why I left "The Practice"

I spent my second day as a woman of leisure (for a few weeks anyway) reading the Wall Street Journal in print. I came upon this article, which I had missed earlier. In case you don't care to link through, it describes pleadings filed by Law Firm X requesting that the court change the hearing dates on a motion so that they do not conflict with the Christmas holidays, which Firm X described as "sometimes the only times we get to spend with our children." Of course Firm Y opposed the motion on the grounds that the issue was so important it could not be delayed because of the "personal needs" of a few lawyers.

Sadly, I suppose I can see both sides of this one. If there truly is some time-sensitive issue, then Firm Y may have a point. Without digging deep into this one, I doubt, however, that is the case. Lawyers often oppose motions just to be difficult. And they certainly hate to talk to the other side about something like setting deadlines so that everyone can enjoy a holiday free from work worry. Last year a partner at my firm forced one of my co-workers to cancel a planned trip to Europe over the holidays because he did not want to grant the other side's request similar to the one at issue here. He thought it would look weak. All of this is just insidious in my opinion. I do not think that the practice of law should require the complete subjugation of your personal life to it. If I had any doubt that I made the right decision to leave, which I don't, articles like this one merely remind me why I went.