I think it's important for law firm owners to give back.

Not occasionally.
Not when it's convenient.
Not when business is booming and you're feeling generous.

Consistently. Intentionally. Every year.

For every single year that I have owned my law firm, I have made an annual donation to the WTIC AM Holiday Store benefitting the Salvation Army. No press releases. No plaques on the wall. No expectation of recognition. Just a quiet decision I made early on and never reconsidered.

The Salvation Army has been the official charity of my firm since the jump.

Long before we had a real office.
Long before we had a team.
Long before anyone outside a very small circle knew our name.

When I started my firm, I didn't have much. What I did have was a very clear sense of where I came from, how easily life can go sideways, and how thin the line really is between “doing okay” and “needing help.”

If you've represented injured workers, people with disabilities, or families in crisis for any length of time, you see it every day. One injury. One illness. One job loss. One diagnosis. One bad break at the wrong time—and suddenly the math doesn't work anymore.

Rent still comes due.
Kids still need coats.
Groceries still cost what they cost.
Christmas still comes whether you're ready or not.

The Salvation Army shows up in that space. Not with theories. Not with talking points. With food, clothing, shelter, and help when people need it most. Especially around the holidays, when the pressure is highest and the margin for error is smallest.

The WTIC AM Holiday Store has always resonated with me because it's practical. It's local. It's real. It helps families in our own backyard—right here in Connecticut—walk into a holiday season with dignity instead of dread.

That matters.

Giving back, for me, was never about branding. It was about grounding. I wanted the firm to stand for something beyond revenue targets and case metrics. I wanted a fixed reminder, baked into the DNA of the business, that success carries responsibility.

And here's something I don't hear enough law firm owners say out loud:

When you're building a firm, especially in the early years, generosity feels risky.

Cash flow is tight.
Payroll is looming.
There's always another expense.
There's always a reason to wait “just one more year.”

I get that. I lived it.

But that's exactly why I think giving back early matters even more. It sets the tone. It establishes the values before comfort sets in. It keeps you from confusing growth with purpose.

Every year, no matter what kind of year it was for the firm—great year, okay year, stressful year—the donation went out. Some years it was easier than others. Some years it required intention. But it was never optional.

That consistency does something to you as an owner.

It reminds you that the firm isn't just a machine designed to extract profit. It's a participant in a larger community. It benefits from that community. It draws clients, staff, trust, and opportunity from that community.

Giving back is part of keeping that ecosystem healthy.

Over time, that mindset influences more than just a single donation. It affects how you treat clients. How you treat staff. How you think about growth. How you define “winning.”

I've been fortunate to build a firm that now has a strong team, a long history, and a steady presence in Connecticut. But I never forget that none of it was guaranteed. And I never forget the people I've represented who would gladly trade places with me in a heartbeat just to have their health back, their job back, or their life back as it used to be.

The Salvation Army doesn't just help “other people.” It helps the very people many of us serve—or could serve—on the worst day of their lives.

There's also a lesson here for younger lawyers and newer firm owners.

You don't have to wait until you “make it” to give back. In fact, you probably shouldn't. Pick something you believe in. Pick something local. Pick something that aligns with the work you do and the people you represent. Then commit to it.

Make it automatic. Make it boring. Make it non-negotiable.

And don't do it for applause. Do it because it's the right thing to do.

Over the years, I've watched the legal profession change in a lot of ways. Some good. Some not so good. One thing I hope never gets lost is the idea that law is a service profession. At its best, it exists to stabilize lives when things fall apart.

Organizations like the Salvation Army do that work every day, quietly, efficiently, and without judgment.

Supporting that mission isn't charity in the abstract. It's an investment in the same social fabric that makes our work possible.

So yes, I think it's important for law firm owners to give back.

Not because it looks good.
Not because it checks a box.
But because if we don't, we risk forgetting why we were fortunate enough to succeed in the first place.

As another year wraps up and the holidays approach, I'm grateful—for the work, for the team, for the clients who trust us, and for the opportunity to keep supporting a cause that has mattered to me since day one.

The Salvation Army has been there from the beginning.
And as long as I own this firm, it always will be.

If you're a firm owner reading this and you haven't picked your “official charity” yet, consider this your nudge. Choose one. Commit to it. And let it shape the kind of business—and the kind of leader—you become.