At the appeals court level is really where lawyers get a chance to shape the law, and since very few cases in litigation ever make it through the trial level because of early settlements, even fewer cases make it to the appellate level. So having the opportunity to work on these cases in the court of appeals is one of the things that I enjoy doing and it keeps me current on relevant issues in the law and it gives me a chance to actually shape the law in a way that benefits my clients. So I do that in part by volunteering my time to organizations like the League of California Cities when there are issues that affect a broad group of clients like the public entities. I can help them present their case to the court as a friend of the court to the amicus brief and not only keep up to date on the law but actually help move the needle more favorably towards my clients.