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9 Solo [i] (2002-2003)

handle is hein.journals/sololoi9 and id is 1 raw text is: Fall 2002 BH Lafi Rm Mey By Larry Ramirez Ever hear the expression I've got to get a life? Being a lawyer often pre- sents conflicting lifestyle choices. It's ingrained in us that success means long hours at the office, but that runs counter to the idea that being happy means spend- ing time with family and friends. Any married lawyer has felt the pressures of work versus family. After 25 Tailor Your Practice Success on Your Terms: A Work/Life Survey Time Off for Fun A Woman's Question: When to Have Babies? years of practice-18 years with a firm and seven as a solo practitioner-I know the guilt and anxiety of missing family outings, soc- cer games, and vacations because of conflicts with my work schedule. I truly regret those missed opportunities and the fact that I lost out on a significant part of my two sons' early years. Frankly, in hindsight, my professional success does not outweigh my sense of loss. I can't go back and change the past, and for that I have only myself to blame. Fortunately, I finally real- ized what I was missing, but not until my oldest was 13 and my youngest was 10. I came to understand that I did, indeed, have choices, and that my professional life did not have to control my personal life. In 1995 I faced the disso- lution of the firm where I had practiced for 15 years. I had to choose: Continue to work in a firm or go solo. There's a certain security with a firm, and the prospect of being sole- ly responsible for such things as overhead was not all that attractive. But the flexibility and indepen- (continued inside) 0* Way