After a crazy winter of snow and freezing temperatures, I am really looking forward to the "new beginnings" that summer brings. The wintery wind took down our fence around Thanksgiving, and we recently replaced it. With a 17-month-old whose favorite place to be is outside, now it's time to pack the yard with things to keep him entertained while my husband and I get to work on making it pretty again.

Last summer, as new parents caring for a little guy who couldn't even crawl, we spent very little time in our yard. The price we paid: weeds, scraggly bushes and dying grass. But we have big plans this year. Trimming bushes, planting trees, pulling weeds and treating the lawn are just a few of the things on our backyard to-do list. We also want to plant a vegetable garden--robust with peppers, cilantro and tomatoes. Mmmm, I can taste the fresh salsa already.

While at home I'm spending my time beefing up my yard, at work I continue to apply those same principles to InsideCounsel--be it the print publication, our annual conference or our website. In the magazine, this year we launched a new section called "Paying it Forward," which profiles the pro bono programs and efforts of legal departments. I hope you have been finding value, and possibly some great ideas, in this new section.

Our SuperConference--which was held last month in Chicago--brought great information through breakout and general sessions as well as networking opportunities for all attendees. If you couldn't make it this year, be sure to attend next year's event. We hope it will be even bigger and better, as we are constantly striving to improve it.

There are even more changes going on at InsideCounsel.com. We recently launched two new columns--Consultants' Corner and Counsel Commentary--which you can find on our home page. In these two columns, consultants and law firm lawyers offer their insight on some of the most relevant topics affecting your departments right now. Whether it's a highlight of a recent Supreme Court decision and its impact on you or tips on best practices in legal department benchmarking, these regular columns aim to bring you the information you need to run your department efficiently.

So, sit back, enjoy your summer, and let InsideCounsel do the work of keeping you in-the-know on the most topical information general counsel need.