The One Constant is Change

Welcome to the Spring 2015 edition of The Next Chapter.

If there’s one constant in our lives, it’s change. Cases change — new cases start, old cases end, and existing cases take strange and sometimes unexpected turns. Our industry changes from cycle to cycle, month to month, year to year. Sometimes a single day signals shifts through the foundation of our industry and practice. Consider the day the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Stern v. Marshall, and look ahead to the Court’s decision in Wellness, which may or may not change anything.

The way our firm changes continues to inspire me and gives us cause for celebration. We’ve been fortunate to add new team members, whom we have introduced to you in past newsletters, and we will continue that trend in this issue. Each new person brings to Gavin/Solmonese far more than their professional experience. We become a stronger, more creative, better firm, with the addition not only of experience, but of talent and personality. And if you want to meet someone who was not only deployed to post-Coalition Iraq but has a piece of the giant statue of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein in her office, read on – for one should not trifle with Anne Eberhardt. That she brings her force of will to bear with us makes us fortunate, indeed.

Our IMPACT program continues to change in its effectiveness and breadth. In November 2014, many G/S team members took the stage as part of Bankrupt Talent, a charity musical event in New York City to raise funds for worthy causes – and we’ll be back at Bankrupt Talent 2015 in May to raise money for worthy cancer research charities and the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Anthony H.N. Schnelling Endowment Fund. There were so many of us on stage, each contributing their talents to the cause, that it’s been mentioned more than once that, if we make a point of making sure our next new team member can play drums, we can field a full rock band. G/S also fielded a team for Cycle For Survival in March 2015. Our team, comprised of friends of the firm and firm members side by side, raised more than $24,000 for Memorial Sloan Kettering’s research into orphan cancers, came in first place for fundraising for our session and location, and came in fifth nationwide in the Law & Professional Services category. I’m confident that some of you will join together, join the ride, and beat us next year – and we’ll celebrate you for it.

And finally, the organizations that bind our industry together continue to change. In April, the American Bankruptcy Institute will see a new president, Jim Shea, Esq. You’ll learn things about Jim you never knew in this newsletter. Be sure to talk back to us – on Facebook at Gavin/Solmonese, or Twitter at @GavinSolmonese. Tell us how you see things changing and what’s staying constant for you. For if there is one other constant, it’s prognosticating about how things will change.

Thanks for reading.

Ted