Even as a teenager, I recognized that Florida had an aging population and that this population would need legal services. I had a chance to work in a law firm during the summer before my senior year of high school and enjoyed the atmosphere and the type of work they did there. I started as an associate at one firm and later went on to be a partner in another, both focused entirely on estate planning and administration issues. I was pleased to come to Bogin, Munns & Munns, where when clients have needs outside of those areas I can refer them to someone within our own walls.
My favorite thing about practicing law is for someone who has just signed their estate planning papers to look at me and say that they will sleep better that night knowing it has been taken care of. It is also great when doing estate administration work when I can help someone through a difficult situation and get a good result.
In one case, I took on the administration of a woman who had died 44 years before leaving a small parcel of land in the Florida panhandle worth about $450 dollars at the time according to the property appraiser. My client came to me because someone wanted to buy it for $750,000. We had to open up more than a dozen estates to get all the property issues properly addressed, but we were able to sell the property and distribute the funds to all the beneficiaries.
I really listen to my clients. No two families are exactly alike and thus no two estate plans are identical. I have to spend time with people to hear what their particular needs and concerns are, then create a solution that really responds to them. Wherever possible I avoid even suggesting documents that aren’t needed if there is another option that is less expensive and just as effective.
My undergraduate degree was in Computer Science and I enjoyed working as a programmer for a few years before I started law school. I liked having a task with definite goals and being able to code something, compile it, and immediately see if it was getting good results. I like to do woodturning as an occasional hobby, but I apparently lack the hand/eye coordination or artistic eye (or both) that would have allowed me to pursue that as a vocation.
My father worked in the school system when I was a child so we took long road trips during the summer. By the time I was 14 I had visited all of the lower 48 states. I made it to Hawaii during my college years and am still waiting for a chance to go to Alaska. I took a trip around the world in 1983. It took 111 days from start to finish.
I have 7 brothers and 3 sisters, 4 children, a dog, a cat, some fish, and chickens. My parents are both in their 90’s and still happily married. I have been married since 1995 and hope to be happily married in my 90’s too.
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