The Balancing Act
Attorney Profiles

Do you have a passion for music? Meet two Oklahoma attorneys who find pursuit of their musical interests a meaningful way to achieve work/life balance.

David Kirk
Lytle, Soule & Curlee
Oklahoma City

David W. Kirk has been practicing law for 21 years, but he has another passion that has been around even longer. If you ask him how long he has been a musician, he will tell you he has been playing in a band all his life. Today, David makes his living as a civil rights defense attorney at Lytle, Soule & Curlee in Oklahoma City, but, as he puts it, for his own personal sake and the sake of his loved ones in his spare time he plays electric guitar with a band called Turbans Over Memphis and bass guitar with The Unlikely Blues Band.

David says he used to have professional aspirations for his music, but he realized pretty quickly that touring all over the country is a pretty tough life and the chance for real success is pretty slim. So, after he hangs up his lawyer cap every day, David spends at least 30 quality minutes with his music. Interestingly, when David meets with his Turbans bandmates for their weekly practice, there are plenty of lawyer caps hanging around the room. Oklahoma City attorneys Jeff Curran and Mike Carter are also members of the band. Rounding out the Turbans are two bankers (Jeff Pilkington and Mike Mayer) and an engineer (Trip Shawmer). The Turbans played a show in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and in Daytona Beach last year, but these days they play mostly weddings and private parties.

As for his thoughts on the subject of work/life balance, David says he got some good advice from a mentor early in his career. When David worked with Jim Priest at McKinney & Stringer, Jim told him that “we all have several components to our lives — work, relationships, personal growth, etc. — and, if any one area dominates, then you are out of balance.” David has certainly found this to be true. While he admits to “getting cranky” if he doesn’t play, he also recognizes that playing gigs takes time from his family and work. So, it’s a daily chore to keep all the elements in their proper perspective. When it comes to pursuing an interest outside of work, though, David says it doesn’t hurt to have a supportive and understanding family.

David definitely encourages other attorneys to find an activity outside of the practice to help take their minds off work. If you think music might be for you, David says you have to count on some practice time, but if you discover a new creative outlet it will be time well spent. Oh, and if you’ve tried music but think you may have to find another passion, David is always looking for vintage guitars and amps…

Lou Kohlman
Staff Attorney
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
Oklahoma City

Lou Kohlman graduated from Harvard Law School in 1986. She has had a varied career in the law working in both the private and public sector. Lou has clerked for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, served as attorney in the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service, worked in a D.C. law firm doing white collar criminal defense work, served as deputy public defender in Santa Barbara County, Calif., and served as a hearing commissioner for the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Appeals Tribunal. Since 1994, Lou has worked as staff attorney at the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for Judge Charles Chapel.

For most of her life, Lou has been a vocalist. She thinks of singing and performing “like breathing.” She studied voice in her teens and received a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Throughout her legal career, she has maintained steady singing work and found performance outlets. She has performed with fine musicians nationwide and has even performed as a soloist at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Currently, Lou is a soloist and choir member with Musica Sacra, a professional chamber ensemble, and with the Cathedral Choir at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. If you’re a regular at the Redhawks game, watch for Lou. She occasionally sings the national anthem there. Lou recently shared her talents among a venue full of lawyers when she sang the national anthem at the investiture of the Honorable Jerome Holmes, Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

She offers the following advice about work/life balance:

Time is infinitely malleable. Almost. Actually, trite though it may be, I think it is important to find the things which inspire passion, and become involved in them. I have been lucky, throughout my career, to have found jobs which allowed me time outside of work. Currently, I work, sing, engage in a variety of civic activities, and help my husband raise our 10-year-old son. Because I truly enjoy all these things, it is possible to balance them, although the balance may shift with priorities from day to day.

If you have a passion for singing but no outlet, Lou suggests joining a church choir as a starting point. There are also a number of community choirs statewide. If you want to learn the basics, voice lessons are available at almost any college or university and private lessons are an option, too.