I
just
finished
a
10-day
vacation
through
Central
Europe,
and
it
was
great
to
get
away
and
enjoy
some
time
off
from
work. This
was
the
longest
time
I
took
off
from
work
in
over
a
decade,
and
it
was
extremely
restorative
to
step
aside
from
legal
duties
for
a
while.
My
travel
companions
on
the
trip
were
medical
professionals
who
regularly
take
longer
vacations
at
least
once
or
twice
a
year.
For
a
variety
of
reasons,
it
is
often
easier
for
other
professionals
like
my
travel
companions
to
take
time
off
from
work
than
lawyers.
The
billable
hour
requirements
at
most
law
firms
make
taking
time
off
from
work
more
difficult
for
lawyers
than
it
is
for
other
professionals.
Such
requirements
necessitate
that
lawyers
bill
a
certain
amount
of
hours
per
year
regardless
of
whether
they
take
vacation
time.
Some
lawyers
might
find
it
difficult
to
bill
enough
hours
to
satisfy
such
requirements
if
they
take
time
off. Moreover,
some
lawyers
may
not
wish
to
work
harder
when
they
are
at
work
to
bank
sufficient
hours
so
that
they
can
take
vacation. Some
law
firms
condition
bonuses
on
the
number
of
hours
associates
bill,
so
lawyers
have
a
significant
incentive
to
stay
at
work
and
bill
as
many
hours
as
possible.
Many
other
professionals
do
not
have
anything
similar
to
a
billable
hour
requirement. Indeed,
other
professionals
are
assessed
more
on
job
performance
when
they
are
at
work
that
the
total
amount
of
output
they
generate
in
a
given
year. Accordingly,
when
other
professionals
take
time
off,
it
does
not
have
a
significant
impact
on
their
ability
to
meet
expectations
of
employers
since
their
vacation
time
is
not
part
of
their
work
evaluation.
The
schedules
of
many
lawyers
might
also
make
it
more
difficult
to
take
vacations. Many
lawyers
need
to
attend
court
appearances,
mediations,
depositions,
and
the
like,
and
attorneys
might
not
have
a
decision
about
when
these
events
are
scheduled. Although
it
is
often
possible
to
adjourn
some
of
these
events,
courts
and
adversaries
may
be
unwilling
to
reschedule. Indeed,
I
once
cancelled
a
planned
trip
because
I
was
unable
to
reschedule
a
court
appearance
even
though
my
adversary
consented
to
the
adjournment.
Other
professionals
do
not
have
such
scheduling
issues,
so
it
might
be
easier
for
them
to
take
time
off.
Moreover,
the
culture
at
many
law
firms
does
not
promote
attorneys
taking
vacations.
Law
firm
managers
often
extol
associates
who
bill
the
most
hours,
and
I
have
even
seen
managers
praise
attorneys
who
completed
tasks
on
vacation.
Attorneys
might
fear
that
they
will
be
punished
if
they
take
too
much
vacation,
since
this
might
possibly
show
that
they
are
not
sufficiently
dedicated
to
their
jobs.
Other
professionals
might
not
have
much
stigma
against
taking
vacations.
In
some
fields,
it
is
common
for
workers
to
take
all
of
the
vacation
days
they
are
assigned
in
a
given
year,
and
in
certain
finance
jobs,
it
is
even
mandated
that
workers
take
a
certain
amount
of
time
off
each
year.
This
culture
makes
it
much
easier
for
other
professionals
to
take
time
off
of
work.
All
told,
lawyers
can
learn
from
other
professions
and
prioritize
vacations
for
attorneys.
Vacations
can
have
a
number
of
positive
benefits,
and
law
firms
should
reduce
barriers
to
employees
taking
vacations
from
work.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at jordan@rothman.law.