Although I have worked in and with large firms in Houston, Washington, D.C., and New York City, my background is in small firm practice. I began my career cycling through the real estate, litigation and corporate sections of a small but prominent Houston firm. I left that for solo law practice, which I maintained for 16 years, focusing on small business matters, wills, probate and non-profit arts group. My work included researching and drafting trial and appellate briefs for other solo practitioners. During this time I also taught legal writing at The University of Houston Law Center and business law (under the auspices of political science) at Rice University. I also produced and taught Self-Employment 101, a program of seminars for the public on the legal basics of self-employment.