Stewardship: Bringing out the Best in You and in Others
By Heidi J. Long

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal - Albert Pine

My father, a minister, indoctrinated me from an early age with a strong concept of stewardship. In my family, stewardship has always meant much more than that. It means being a good steward (or manager) of all assets entrusted to your care for the betterment of the whole, whether it is money, natural abilities, time, family or your intellect.

As I have aged (or matured, as I like to call it), I have passed through different phases in my life — at times being a better steward of my assets than at other times. As I reflect on these different phases in my life, it is remarkable that during those phases when I was a good steward, life was healthy and rewarding. It is during those phases when I was a not-so-good steward that I was challenged by different crises and plagued by constant doubts about my purpose in life.

My unscientific observations have been confirmed by actual surveys taken nationwide by various bar associations. In 2002, the Oklahoma County Bar Association conducted a survey of its members and noted a link between those attorneys who provide pro bono or community service and those attorneys who report the highest satisfaction with their work/life balance. So in an effort to make the most of my short time on this earth, I have resolved to utilize those assets entrusted to my care in the most productive way to society.

One easy way for me to use my natural abilities, my intellect, my money and my time for the greater good is to do pro bono legal work. I love the practice of law and using my skills to help those less fortunate is a natural fit.

One of the first pro bono cases I took was through Oklahoma Lawyers for Children. I was asked to represent a young boy born addicted to crack cocaine and his maternal uncle who was his guardian.

One of the final services I performed was to prepare paperwork and received a hearing date. The only hitch was that I was nine months pregnant and going to deliver before the hearing. I explained to the uncle that another lawyer in my firm could handle the hearing. (In actuality, the uncle could have appeared pro se.) Nonetheless, he insisted on waiting six weeks for me to return from maternity leave to conduct the hearing.

On the day of our appointed court appearance, it became obvious why the uncle and young boy desired to see me again. They presented me with a mishmash of pink wrapping paper and bows and inside a purple dress, hat and bloomers for my new baby girl. The only baby gift I received from a client.

I immediately went home, dressed my daughter in it and took pictures. Although she looked like a giant grape, the outfit was one of my favorites and my daughter wore it often.

When we look through baby pictures, I tell my daughter the story of the baby gift. I explain to her how the clients had no business utilizing their meager funds to purchase it, but this was their way of thanking me for taking the case for free. This part always confuses her, but give me the  opportunity to teach her the value of stewardship so that she too may grow to live a healthy and rewarding life.