ATTORNEYS GAIN PERSPECTIVE BY GIVING

Posted By Attorneys Nick Alcock and Gabriel Sayavedra

Last weekend I had an interesting experience. Saturday I went shopping for furniture and clothing. Sunday, I went with attorney Gabriel Sayavedra and Sandra Williams to two different households to distribute the items.

As an attorney, it is easy to lose perspective. We sit in our offices and meet with clients all day long. But sometimes it is a good thing to go to our clients neighborhoods and see what is going on.

We first visited the house of a single mother who was raising four children, ages 6 to 19. She had no furniture, tv, heater, or food in the refrigerator. Her children had little in the way of school clothing. Rent was past due.

Attorney Sayavedra lead the charge, clearing out broken furniture and making way for the new sofa, rug and television. Sandra Williams distributed the clothing. I played baseball with the boys in the driveway. An ice cream truck drove by and we bought the kids whatever they wanted. I would have chosen something different from what they wanted, but I didn’t tell them.

The second household was also run by a single mother. She has two children, one of whom suffers from a spine disorder and cannot walk very well. The boys, 9 and 11, were sleeping on the floor.

I made the big mistake of buying a bed that had 10,000 little pieces that needed assembly. I promptly delegated the job to attorney Sayavedra and went outside to fill up the squirt guns with the boys. Sayavedra gave up after about 15 minutes and we had to call in handyman for reinforcements.

It’s easy to turn a blind eye to poverty in Arizona. It’s easy for an attorney to never travel into certain neighborhoods and speak with certain people. But the lesson learned is that kids appreciate the time spent with them. They were all happy that we played with them, and gave them the attention that they deserve.

Attorney Nick Alcock is the owner of Alcock & Associates. Don’t ask him to put furniture together. Instead, call 602-989-5000 and ask for Gabriel Sayavedra, esquire.