Throughout the holiday season, Christian & Small will feature a special blog series here on Nonstop Insights called “Advocates in Our Community” that will be focused on how our attorneys and staff members actively contribute to the good of the Birmingham community outside of the office. This article has been cross-posted to the firm’s 2014 Holiday Giving Campaign website, www.nonstopadvocates.com.
When Christian & Small Associate Abbott Jones steps onto the stage with Opera Birmingham, she’s in costume and playing a character. When she steps into the courtroom, she puts on her suit and fills the role of the lawyer. Because of her experience being on stage, she’s comfortable performing in both situations.
Abbott was always involved in choirs and musical productions at church and school growing up. In college, she continued to perform and study voice, but she took a break from performing during the busy, all-consuming time of completing law school. When she moved back to Birmingham to start her clerkship after law school, she got involved in productions at the Virginia Samford Theatre.
A connection from Virginia Samford Theatre introduced her to Opera Birmingham, which was in the midst of rehearsals for the opera Turandot and needed more sound in the chorus. As a soprano, Abbott was perfect to help fill this need, and she’s been involved ever since. This means participating in two fully-staged productions every season, one in January and one in March. With rehearsals beginning in the fall and increasing to as many as 4-5 days a week near opening nights, the time commitment can be intense. But the positives of having one of our associates involved in such a great organization are many, and we’re happy to support Abbott.
“Being involved in Opera Birmingham has helped me be a better lawyer, because when we get in the thick of the rehearsal schedule, I really have to be a great time manager to balance everything effectively,” Abbott said. “Besides, performing opera is totally different from what I do all day; it’s nice to have a hobby that nurtures my creative side, which I think also improves my skills as a lawyer.”
Each year, Christian & Small purchases the inside front cover of the season program book. This money helps support Opera Birmingham productions and its educational outreach that involves visiting schools that don’t have music programs to teach about music.
Her involvement has also presented Abbott with professional and personal networking opportunities with many people she might not normally come in contact with. As a new member of the Opera Birmingham Board of Directors, she is working with those who are at the height of their careers or recently retired. These board members represent a diverse cross-section of Birmingham businesses. Additionally, the principal characters in the productions are played by professional opera singers who perform all over the world, which means Abbott gets to meet these talented musicians and make valuable friendships.
We think finding this personal fulfillment from being involved in the community is important for everyone in our firm, and we love that Abbott’s hobby is so unique. Plus, it’s a great reason for members of the firm to spend a night at the opera!