Time off and the Bar

Brian Tannebaum, ethics lawyer to the stars, recently tweeted that he would be ok with a complete shut-down of the legal profession from December 23 to January 2. I thought that sounded like a good idea too.

We have to take all these bullshit CLE hours about recognizing substance abuse. We have rules that we have to “be nice,” even though those simply escalate the number of bar complaints. Meanwhile, the focus of such rules are what? Simply to deal with the stress that law practice can bring.

Tannebaum’s idea sounds like a good start. Why not just have “law vacations.” Periods of time in which you are ethically prohibited from practicing law, unless it is a bona fide emergency (I guess criminal defense lawyers would be slightly fucked).

But, why not take it beyond that? Why not have “law recesses” a few times a year. Not just for Christmas to New Years, but why not one week every quarter? No hearings. No service of documents. No nothing.

While we are at it, why not just adopt an ethical rule of “Lawyers don’t roll on Shabbos”? One day a week where we are ethically prohibited from working.

I don’t know about you, but I’d be a little less inclined to want to get shitfaced or smack some bottom feeder across his face if I had one day a week where I was forced to chill.