Take a break 
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American vacation may be going by the wayside. The bureau reported that more than 574 million vacation hours went unused in 2006.
Experts, such as Dr. George Griffing, professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University, say the trend is alarming. People need to recharge and relax and take breaks. Lawyer Patricia Reynolds (pictured), of Liberty, escaped her practice for more than 12 weeks last year to travel. “Memories are something that no one can ever take away from you,” she says.
Can’t let it go?
You’re a lawyer’s lawyer.
You own the complete works of John Grisham — leather-bound. Your favorite part of the Academy Awards is when they read the disclaimer. You know that Judge Michael Wolff’s middle name is Andrew.
So why would anyone think that you would want the run-of-the-mill, sit-on-the-beach summer vacation?
No, you want to go visit where [...]
Sabbaticals
One hot day in the summer of 2008, Ken Suelthaus stood within 3 feet of a notoriously cantankerous individual.
It wasn’t an opposing attorney with an ax to grind, and Suelthaus wasn’t sweating in an air-conditioned courtroom.
Instead, he stood in South Africa, face-to-face with a rhinoceros, a huge beast with a temper.
But he wasn’t on vacation. [...]
Books for the beach and beyond
What books should lawyers pack for vacation? Missouri Lawyers Weekly turned to intellectual property attorney and mystery novelist Michael Kahn for advice. Kahn is a partner at Bryan Cave in the firm’s St. Louis office.
He’s also an award-winning author of novels and short stories, including the Rachel Gold series of legal thrillers. His most recent [...]
How to make a great escape
Sarah Read remembers well the day she learned a valuable lesson about a vacationing attorney’s challenges. She found herself in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with her children in a picture-perfect family scene.
Perfect, that is, if she hadn’t spent most of it on her cellphone in an hour-long conversation with a client.
“That was one of [...]
Push for vacation rule on break
Just after it gained enough momentum to be seriously considered, the proposed “vacation rule” seems to have slipped into the Bermuda Triangle. No one is quite sure what happened to the idea, which a Missouri Supreme Court subcommittee investigated in early 2008.
The rule, which had two proposed forms, would have compelled judges and opposing attorneys [...]
Ways to set your staff free
When an attorney grabs some time away from the office, things can be hectic enough, but when secretaries, administrative assistants or other support staff need a vacation, a firm can face just as many challenges.
That’s certainly true when the absent party is a paralegal. Although there are ways for temps to fill in, it’s hard [...]