With three offices across South Carolina, I have always traveled regularly for work, but that is true now more so than ever. Mike Kelly Law Group’s Myrtle Beach practice has been bringing in more and more clients seeking help in the areas of personal injury, workers’ comp, and Social Security disability—so much so that I now spend as much time working in the Myrtle Beach office as I do our main office in Columbia!

Because Myrtle Beach is a tourism hot-spot, the beach practice has historically drawn far more clients from out-of-state than our offices in Columbia and Winnsboro, but the growth we’ve seen lately is largely on a local scale. I attribute this, in part, to overall population growth in the area (Horry County, South Carolina is the second fastest-growing county in America!), but word-of-mouth referrals have been the primary driving force behind this boom in business.

I am thrilled to announce that Lou Ann Coleman has enthusiastically accepted a position as a legal assistant at Mike Kelly Law Group’s Winnsboro office! Lou Ann, a Fairfield County native, has deep roots in the community. She graduated from Columbia College, served as a teacher at Richard Winn Academy, and—like her newly adopted MKLG family—has been an active member of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

Her family are 4th generation Fairfield County farmers, and Lou Ann, after her late husband’s death, operated Fairfield Farms for nine years as president and CEO. Over the decades, the Coleman family has run a number of farming operations, including dairy farming, beef cattle, and now, poultry—Fairfield Farms raises 150,000 turkeys each year! Since her son took over managing the business, Lou Ann has been freed up to pursue other endeavors. And, as the proud mother of three children who have blessed her with six young grandchildren, needless to say, she stays busy!

Tomorrow is my birthday and usually, a few days beforehand, I get in a very reflective mood–just as I am right now. With every year that God has given me the privilege of being on this earth, I become more awed by how incredibly blessed my life has been. I have been gifted with a wife and two wonderful sons who make me proud and with whom I have a close relationship, and now I have a beautiful granddaughter. In addition to my family and friends outside of work, I am blessed by the relationships I have built over the years with other lawyers, vendors, clients, and, of course, my family at Mike Kelly Law Group.

My Sister and Me – 1960

They say there is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love, and having witnessed the enormity of this power in any number of circumstances, I carry a very special place in my heart for mothers. This admiration began, of course, with my own mother, Helena Crawford Kelly, who played a vital role in my upbringing and who I loved tremendously. Although she has been gone for 13 years, her memory remains alive in me, and I still miss her each and every day.

My Mother, Helena Crawford Kelly

Very seldom do I air my political views in the KellyGram, but today I feel compelled to discuss “All Out May 1,” which I thought to be a remarkable coming-together of South Carolinians advocating for better standards in the state’s public education system. On Wednesday, over 10,000 people gathered on the State House grounds to voice their shared concerns over the General Assembly’s reluctance to invest in our state’s most precious assets—its children. For the second time this year, South Carolina’s educators took a stand on behalf of their students and their profession, rallying for higher salaries, better mental health and safety resources for students, smaller classrooms and less testing, and freedom to comment on matters of public policy without fear of retaliation.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Administrative Professionals’ Day at Mike Kelly Law Group by gathering in our boardroom to enjoy a firm-family luncheon. Having been a lawyer for more than four decades, I cannot emphasize enough how essential a team of capable administrative professionals is to a successful legal practice. I am blessed to work with some of the finest paralegals and administrative professionals in the industry, and I can honestly say they are the backbone of Mike Kelly Law Group. Today I want to individually recognize and say thank you to our professional administrative support staff:

• Sally Grisetti – Social Security Disability Paralegal
• Jamie Brown – Administrative Assistant
• Amanda Swearingen – Legal Administrator
• Greta Edwards – Paralegal
• Kimberly Smith – Workers’ Compensation Paralegal
• Gladys Harris – Receptionist
• Deepika Champaneri – Administrative Assistant
• Michelle Moorey – Litigation Paralegal
• Katina Tyler – Medical Records Clerk
• Kim Sanders – Social Security Disability Paralegal
• Abby Lang – Litigation Paralegal
• Linda Willis – Paralegal
• Lou Ann Coleman – Legal Assistant

Last week, I had an interesting conversation with my young associate attorney/marketing manager, Jamie Smith, about the necessity of work-life balance and the impact that rest has on productivity and job performance. We discussed a podcast she’d listened to recently, describing how performance in the modern workplace is often measured by how many hours an employee works as opposed to the employee’s actual production, causing employees to sacrifice vacations, family commitments, or personal interests in order to log more time at work. This trend has resulted in an unanticipated—albeit unsurprising—paradox: people who work less are generally more productive and perform better than individuals who work around the clock.

Afterward, Jamie thanked me for assessing performance based on work product instead of work hours and for cultivating a working environment that promotes a balanced lifestyle. But the truth is, I have subscribed to the notion that she described for many years now—working hours, like most anything, are governed by the law of diminishing returns. Back in the earlier days of my practice, I generally worked seven days a week, day and night—I distinctly remember being in my office every Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon for many years. It was only after I realized the toll that my constant working had on my personal life that I took measures to achieve a more reasonable balance between work and play.