Last week a small family law firm in South Carolina was the subject of discussion throughout the blawgosphere because its web page informs clients that the lawyers in the firm do not work on weekends. In fact, the entire section devoted to client expectations makes me believe that the lawyer who wrote it had one too many annoying clients and calls to mind another great song from the 80's...
The truth is that in family law, outside of genuine emergencies, there isn't much a lawyer can do for a client on the weekend. In today's WSJ law blog, the firm's owner, Monet Pincus, made it clear that they will work on the weekends when the situation warrants it, but that most weekend emails and phone calls are not emergencies and usually nothing can be done about them on the weekend anyway. I can relate to her frustration — I'd rather spend my Sunday evenings watching the new season of Dexter than pounding away at my keyboard, but occasionally a life and death writing assignment will fall on my head and then of course that takes priority. But most of the time, whether you are a family lawyer or a blog writer, what a client perceives as an emergency can really wait until Monday, saving everyone a lot of time, frustration and ultimately, money.
Family law attorneys are witnesses everyday to what happens when career trumps family. Is it any wonder that they would take steps to ensure their own domestic tranquility?
