I was raised in a military family. Moving with my family every three years of my childhood was a powerful influence on who I have become as an adult. In moving around the country and world, always being the new kid, I learned how to make friends and get to know people quickly. This aspect of my childhood fine-tuned my ability to perceive and interpret my surroundings and understand the dynamics of people around me. I think that experience has made me a good listener and may have been part of why I decided to major in psychology for my undergraduate degree.

 

I’ve lived in Hawaii, St. Louis, Maine, Virginia, New Orleans, Manila, Mobile, Baton Rouge, District of Columbia, Jackson (MS), and now Pensacola. I went to both private and public school as my family moved from one duty station to the next. There were important life lessons in both kinds of schools. Always being the new kid in school meant learning how to make friends quickly. It also meant that you always knew that in a few years you would be leaving for a new place. That dynamic meant family was your core sphere of influence. Fortunately, I had caring parents, good discipline, and a stable childhood.

 

In school, I ran cross country and pole vaulted. I’m actually in my high school’s sports hall of fame for cross country and track. I held the school pole vault record for many years. This fact greatly amuses my sons since I don’t follow any sports and they think of me as sports ignorant. Though these two sports were team sports, they were also highly individual. I am very self-reliant as an individual, but I also enjoy the teamwork that running a law office requires.

 

Another influence on my childhood was that my family loved restoring historic homes wherever we happened to move. My parents still live in a house built in 1860. I learned how to paint, saw, hammer and build things from a very young age. As a child, those things were almost always tedious tasks my parents made me do. The skills I learned then now are my enjoyable pastime. Building furniture and home renovations now bring me great pleasure. Here’s another life lesson from being put to work by my parents: a task you once dread doing may give you a skill that in a new or later chapter of life will become an asset. I strongly believe that you should keep your eyes open, learn as much as you can from the many people around you in life. You never know how you might be able to use a skill you pick up from someone who is willing to invest the time to teach you. Keep your eyes open for gifts of knowledge and growth that may come from the most unexpected places.

 

I love my job as your attorney. I worry about my clients and think about my cases all the time and how I can better help my clients with their legal challenges. I am thankful to each of my clients for the things that I learn from them as I am helping them.

 

 

Christopher Klotz. Retrieved on February 22, 2021 from https://stevensonklotz.com/attorney/christopher-j-klotz/.