What we Value becomes Valuable

     Out in the farmlands around Brentwood, California there are an untold number of old farm vehicles. Farmers buy new equipment but do not always discard the old equipment. It seems that there are a lot of 1953 Chevrolet pick-ups out in the fields and behind the barns. What are these old rusting hulks worth? Next to nothing, really. You can buy one in the $500 to $1,000 price range. They are just junk, right? 

           Then some man comes along with a vision. Where everyone else sees an unwanted rust bucket, he sees a beautifully restored classic pick-up. He pays the $500 bucks, and then with his own hands and sweat he tears the truck down to its very components. All that remains on the garage floor is the steel frame of the truck. He sands it, grinds it, paints it black and then puts on the axles and the wheels. From there, he re-builds the engine, has the dents taken out of the fenders, reupholsters the seats, rewires the entire truck, upgrades the dash components but keeps the original steering wheel, which he restores as well. He rebuilds the block of the engine and the transmission and exhaust system. He wants to keep the truck as close to original as possible, but he wants to add his own originality to it as well. He decides to paint the truck a color that never was offered by Chevrolet; he goes with blue because it is his wife’s favorite color. He sends the grill and bumpers out to be re-chromed. He has the glass tinted. He buys custom wheels and brand new tires. The truck has a look and feel that would impress both the young guy who wants a cool truck, and the old guy whose dad once owned a ’53 Chevy. 

           And then, on that most wonderful day, with a few close friends and family around, he puts the key in the ignition, turns it the right, and the hulk of metal under the hood comes to life as the exhaust pipes speak in a low and powerful voice. In that moment, the man knows that he took something that was valued by no one, and made it into something that is valued by everyone. He took something that had potential, and poured himself into it until its potential was realized. By deep commitment and exceptional effort, he demonstrated a simple and undeniable truth: What we Value becomes Valuable.  

           This is the evolving story of SHINGLER LAW. The truck is SHINGLER LAW; we are the ones who took a small law practice and turned it into a uniquely beautiful enterprise which strives to do well by doing good. We represent people who are suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. We work hard for them, do well for them, and along the way become their friends.

           I know all about these old farm trucks. I have walked passed dozens of them with nary a second look, and then fell in love with them after someone came along who cared enough, and was talented enough, to make their vision a reality.  That is what we have done here.