As published in the Virginia Lawyer
There is a song by James Taylor that’s always been a personal favorite of mine, and it starts out like this:
- The secret o’ life is enjoying the passage of time.
- Any fool can do it. There ain’t nothing to it.
- Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill,
- But since we’re on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride.
I am afraid Taylor’s “Secret o’ Life” is still secret from most lawyers. Sadly, we are not exactly noted for savoring time, what with the way we constantly flip weeks or months ahead in our calendars to schedule meetings, trials, closings, depositions, and what-have-you, always mindful that, as one wag said, “objects on this calendar are closer than they appear.”
Many people’s lives consist of a steady drumbeat of too many things to do, with too little time in which to do them. For lawyers, this seems to be especially so. Somewhere along the way, the notion has been ingrained in the culture of our profession that a client’s demands, however unreasonable, cannot be refused. And in our current society, where instant gratification isn’t fast enough, client demands are more unreasonable than ever. First fax machines, then cell phones, and now e-mail have gradually eaten away at our personal space and left us little time for reflection, much less for our personal lives.
Click here to read more in the Virginia Lawyer newsletter
ABOUT JOE CONDO
Joe Condo focuses his practice in the areas of family law. Recognized as one of the most accomplished and proficient family-law attorneys in Virginia, Joe Condo has been in practice for 40 years. He has been included in all of Washingtonian Magazine’s lists of the Washington area’s best divorce lawyers since 1981, described in the magazine’s February 2009 issue as a “Virginia legend” who “knows how it’s done.” He was chosen by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America beginning with its first edition in 1983, and has been listed in each edition since.
ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN
Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing, full-service law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. With over 120 attorneys offering a comprehensive range of services in virtually every legal category, the firm is well positioned to meet the needs of dynamic businesses and the people who own and operate them. Our eight offices serve individual and corporate clients in the Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Northern Virginia markets, as well as the Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City metropolitan areas. At Offit Kurman, we are our clients’ most trusted legal advisors, professionals who help maximize and protect business value and personal wealth. In every interaction, we consistently maintain our clients’ confidence by remaining focused on furthering their objectives and achieving their goals in an efficient manner. Trust, knowledge, confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.
You can connect with Offit Kurman via our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages. You can also sign up to receive Law Matters, Offit Kurman’s monthly newsletter covering a diverse selection of legal and corporate thought leadership content.
MARYLAND | PENNSYLVANIA | VIRGINIA| NEW JERSEY | NEW YORK | DELAWARE | WASHINGTON, DC
