Everyone has problems. The problems may arise from work or family or friends. It could be your health, a car that starts only 99.9 percent of the time or a household pet. For me, as an attorney, husband, father and active member of various bar organizations, my problems probably do not differ from other lawyers. A co-worker and I, in an attempt to put our lives into perspective, refer to our problems as “rich-people problems.”

(As an aside, I would not consider myself “rich.” I am part of the 99 percent, constantly concerned about the financial state of the Siri household, but the term “rich-people problems” has a much better ring that “upper-middle-class problems” or “hoping to eventually be part of the 1 percent but not there yet problems.”)

My personal problems  include: suffering Achilles tendonitis because of over-training for my spring marathon, debating between refinancing to a 20 year or 30 year mortgage, deciding whether to hold our oldest son back one year before kindergarten so he will be the oldest in his class (see Outliers) and figuring out how to balance the additional (non-billable) responsibilities of partnership at my law firm.

Obviously, these are all things very important to me but nothing earth shattering for others. Recently, however, I experienced a situation that put all of my problems in perspective.

This year, I have decided to dedicate all of my pro bono hours to the Homeless Persons Representation Project’s criminal expungement program. The law on criminal expungement in Maryland is straightforward and you can help a number of individuals without an extensive time commitment per case. Each case takes between an hour or two, which includes research, filling out the forms, meeting with clients and filing the requests.

During my second round of client interviews, I met a man who had never been convicted of a crime (and he also shared the same birthday of one of my children, which made him more notable to me). A very nice guy with a couple of charges on his record, but again, no convictions.  He went back to school and got a technical degree but was having a difficult time finding a job because of the results of a criminal background check. We had a nice talk and filled out most of the paperwork, but I needed to draft another motion in which he would have to sign. I got his email address and told him that I would email him in the next day or two.

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What do aggravated IT bands, sore quads, shin splints and black toenails all have in common? I’ve had all of them thanks to my love for running.

I often wonder why I put myself through such torture during my endless training periods before a race and am always reminded of the answer when I finish: I run because I am in control and no one else is dependent on me for a “win.”

I have logged over 800 miles this past year and only 130 of those miles are race miles. I’ve been running for about two-and-a-half years and when I signed up for my first race, the Marine Corps Historic Half marathon, I had no clue that I would love it so much. As a matter of fact, it was supposed to be my only race that year. But I felt such a sense of accomplishment so shortly after the race that I registered for a 5K and another half-marathon that year.

Working as a family law attorney, I am often faced with addressing my clients’ emotional issues as well as their legal issues. While at the office, I have to multitask and can’t focus on one case at a time. I’m also unable to leave my clients’ issues at the office, and I think it’s safe to say I am not the only attorney. I think I would be doing my clients a disservice if I considered my job as an 8-to-5. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but sometimes it can be mentally exhausting and I need a chance to decompress.

That’s where running comes in. I enjoy it because I have a chance to drift into my own world with my thoughts. There are no distractions of phone calls, text messages, emails or television. I have time to process things and my thoughts seem to become clearer. My mind is consistently spinning and it’s hard to shut it off.

During a run, I have an opportunity to step back, isolate my thoughts and contemplate all sorts of stuff. I’ve come up with some great case strategies, such as how to proceed procedurally or how to present my case at trial. I’ve also made personal decisions, such as where to go for vacation or how to make Mother’s Day special for my mom and sisters.

The only distractions during a run tend to be the occasional biker that says “on your left” or the runner that laps me. (I don’t consider myself competitive but I hate to get lapped.) Running has become my outlet; I know that for at least one hour, four-to-five times a week, I will have some Mahasin time. I’m in the driver’s seat and someone else doesn’t dictate my time. I can go at my own pace wherever I want and think about whatever I want. If I start off a run frustrated or overwhelmed, absent an injury, I usually always finish feeling accomplished a rejuvenated.

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I took off Friday and headed to a small town called Shade Gap in Pennsylvania. My family owns property just outside of Shade Gap and, every spring and fall, a group heads up for a camping trip.

If the town is remote (population 97), the property on which we camp is even more so. It is surrounded on three sides by state game land and is primarily wooded. There is a dirt road through the woods that leads to a clearing, on which we pitch our tents, build our fire and spend most of our time.

There are certain traditions that have evolved — pizza grilled cheeses, a circle of chairs around the campfire, games during the day and a creepy, late-night hike through the woods to an abandoned house that sits on the property.

But my favorite part of these trips is disconnecting from the “real world.” Phone reception is limited, there is no running water and there is no electricity. Unless you drive into town, you will not see anyone other than the camping group for the entire weekend. The nearest store is about a 25-minute drive away.

