A law firm can be a hectic, chaotic and sometimes exhausting place to work and an attorney can only be as good as the supporting staff. In celebration of Staff Appreciation Day I'd like to thank our staff here at Kalish Law Office.

Every Monday our staff members start the day with numerous messages from clients who have emergencies and are awaiting our response. There are also potential new clients who need to see an attorney right away. Many times our Attorneys are headed straight to Court and the personnel are the ones handling the messages, dealing with anxious clients, and getting the firm running smoothly. I know this because I began in the trenches. I remember my first legal job as the "behind the scenes" file clerk that on occasion was asked to answer the phone, only to have a client tell me "please get me someone who can actually answer my question."

As the day and week progress, again the busy attorney (who is in court, with another client or working on meeting deadlines) will trust the staff to handle the day-in day-out court calls, calendaring, deadlines and screening and scheduling new clients.

Sometimes a client may become anxious and vent frustration to the personnel. After being the target of that frustration the staff member may wonder, "Is it worth it to work here?" The answer is, yes!

The staff is a vital part of a law firm, essential to properly represent the client and efficiently handle the case file. The receptionist/assistant is the first voice and the first smile of comfort the client will see and remember. The paralegal is the person who assists in the drafting of those very important documents. The file clerk keeps all papers neatly organized and ready to be placed into disarray by a messy attorney. If not for the staff the attorney would have to work 24 hours a day in order to keep up with their cases.

When a client is grateful for the hard work and outcome of the case, usually it's the attorney who receives that warm hug and smile, while the staff member sits behind a desk thinking, "Where is my "thank you" and hug?"

By Friday, after an exhausting week, the attorney's mind is already focused on next week's trials, deadlines and meetings. Even before the staff members can take a break they are given their "To Do List" for the following week. By the end of day the attorney leaves for the weekend, focused on the next case while the staff member is left behind trying to organize the hurricane of work that still needs to get done.

Tara, Valerie and Lorena, without you three, hard-working staff members the Kalish Law Office would not run as smoothly. I apologize for those days in which I forget to say "please" and "thank you." For the hurricane of work that you get done on a daily basis, for every time I have won in court, and for every "thank you" a client has given me, I issue a triple "Thank You" to the three of you. Please know that you are appreciated by me, the other attorneys at Kalish Law Office, and most importantly, by our clients.