Legally Blogging - Meet Catherine

Today, I'm really excited to introduce something that I've been working on with some other blog-people I've met.  Or, should I say blawg-people.  Yeah, I said it, so just roll with it.

The really cool (and unexpected) thing that has happened to me in the few short months that I have started blogging is that people have reached out who are in similar situations, or who have gone down a similar career path.  I've gotten to know some really great ladies who, like me, are working / studying / planning to study in law.  It's been really great following them on their journey in blog-land and getting to know each of them. 

Specifically, Jackie from Jackie Jade, Catherine from Bailey Dailies, and I had an instant connection.  I think it's pretty wicked that even though I'm up here in Canada, Jackie is in Pittsburgh, and Catherine is in Alabama, we've all connected and gotten to know each other.

The three of us have teamed up and decided to start a Legally Blogging series.  Every Tuesday for the next three weeks, we'll each introduce our readers to another lovely legal lady.

Our hope is to connect with other lawyer bloggers out there who want to be a part of the series.  So, for any of you out there, shoot me an e-mail if you want to get on board (allison@lawfullylost.com), and we'll get you on the schedule!  The point is to not only connect with other similarly situated bloggers, but also to enlighten the blog-land about what exactly it is we do.  Also, to prove to you that we're not all boring old men ;-)

This week, I'm happy to introduce the lovely and charming Catherine.  She is so sweet and positive, you'll instantly be drawn to her.

Take it away, Catherine!

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Hey Y'ALL! I'm Catherine from Bailey Dailies. I'm super excited to be doing this series with Jackie and Allison. First of all, a little about myself. I live in a small town in Northern Alabama with my husband, Forrest, who is a dentist, and our 4 furry babies (2 cats and 2 dogs). Forrest and I were high school sweethearts and we were married nearly 4 years ago! We both went to the University of Alabama for undergraduate school (I was a Political Science and American Studies double major) and I continued there for law school. I LOVE to cook and try out new recipes, so it follows that I also love to eat just about anything. Forrest and I also love to travel and explore new places, whether it is a big trip to someplace far away, or on a football trip to see Alabama play (ROLL TIDE). I also enjoy reading and of course, writing! 

This is my excited face

My blog is simply about our lives together in general. I post about 4 to 5 times a week about the fun things we do or things I'm thinking about at the time. I find writing to be a great outlet and an easy way to clear your mind and spill your guts. It's always nice to roll an idea around on paper and try it out before actually saying out loud. I LOVE putting up pics, even though they are usually just from my iPhone. The fur babies make it on to the blog occasionally as well! My sister is the reigning Miss Alabama USA and will be competing in the Miss USA pageant on tv this summer, so currently I have lots of fun posts about her! Catch up here!

My law practice is what I would term a "small town general practice" because I do a little bit of anything: criminal, civil, domestic (divorce, custody, etc) probate (wills, estates, deeds, commitments), immigration (which is super interesting in Alabama right now), Chapter 7 bankruptcies, and just about anything else that walks in the door. I don't do much transactional or corporate work but I can always point you in the direction of someone who does! I probably like the criminal cases the most because they change so much and are the most interesting, but I really enjoy all of the genres of my practice. I'm always on my toes! Each day is different--sometimes in the office the whole time seeing clients, other times I have a "paper work day" and sometimes I never see the office because I'm in court the entire day. Usually it is a mash up of the three! I enjoy having a different schedule every day and most of all I enjoy my clients. Most are not happy about having to see an attorney and I am honored and humbled that they would choose me to help them out. I take my job very seriously and never take for granted that the clients are the reason I have a job in the first place! The MOST fun thing about my practice is who I work with: my dad and my uncle! Our firm was started over 100 years ago and has been in the family ever since. I'm the first woman from the family to take part in it, which is pretty cool if you ask me! I am honored to carry on the family tradition and hope I can continue the firm's good name and reputation for many many years to come!

 

This is me getting sworn into the Alabama State Bar

Here are some questions that my fellow lawyer bloggers have posed as a way for you to get to know us. Enjoy!

1) Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging as a way to document my life with my husband. I always loved doing scrapbooks but never really had time to do them so they'd end up being thrown together and terrible-looking. When I found out about blogs, I was hooked! It has been the perfect way to chronicle the fun and sometimes crazy things we do! My earlier posts were mostly about what we did on the weekends but lately I've really gotten into the blogging community and have been posting more and more! I love new followers and comments, as they make me feel like I'm not alone in this little cyber world. I'd love to take you along.

2) What do you like to do when you're not blogging?

OMG I am such a busy person and I love it. I'm in a book club, a blog cooking club, the Gadsden Service Guild, and I'm the municipal judge for a little town close to where we live. I love to cook and try out new recipes and I especially like to try out new restaurants (although we have to travel to do that). I am a die hard Alabama football fan so that takes up most of our weekends in the fall. We love to travel anywhere and are always up for a road trip! I also just love hanging out with the fam or my girlfriends and catching up. Sometimes the simplest things are best!

3) What do you find is the biggest misconception about lawyers?

There are MANY misconceptions about lawyers. The worst one to me is that we are all liars and snakes. Actually, lawyers have to adhere to a strict code of ethics and if we violate them we can lose our licenses. Most lawyers are hard working, honest people who fight hard for their clients. I'm sure that there are dishonest members of the bar, but there are dishonest members of every profession.

Another one that makes me so upset is when people thing that lawyers are bad people for representing people that they deem unworthy. Everyone should have the advantage of having an attorney in court with them, and our Constitution even requires that anyone charged with a criminal offense that could result in jail time be granted an attorney, even if it is at the cost of the state. People do wrong things, whether it is criminally, civilly, and domestically, but that doesn't mean that the lawyer condones their behavior by representing them. Do unto others, right?

Finally, another terrible misconception women lawyers specifically is that we don't have time for our families. This may be true of some, but almost all of the women attorneys in my town have children and they all seem to have excellent family lives. I know having a family and a full time career will be challenging, but also fulfilling.

4) What's your favorite vacation you've been on?

Yay! No more heavy questions with deep answers! It is SO hard to choose a favorite trip because we have been on so many fun ones! Our honeymoon in Antigua was amazing, we had a blast on our California Road Trip; Costa Rica was beautiful; Oregon spectacular; and all of our football trips have been a blast, especially the last one to the National Championship in Miami! If I am forced to choose, I would say our cruise last spring in the Mediterranean. We saw so many breathtaking places in just one week! We went from Rome to Siciliy to Tunisia, Barcelona, Monte Carlo (and Eze and Nice in France) and Cinque Terra (Italy). The entire experience was fantastic, so much so that I'm trying to convince Forrest that we need to do another cruise this year! I'm thinking Alaska?

5) What's your best and worst home reno project?

Our house was updated when we bought it so we actually did NO work to our house when we moved it, other than painting our bedroom to match our bedding. That all changed YESTERDAY actually. The tile in the hall bath was painted by previous owners because it was pink. Wear and tear over time has caused it to peel and it got to the point where we couldn't over look it any longer. The tile guy is still at my house as we speak busting up the old stuff and getting ready to lay the new. When I went home to check on him yesterday, I nearly had a panic attack. All of my animals were totally freaked, the house was so dusty, and I just couldn't take all of the disorganization! Hopefully we won't have to do anything like this EVER again!!

Ok well that is enough about me! Hope that those of you who are attorneys are excited to join us and those of you who aren't still think we are pretty cool and fun!