I give myself permission to put the “out-of-office assistant” on my email and to leave my cell in the car for this trip. I give myself permission to leave my real life and all of the obligations, responsibilities and stress in Baltimore. For this weekend, my purpose is to enjoy the scenery and the company.

Aside from cooking and games (Frisbee, wiffle ball, boccie ball, etc.), there is no agenda on this trip. There is nowhere else to be and nothing else to be doing.

Time in Shade Gap seems to stand still; the hours stretch to the point that any concept of time is eventually lost. At noon on Saturday, for example, I was certain that it was nearly dinnertime. Read the rest of this entry »

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In the opening scenes of “Jerry Maguire,” the main character, a self-described “shark in a suit” sports agent, has an epiphany and types out a “mission statement” that he then distributes to all the other agents in his firm. He titles it “The Things We Think But Do Not Say” and writes his agency should re-focus on client service and relationships with the players it represents and ultimately become an agency that represents fewer clients and makes less money.

When he walks through the room for the first time after his mission statement has been distributed, his colleagues all start clapping. While Jerry basks in his colleagues’ applause, one leans to another and says that Jerry will probably last only another week at the agency. If you’ve seen the movie, then you know that Jerry is fired shortly after distributing his mission statement and that his own words (“Fewer clients. Less money.”) are used against him by the man who fires him — the wonderfully named Bob Sugar.

I mention Jerry Maguire as a way into what has happened at mega-firm Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP in recent weeks and what is means for everyone who practices law. As you have probably read, Dewey & LeBoeuf will almost certainly be forced to close its doors in a matter of days. Most of the partners have jumped ship to other mega firms. For a time, all employees were rumored to have lost their health benefits due to the firm’s inability to pay its carrier. Its former managing partner is being investigated by the New York District Attorney.

As I understand it, the firm’s downfall was caused in no small part by guaranteed payouts to partners based upon their past ability to generate work. The New York Times has called Dewey & LeBoeuf a cautionary tale and has suggested — much like Jerry Maguire — that it is “time for lawyers to reshape corporate practice so they make less money, have time to serve other legal needs and approach their work with the independence that would make them true professionals.”

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Most people by now have had experience purchasing or using a coupon from Groupon, Living Social, Plum District and similar websites. Aside from a couple of incredibly annoying experiences with two purchases from Living Social, I have been a content consumer of these coupons.

Recently, the ABA Journal provided an overview of ethics opinions on lawyers and law firms using these services. The state bar associations in North Carolina, South Carolina and New York have issued opinions suggesting it’s OK for lawyers to jump on the deal-of-the-day coupon bandwagon. As this phenomenon spreads, I am willing to bet that more bar associations will also opine on the issue. Here are three main concerns discussed in these opinions:

1)  Does this kind of payment arrangement amount to fee splitting with non-lawyers, which is prohibited by Rule 5.4 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, as well as the ethics rules of all the states?

2) Are advertisements for discounted legal services using this “couponing” method inappropriate for attorneys to use from a professionalism or appearance standpoint?

3) Is a “couponing” for business a good business model for attorneys?

One analysis of the fee-splitting issue says it does not amount to more than a payment of reasonable advertising costs. The South Carolina Bar’s advisory opinion states the fee charged by the website operator amounts to payment of the reasonable cost of permitted advertising by a lawyer rather than sharing the lawyer’s fee.

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Rhode Island lawmakers are considering whether to enact a first-in-the-nation bill of rights for the homeless. The bill would prohibit certain groups of people (mainly police officers, landlords, employers and medical workers) from discriminating against the homeless.

Just about every year there are bills proposed in the Maryland General Assembly to help protect the homeless. In fact, Maryland is a leader in legislation protecting the homeless and in 2009 became the first state to pass a law classifying crimes against the homeless as hate crimes. (Other states, including Rhode Island, soon passed their own versions of the bill.)

But Maryland still has its struggles with this issue. Just recently Baltimore City faced a controversy when it shut off the power supply to a homeless shelter after the shelter allegedly didn’t pay its bills. The shelter alleges that the city owes the shelter money; hopefully the sides will reach a resolution so this vulnerable population isn’t left without a safe haven.

(For more about the homeless in Baltimore, check out this blog. It’s written by a formerly homeless man living in Baltimore. It hasn’t been updated recently but the posts are personal and informative.)

Statistics on the number of attacks on homeless people are extremely sad — 1,184 cases of violence since 1999, according to one report. And these are only the cases that we know about. It’s likely that there are many more incidents that go unreported.

The homeless already have such a small voice in our society; I can’t imagine what it must be like to face discrimination from the people that you need help from. It’s enough of a struggle for them to try and to survive and get their lives together. (Check out the comments in the story about the Rhode Island law to see some of the hatred that exists.) Although this Rhode Island bill may be difficult to enforce, I believe it is an important step in protecting the homeless.

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