Now, some people use Newsletters to tell you what to look out for, what to buy, how they can help you and what is going to be the “game changer” in 2013.  Aside from a few newsworthy legal tidbits that may be of some interest to you, I for one, am not going to try to sell you the quick fix for 2013.  I am instead inviting you to check in with me once a month on our web site at www.djbrazil-law.com  and find out what is happening in my world (the legal world) and maybe even some personal topics that might be of interest to at least some of you.  You can go to my Blog Posts and kill a few minutes over your lunch hour, while you are waiting to pick up your wife or kids at the mall, or while your sitting in the jury pool at the Hennepin County Government Center.  But for starters, I did come up with a few things that I hope to accomplish in 2013 that are better than any of the latest diet crazes or quick fixes that I am sure will soon be pasted all over the Internet and social media outlets.

Here are some things I want to accomplish in 2013:

• Write more– I love to write and when I started practicing I had a journal that I wrote in everyday.  Then life happened – marriage, our first child, home improvements, clients, family commitments and the list goes on.  But the more I started to write this past year as we retooled our web site, the more I realized how much I missed it.  Even though I get to write each day at work for my clients, it is the thought inspired or creative missives that really make me tick.  So my pledge is to dedicate time each week to writing about things that interest me – the law, the environment, travel, my son Rhys, my family outings and my community.
• Network, Network, Network – I don’t want to forget that I started my practice by getting out and meeting other lawyers, friends and business contacts, all of whom helped me build the practice I have today.  As I culled through the long list of names that I wanted to send out my first e-Newsletter to, I realized that I have been sitting in my office too much lately and need to get out and see some of my colleagues and contacts.  The good news is that this has been happening and thanks to joining a local BNI chapter near the start of 2012, I have met some great lawyers, and business contacts that no doubt will help me grow my practice in the year to come.
• Get outside more – When I first started my practice, I took one day off a week to go rock climbing with friends, or take a run along the Mississippi River.  I went to the North Shore on a whim or walked along Minnehaha Creek just to smell the fresh air and feel the sunshine through the trees.  We are surrounded by technology and long work days and it is easy to forget that our lives are not just about the “grind” and social media outlets that bombard us daily.  I am going to turn off my phone for a couple hours and get outside.  It never seems to fail that when I make time to get outside, I am that much more productive at work, and able to better serve my clients.
• Advocate for Justice – Each year I remind myself that I started my practice to help people, and that is a commitment that I continue to renew every year.  I look forward to working with my current and future clients and aim for success in each and every case that I take on.