The most profound realization that I have come to while working for the Spiva Law Group has been a sense of continued service. As an active duty army officer, it was a difficult choice to make the move to civilian life, let alone a new civilian career. The thought of leaving a service that instilled a sense of being a part of something bigger than myself was a difficult notion for me. Over the past 6 months, I have come to realize that what this law firm provides is a genuine public service.
The people who come through the door here are victims. Through no fault of their own, their lives have been adversely changed, many times permanently and catastrophically. The criminal prosecution of the person responsible for their harms may offer some social comfort, but it does not give them their life back. The work this law firm does on behalf of victims’ changes people’s lives. A brain-injured man who will never work again can now at least provide for his wife and family, and give his children a sense of security they would have never had following his injuries. A victim of a drunk drivers carelessness, who lost her job due to her severe injuries and, along with it, the security of her families livelihood, can now go back to school and train in a new profession that will give her the skills she needs to care for her family again. These are only a few examples of what I have seen on a daily basis working here this year.
As a prospective law student myself, the attorney’s at this firm have made it very clear to me that the practicing of law is a sacred responsibility. Much like the service I was charged with through my responsibilities as a military officer, these attorney’s have made moral and social commitments to their community that have profound impacts. They didn’t have to set up a foundation for needy children in the community. They didn’t have to limit their practice to representing victims only, and they didn’t have to take on the amount of cases they have knowing that there would be little to no financial incentive to do so. But in many ways, these victims have nowhere else to turn. In a period of time where so many people are uninsured or underinsured, especially low income families, the Spiva Law Group offers them the only respite available. The results I have seen here go beyond delivering justice – they literally deliver a new opportunity of livelihood that was in many cases completely stripped away.
I feel this strongly about the intentions of this firm not simply because of how we interact with clients, but because I am privileged to what goes on behind closed doors. In meetings and planning sessions, everything has revolved around the victim’s needs and how we as a firm can provide the biggest positive impact on their lives, regardless of who is sitting in the room. There is a genuine motivation there unlike anything I have seen outside of the armed forces. And it makes me feel good getting up in the morning knowing I come in and contribute to that success.
