Lee T. Polk
Chicago, IL
Upon leaving the military as an Army lawyer and returning to Chicago in 1975, I was greeted with the recently enacted ERISA. From that time on, I have tried, not always successfully, to strike a balance, or you might say, variety, in family, work, and play: older kids balanced with a recent baby; private law practice in larger firms, but also for a dozen years with a smaller firm started with two partners; involvement with pretty much every aspect of benefits law and its connections with other disciplines such as tax, litigation, labor, corporate, and so forth; handling some interesting lawsuits; chairing ABA and Chicago Bar Association committees, and other benefits oriented groups not run by lawyers; authoring a West publication, ERISA Practice & Litigation, with continued annual updates; and, importantly, getting to know many skilled practitioners whose accomplishments are of the highest order. Also along the way, there has been a great deal of fun outside of law (handball, interesting vacations with a focus on scuba diving, exploring the haunts of famous Native Americans, and in recent years, playing in a senior mens’ baseball league, hopefully to continue for many years). All in all, it has been terrific.