LinkedIn recently announced my 21st anniversary at Wright Beamer. Several kind-hearted connections remarked that I couldn’t possibly be old enough to have a 21-year work anniversary. Well, if you ever need a reminder that you’ve moved on to the next generation, just wait until your kids are fully immersed in the college application process. Kids going to college? Wait a minute!

Our twins are seniors at U of D Jesuit High School, and they have spent the better part of this past summer making college visits in order to winnow a diverse field of candidates for their (our?) tuition dollars. Since we’re already doing the grand tour, our junior daughter is along for the ride. Among the candidates, our alma mater, Kenyon College, is high on our daughter’s list. Kenyon has aged well, steadily climbing in the U.S. News and World Reports’ annual rankings of national liberal arts colleges; however, tuition at Kenyon continues to rise at a frightening pace. (“Anika Jane, have you looked closely at online options?“) The curious thing is that for every school that is “all that,” there is another sleeper school that seems to beautifully fit the bill of what a particular kid needs at a particular moment. I am increasingly less concerned that my kids find their way to a marquee institution, and increasingly more concerned that they land at a spot where they can thrive for the next four years and come away with a better sense of themselves and the world they live in.

Coincidentally, SuperLawyers has also come out with its annual rankings. We at Wright Beamer are grateful to again be honored on that list. But we are reminded – I am reminded – that an impersonal, logarithmic assessment doesn’t do much for the individual client if his or her or its unique needs at that very moment aren’t being met. Being told by a major publication that you should be happy with your lawyer won’t ease the angst if you can’t reach that lawyer by phone when you need to, or count on the fact that the lawyer will talk straight with you even if that’s not what you want to hear.

There are too many great colleges and universities out there for my kids to get hooked on the notion that only one with the right pedigree will do. The same is true for lawyers and law firms. Wright Beamer has earned its share of recognition, and for that we’re thankful. But we’re most grateful for sincere words of thanks from the thousands of businesses and individuals we’ve been fortunate enough to serve over the last 25 years. We know that’s what matters most.