturday nights.  It had a bowling alley and a grocery store and an iconic neon sign with a red apple as its highest feature, the words stacked top to bottom, and an arrow once lighted with dozens of bulbs directing motorists to its shops.  Even before I was old enough to drive, I road my bike there all the time.  The grocery store went through several brand names during my childhood, and it was not uncommon for ..read more