What is the most challenging thing about being my assistant?

That you are the male version of my mother.

I grew up around very loving, very proud Filipinos.

The country is a better place because people like my family members are in it.

Hey, everybody, it's Matt here, just to hear by myself to let you know what we're doing this week.

I've got a very special Thanksgiving episode.

It is the time to give thanks to you and just look around you and just remember the people in your life

and the things that make everything possible.

As a great band, a big star, once saying, the friends that make everything so very probable.

That's how I've been feeling that these things become much more probable with everybody around you.

So we're going to be featuring some of the people closest to me today who make this work happen,

who allow me to run a law office and bring you my part of this podcast.

Of course, I want to start with Thomas and Lydia Smith, who are the producers

and owners and just the people behind opening arguments. And of course, Thomas very much out in

front of opening arguments along with Lydia on Wednesdays now. Really just such a pleasure to work

with them both and really appreciate them as people and as co-creators and producers. And just so

grateful for the opportunities that this show has given me

and the people I've gotten to talk to and the amazing things I've just had a reason I get to look at and think about.

Much thanks to them. I'm going to be looking at the people closer to me now here in the East Coast,

in my immediate vicinity, in my law office. So as you know, I do run three three-partner, five-attorney immigration law office in Boston, Massachusetts. And you're going to meet some of those people that make that happen today in this episode. We're just going to do short interviews with some of my favorite characters. You've met Azul already in a previous episode last year. I know a lot of people listen to that. It's well worth going back and listening to it gave a Zola two-parter because she had so much to say and she's such a great character and has such a great character. But I'm going to feature some other people that you haven't met yet. Could not talk to everybody. We have 18 people on our payroll and as much as I'd love to introduce you to all of them. Maybe next Thanksgiving. I don't know. But we have to keep it a little shorter this time. So you're going to meet everybody from our high school Haitian Creole speaking intern Sylvie.

Wonderful personality. Absolute pro already. Just walked in the door at 18, ready to do this work. You'll meet our receptionist on her last day. Rachel, who we wish well. You'll meet my assistant, Emily. You'll meet our paralegal working from Brazil, James, who moved down there a few months ago. I missed to having him around in person, but always great to catch up with him. And, of course, my law partner, my sister in the law, Nicole Micharoni, and maybe some of the people along the way. We'll end with a footnote, because we always have to have a footnote, with my research assistant and former Northeastern student, Olivia Kamazinsky.

Olivia is much more than a footnote for this show. She makes it possible for me to be able to do this by keeping my thoughts organized and helping prepare the background materials, get things together. We'll talk a little bit about the process there in her part of things, but I want to make sure to fully introduce you. You've heard from her as a social media person, but I want to give you a little footnote here on how we put this stuff together.

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