Sample Year End Letter

                                                                             December 20, 2006

Mr. Charles C. Client
ABC Company, Inc.
1111 Enterprise Avenue
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 12345

Dear Chuck:

         We are just completing our review of the past year.  The critical questions we asked ourselves in that review were: (1) did we have fun, (2) did we only represent quality people whose company we enjoy, (3) for the size of the Firm, was the Firm involved in a disproportionate number of the interesting issues in its respective communities, (4) did we stay focused on the profession of law as opposed to the business of law, (5) internally did we only work with people whose company we enjoy, and (6) did we ever consciously compromise our commitment to excellence.

         By the measure of those questions, the past year was a wonderful year for which we are very grateful.  We enjoy what we do.  We enjoy for whom we do it.  We enjoy with whom we do it.  We enjoy how we do it.

         Note that not one of the critical questions asked relates to financial performance.  We consistently find that if we have good answers to the first six questions, the dollars take care of themselves.  You might say that is no way to run a business.  We would reply that is exactly the point - this Firm has no desire to be a business, it is a profession - a vocation.

         Some clients and friends have asked when and if we will join a larger firm.  We have been very flattered by the law firms that continue to approach us.  Because we are in the profession of law and not the business of law, we cannot imagine it happening.
   
         This past year marked another busy year with the Firm’s Civic Initiative.  Each year we ask the business, political, professional, community, philanthropic and not for profit leadership of the Firm’s respective communities and the Firm’s clients and friends to nominate not for profit organizations for the Civic Initiative.  The number of nominations is a significant multiple of the number of organizations that our Civic Initiative can accept.  Through the Civic Initiative, we commit to the organizations chosen to serve their legal, strategic and financial consulting needs for a year. We hope that this contribution helps improve the strength of these organizations.  

                                                                             With best regards,

                                                                              Jennifer L. Carroll

                                                                                 Eric J. Harter

                                                                            J. Kearney Shanahan        

                                                                              Kirsten D. Varouh