Worth Carroll is a study in cognitive dissonance.

For example, take a moment to imagine a person who grew up in deep East Texas. Imagine his Southern drawl. Imagine his giant pickup truck. Imagine his boots, his rugged saddlebag that he uses as a briefcase, and his mother who sings in the church choir.

Now ask him for a music recommendation.

(In a thick Texas accent) "You have to watch Black Thought's 10 minute freestyle on HOT 97 with Funk Flex."

Worth's encyclopedic knowledge of urban hip hop music is matched only by his repertoire of literary cultural references. His immense talent as a writer is only matched by his absolute comfort in front of a crowd as public speaker. Worth's preferred writing tools of a thick pencil and a Big Chief tablet is only ironic because he is an expert in navigating complex digital discovery and cellphone extraction.

This is Worth Carroll. In a profession where you are either a good paper lawyer or a good trial lawyer, Worth is both. In a profession where you are either good with clients or good behind a computer, Worth is both. In a profession where you choose to specialize in civil plaintiff's work or criminal defense work, Worth does both. And he melds everything together with his friendly, optimistic, and inspiring disposition.

The son of prominent intellectual property lawyer and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Otis Carroll, Worth has spent his childhood listening to discussions on cross-examination, case strategy, and trial themes. As Malcolm Gladwell and Geoff Colvin theorized that a person needs to log 10,000 hours before developing expertise on a subject, it is likely that Worth logged that many hours by the time he left college. When your dad has you edit motions for summary judgment in college, you get a head start in the profession.

But what makes Worth different than every other son of a prominent trial lawyer is that he didn't live his life in a law firm and immediately attend law school. There's a game we play in the office called, "Has Worth had this job before?" because Worth has lived all over the United States working for a living. Locksmith in North Carolina? Yup. Addiction counselor in Colorado? Yup. Dry Cleaner? Yes. Kennel worker? Animal shelter volunteer coordinator? Target cashier? Yes, yes, and yes.

When Worth is not working on multimillion dollar complex civil litigation cases he is helping kids who are struggling in foster care. When Worth is not writing briefs for one client he is in the courtroom advocating for another. And when Worth is not sipping Houndstooth coffee listening to Jay-Z, he is reading book after book on persuasive legal writing.

What unifies all of these differences is his integrity and character and humble smile.

This is the incalculable value of Worth.