After an August and first half of September that included double-digit depositions, extensive travel for work, three stitches for my oldest son after a bucket full of Mr. Potato Heads hit him above the eye at day care, two days at GBMC for my youngest son because of complications with an ear/sinus infection, a District Court trial (victorious!), and a two-day Circuit Court trial that was placed on the standby docket (and subsequently postponed), I needed a vacation.

Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, including the fact that my wife used most, if not all, of her leave caring for the sick kids (since I was crushed at work), I had very limited options.

So I am on the Megabus leaving Baltimore and heading to Philadelphia with my oldest in tow. We are going to visit the in-laws and I will be able to get a little break.

Read the rest of this entry »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Do you take a one week summer vacation or a more extended one? I’m considering doing two weeks next year and I have been thinking about how that interacts with work commitments.

For the past few years, we’ve rented a house for one week right on the Delaware Bay. By the time we really get settled in and start to relax, it is just about Wednesday. And we leave on Saturday.  So we’ve been thinking about getting away for two weeks next year.

This year, I probably billed about five hours total over the course of the week-long vacation — pretty good, I think (from the vantage of trying to spend as much time as possible with my family).  I monitored a number of things, but I ignored (or at least held off a substantive response to) a lot of non-urgent e-mails.  Being gone just a week allows you to hold people at bay until you get back. But I know that a two-week hiatus does not.

If we do end up taking two weeks, I assume that I won’t be able to avoid most standing conference calls and I would probably have to do a few half-day stints of working (if not more).

So, which is better? Taking one week and REALLY escaping from work? Or taking two weeks and still being required to have a decent level of connectivity?

Powered by Bookmarkify™

I’ve never really admitted it before, but I just don’t understand all the fuss about Las Vegas. Many of my friends love the city, and love the chance to live it up when they visit. Ho hum.

I end up going about once every year or so, because Vegas is a favorite spot for litigation-related seminars and CLE programs. AAJ hosts many of its CLE seminars there regularly, and the who’s who of the plaintiffs’ bar descends upon Vegas for those and litigation group seminars (I bet the defense bar frequents the community, as well). Those who do pharmaceutical and complex litigation have Mass Torts Made Perfect, also set this year for Vegas. I had a conference there on Thursday and Friday of last week.

Of course, traveling alone doesn’t really help. Almost any city is better enjoyed with company, but I recognize that I should be able to explore and enjoy a new location on my own without depending on others. And, in most cases, it’s not a problem. But I just don’t understand Vegas. Read the rest of this entry »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

It was a whole lot of fun in the sun in Ocean City. I am still recovering from an overdose of Thrasher’s fries, shaved ice (extra grape syrup please), Fischer’s popcorn and Old Bay at the Hooper’s crab fest.

Like Michael, (see “The beach and the Bar Association (and The Daily Record Happy Hour”), I consider MSBA’s annual meeting to be my unofficial start to summer. I look forward to the easy networking, informative sessions, vendor freebies and of course the cabanas. I reconnected with old colleagues and made new friends. While I spent most of my time at the Montgomery County Cabana, hosted by Heather Collier and Andrew Schwartz, every single bar association that hosted a cabana was very welcoming and friendly, and well-stocked. Read the rest of this entry »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

With summer (the best of all the seasons) almost upon us, thoughts naturally drift toward the prospect of a little time off of work. Especially when you get a taste of it, for example, when the office shuts down early on a nice Friday afternoon, like my firm did last week (sidenote to new lawyers—do not ever leave right away if the office shuts down early. It is a test. Even if it is not a test, it is a test).

And, summer vacation can’t come soon enough. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve been burning my candle at both ends for about the past three months. If my candle had more ends, perhaps an oddly-shaped asterisk, or a candle that extends into the fifth and sixth dimensions, those would be burning, too.

Work has been hectic, as always, with way too many cases and not enough time to do them. I have these two larger cases that would take up all of my time if I let them, and balancing my efforts between them and the smaller cases requires a little acrobatic skill that I have not perfected yet.

Family life is wonderful, but with the recent move to Hampden finally completed, there is so much to do around the house. I haven’t mowed a lawn in ten years, and I spent a number of hours yesterday pushing a manual lawn mower around our lawn, trimming a wildly out-of-control rose bush (I have the thorn sticks to prove it), and beginning efforts to cut down inexplicably-located trees. Our eight-month old doesn’t mind us working on the house, as long as we manage to give her constant attention. I’m worried our neighbors are going to start circulating a petition to stop the baby’s cries… Read the rest of this entry »

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Some of you have noticed – many of you probably have not – but I have not submitted a blog in the last few weeks. I wish I had some incredible excuse. You know, maybe something to do with preparing for an argument before the Supreme Court.

My excuse – vacation! A bachelor party to be exact.

You see, this was the first significant period of time that I was going to be out of the office at my new firm, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to handle it. So, I neglected my Generation J.D. responsibilities, and used the time to do my best to prepare. In hindsight, I should have blogged as my preparation was simply an exercise in futility. Read the rest of this entry »

Powered by Bookmarkify™