When I started Sapientia Law Group 12 years ago, I was forced to rethink the traditional model of law firms. As a result, i wondered what impact changes in the model would have on attorney performance, satisfaction with their profession, and ultimately client satisfaction. To answer this question, I did not look to other law offices but instead to innovative businesses.
During this process, sabbaticals were brought to my mind. Why wouldn’t law offices provide the opportunity to rejuvenate one’s mind, body and spirit? If owners or partners in a midsized law firm had to take sabbaticals, even mandated them, at certain times during their careers, wouldn’t this experience also test the sustainability of the firm without its key contributors? Sapientia Law Group adopted a sabbatical clause in its ownership agreement as a result of this thinking.
Although COVID-19 delayed my original sabbatical date, I took a ten-week sabbatical from July to September last summer. The experience was incredible. My husband and my almost-adult children and I spent three weeks in Italy and Greece. I played tennis every week. I walked every day. I read books. To the delight of my family, i scrapbooked all our vacations. To catch up with family and friends, I went on mini-trips. I tried new foods. I completed a few house projects (but not a lot). I got the sleep that was good for me. I didn’t work at all, despite the fact that my family was certain that I would have to work on my sabbatical.
The sabbatical was different from a vacation. The sabbatical experience was different than a vacation. It was different from the maternity leave I took earlier in my career because I wasn’t caring for a baby, but for myself. The sabbatical was not comparable to retirement because I did not feel like I had changed my life in a significant way.
The sabbatical, however, was merely a break–a time to cool down after a long race and take deep breaths. I had the time to reflect, prioritize, and think. During the 10 weeks I was stress-free, which is a state that seems impossible in our profession.
The sabbatical was made possible by my team and colleagues who took over my caseload and assumed various management responsibilities at the firm. They also “shielded” me from any work-related issues or questions. They gained knowledge and insight about the firm, exercised leadership roles and leaned on their strengths. We grew in mutual respect for the roles of each other. The team was able to imagine what their future sabbatical might look like. Together, we proved our organization’s sustainability.
As the discussion about attorney well being continues in our bar and bench, I encourage those who are committed to finding solutions to burnout, addiction to work, and chronic stress, to consider creating well-being leave like sabbaticals.
Academia has been leveraging this concept for many years. Sabbaticals are increasingly being incorporated into business models by progressive companies. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, in 2019, 11% of employers offered unpaid sabbaticals while 5% provided paid sabbaticals. According to BuildRemote the following companies offer paid sabbaticals to their employees: Bank of America (4 weeks paid at 15 years), Charles Schwab (30 days paid for every five years of employment), Clif Bar (6 to 8 weeks after each seven-year period of service), Microsoft (8 weeks paid at 10 years), Nike (5 weeks paid at 10 years), The Cheesecake Factory (3 weeks paid per five-year anniversary), Zillow (3 weeks paid, and 3 weeks unpaid)
The legal profession must do the same.
The article Why not Sabbatical? first appeared on Attorney at Law Magazine.